They are looking for authentic and exclusive experiences that allow them to better understand the territory they are visiting and are willing to pay for them. Without complaining, as long as the service meets their high standards. Therefore, it is not surprising that they are crazy about tasting some anchovies from l’Escala, a good bread with tomato, or a typical fishermen’s stew on board a wooden boat, enjoying it like the best while walking along the coastal path of the Costa Brava or attending a wine tasting with live music in the incomparable setting of a church.
They are the other American tourists. Those who, apart from visiting Barcelona and its main attractions such as the Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, or Passeig de Gràcia, dedicate a few days to exploring secondary destinations like Montserrat, Sitges, the wineries of Penedès, or the Costa Brava.
Most of them make a stop in the capital of Catalonia beforehand, but there are also those who only set foot in El Prat airport to take a transfer that will lead them to some secluded villa in Empordà. Villas with all kinds of luxuries: private chefs, babysitters, yoga classes, or private wine tastings.
In the province of Girona, the number of tourists from the United States and Canada has increased by 48% since before the pandemic, and overnight stays have reached a record number in the last year, with close to 400,000. This growth is attributed by the Generalitat to several factors. First, to the recovery of North American visitors since the pandemic. There have been around 1.2 million visitors between January and September 2023, which is a 41% increase compared to the same period in the previous year. Additionally, they are spending more days exploring the destination, with over five nights on average.
The growth is also due to a generational shift in the profile of the North American visitor: younger customers are increasingly eager to explore beyond the major cities. “They are more interested in secondary destinations that were previously off their radar; now they might include fewer cities in the same trip to be able to explore a specific area more in depth,” explains Cristina Gargallo, director of the tourism promotion center of Catalonia in the United States. In addition, the region of Girona has two attractions that have long placed it on the international map: cycling tourism and gastronomy.
It is generally a customer with high purchasing power. At the beginning of the year, Sebastià Morató, from the real estate agency specialized in renting high-end properties Corredor Mató, said goodbye to a couple and their four children from Nashville (Tennessee) after spending ten days, including Christmas, in a farmhouse in Vulpellac.
Morató notes the remarkable growth of clients from this nationality. “In recent years, we have gone from not having this market to being the fifth most important after the French, English, Spanish/Catalan, and Dutch, surpassing the Belgian, Swiss, German, and Nordic markets,” says Morató, who estimates a 322% increase in Americans since 2018. The volume of reservations has tripled since then. Prices for these villas range from 10,000 to 25,000 euros per week depending on the season.
However, most people stay in four or five-star hotels or boutique hotels. At the Mas de Torrent hotel, part of the Único Hotels chain, they explain that individual customers tend to be very organized and book two months in advance, with an average stay of around three nights.
“They are customers who seek the utmost comfort in accommodation and don’t mind paying 500 euros per person for memorable experiences like pottery making in a workshop in La Bisbal d’Empordà or enjoying anchovies, fuet, or fritters in a fishermen’s hut,” explains Sandra Perich, a technician at the Premium Club of the Patronat de Turisme Girona-Costa Brava.”
Many companies have set their sights on this group, which spends much more than the average (around 279 euros per day, higher than the 188 of other foreigners) and shows a great interest in getting to know the culture, gastronomy, and natural environment of the destination through high-end tourist services.
The company La Gastronòmica, based in Baix Empordà, is one of those businesses that has had the North American community as one of its main clients since its inception. Pairing sessions with violin and cello, poetry recitals and wine tastings in the Iberian village of Castell, or a culinary demonstration aboard a boat exploring the Costa Brava are some of the many proposals it offers.
“They are very personalized activities that seek authenticity, and here we show them reality, not necessarily what appears in the guides; for example, if we do a cheese tasting, we emphasize who is behind the product and the place it comes from,” says sommelier Clara Antúnez, who points out that they are increasingly fueled by tourists visiting Barcelona. “They are very demanding and eager to discover new authentic experiences away from marketing,” explains a customer who greatly helps to reduce the seasonality of tourism. They prefer to visit the destination in autumn and spring, beyond the summer.”
In The Real Thing, a travel agency based in Barcelona that organizes customized experiences in Spain and Portugal with a focus on American clients, they explain that they have regained the clientele they had before the pandemic. “When they were able to travel again, they came in droves,” says Glòria Pou, one of the partners of the company, who notes that it is rare for those who spend five or six nights in Barcelona not to end up spending at least one in Girona.
“They are very easy to convince,” she says. Companies that specialize in this profile confirm that in addition to couples, companies, groups of friends, or parents and children, they cater to families spanning more than one generation (grandparents, parents, and grandchildren) who enjoy the trip. Among the destinations they visit are hidden gems along the Costa Brava, Girona, the Dalinian triangle, or wineries in the area. “They don’t come for the sun and beach, but rather seek more sophisticated experiences that allow them to get to know the lifestyle of the region,” explains Gargallo.
Beyond this type of visitor, Girona has long benefited from bicycle tourism. A stroll through the city center reveals the large number of businesses that have opened in recent years. In 2022, there were about thirty of them.
Since Lance Armstrong put Girona on the map during his residency from 2001 to 2005, the growth has been spectacular. The North American tour operator Trek Travel, which has its European travel logistics center in Girona, has expanded its portfolio of American clients by 10% in the last year.
The sales manager, Silvia Brinatti, explains that the age of the collective has decreased. “If before it was between 50 and 70 years old, now we already have clients in their thirties and we have expanded the portfolio thanks to electric bikes,” she explains. The majority profile is upper middle class, couples, friends, and groups, with an average stay ranging from 6 to 10 days. It is a tourism segment that still has a lot of room for growth.