The deseasonalization of tourism has been one of the major objectives of the sector for years. But achieving it is not simple. After all, most of the population tends to travel in the summer. And the sun and the beach continue to have a lot of appeal. However, the professionals in the field want the tourist offer to be more and more varied, incorporating attractions such as culture, sporting events or so-called industrial tourism, among others. B-Travel, the exhibition dedicated to tourism organized by Fira de Barcelona and held until today at the Montjuïc fairgrounds, is a good example of these efforts.
“Tourism has already fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic and the prospects are good”, explains the president of B-Travel, Martí Sarrate. “The deseasonalization, the tourism of the twelve months of the year, brings economic tranquility to the sector”, he considers. In his opinion, to promote it “public-private collaboration is essential”. Sarrate believes that another of the keys is to adapt to travelers’ demand and offer increasingly personalized proposals. “We are unbeatable, but to achieve our goals we have to promote ourselves”, concludes the vice-president of the Corporate Association of Specialized Travel Agencies (Acave).
A total of 129 exhibitors, both regional and national and international, are present at the show. The province of Bizkaia is present for the first time as a distinct destination. “ We specifically promote off-peak periods. We no longer do campaigns for the summer or Holy Week”, assure the tourism managers of the provincial council who have traveled these days to Barcelona. In Bizkaia, they offer attractions such as culture, sport and events, but at B-Travel they especially promote industrial tourism. In other words, the old premises and industrial facilities that become a tourist attraction. In fact, at the fair they have a simulator with immersive reality to promote this product.
“Industrial tourism shows the history of the territory. In addition, we manage to take people to other towns beyond Bilbao. An example is Sestao, with unique facilities and all its working-class history”, say the provincial council, which has sought help from Next Generation funds to modernize disused industrial facilities and turn them into tourist attractions.
Industrial tourism, in fact, has had its own space in B-Travel for years. For example, Astúries shows its mining history and the Xarxa de Turisme Industrial de Catalunya (Xatic) is also present there, an association endorsed by the Catalan Tourism Agency that brings together municipalities that are committed to this type of initiative and decide to join forces. “Catalonia is as we know it today since the industrial revolution and we explain this change”, says the technical secretary of the entity, Pepi Martínez. “Industrial tourism helps deseasonalize. It doesn’t depend on the weather. In addition, it can be a complement to a stay, but it is also a way to get to know your country”, he considers.
Martínez reports that one of the trends is the “living industry”. These are companies with tourist charm that today continue to work on their activities. Another of the advantages of industrial tourism, according to Xatic’s technical secretary, is that it is “spread throughout Catalonia”. Therefore, in addition to deseasonalizing, it also decentralizes.
