This Friday, the Catalan Tourism Agency (ACT) presented the results of Med Pearls (Pearls of the Mediterranean), a European project that it has led and which has consisted of identifying and valuing slow tourism in the regions of Les Garrigues la Anoia and Ribera d’Ebre.
The project, which lasted four years and had a budget of 670,000 euros, involved six travel agencies and a total of 173 local suppliers from all over Catalonia. The director of the ACT, Marta Domènech, explained that this has made it possible to “structure the tourist offer” in these points and that the next step is to be able to offer it to visitors from Catalonia and the rest of the State, as well as other places such as Nordic countries, the United States and Canada.
The Cuadrat Valley farm in l’Albagés (Garrigues) hosted the presentation of the results of the European Med Pearls project. The initiative aims to position the Mediterranean internationally as a destination of quality and excellence within the modality of the so-called Slow Tourism, sustainable tourism, connected to the territory and integrated into the local model.
The project, 90% co-financed by the Mediterranean basin cross-border cooperation program ENI CBC Med 2014-2020, has lasted 4 years and the ACT has had funding of 670,000 euros, which has been allocated to the development of the project, which highlights the support for six travel agencies in Anoia, Garrigues and Ribera d’Ebre, areas of low tourist density but with high potential. Apart from Catalonia, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Palestine and Italy have also participated in the project.
In the case of Les Garrigues, the project has had the collaboration of the Provincial Council of Lleida and the Regional Council of Les Garrigues. 30 tourist experiences of the ‘Les Garrigues, The land of olive oil’ tourist package have been created, which have involved three incoming travel agencies (Traveltec, Lleida i tu and Buena ruta and 75 suppliers.
The project has made it possible to “structure the tourism offer” of these regions and create unique experiences, under the new tourism brand ‘Breathing Land’, which from now on agencies and promoters can publicize to attract visitors to these three regions. “The project is closed and now it is launched to the world. The tourist offer structure has been made, the travel agencies have been linked, which must now be their job, and we must receive the people they bring to us,” Domènech said.
