Barcelona "rebrands" to combat overtourism

support for Promoting Tourism:
- Total Support: Almost 75% of Catalans support continuing to promote tourism.
- Strong Support: 24% are very much in favor.
- Moderate Support: 50% agree with promoting tourism.
- Opposition: 39% are against or very much against promoting tourism.

Wait that’s over 100% ??? I am confused. So maybe the 24% and the 50% are subsets of the 75% but that doesn’t leave room for the 39%. Sorry, never did well in math or statistics.

But when people see “Visit Barcelona" changed to "This is Barcelona" most everyone will look for a new place to visit.

A fine thing.

“This is Barcelona”

Imaginative (?). So on arrival I know I am in the right place. Or the wrong place.

Does the “This is Barcelona” tagline come with a photo of a mob of people, going nowhere, seeing nothing, not enjoying the visit? That would equate to a, “Barcelona: Don’t Let This Happen to You” message.

I hope the message conveys the right signal to would-be visitors, and that tourism in Barcelona reaches the right balance for tourists and residents.

Mr E - I had the same thoughts. The support and opposition percentages don't add up to 100% because they represent different aspects of opinions on tourism. The 75% supporting tourism includes both strong and moderate supporters (24% + 50%). The 39% against it likely represents a different subset of respondents who were explicitly asked about their opposition. Therefore, while 75% support tourism promotion, a portion of respondents (up to 39%) may still express concerns or opposition under specific conditions or contexts. My guess is that this often happens in surveys when different questions address different dimensions of a topic. Some respondents may support tourism overall while also acknowledging negative impacts in some areas.

My estimation (in simplified terms) would be 60% pro-tourism and 40% anti-tourism.

Does the “This is Barcelona” tagline come with a photo of a mob of people, going nowhere, seeing nothing, not enjoying the visit?

Here's the official tourism rebrand video - https://youtu.be/yG-hY5gqdmI?si=hopDW-NTVE8_qETs
It's in a rather enigmatic mix of Catalan and English, not sure who's the audience lol.

Carlos, or Sybil was one of the respondents

Not a great video. At least they're trying. I think they need to spend some ad Euros for a good agency.

Good to see Sonar Festival mentioned. That was what brought me to Barcelona. Primavera Sound is a big draw too, though I've never been. It will be missing Shellac now Steve Albini's gone too soon..

This is a translation of the above article-

This is not the time to grow excessively, but to bet on quality and reconvert tourism in Barcelona. This is one of the maxims of those responsible for the tourism promotion of the city who are working to open a new stage. Turisme de Barcelona, the public-private consortium chaired by Jordi Clos, seeks to be more selective after positioning the city in recent years as one of the main tourist destinations in the world, so it is intended to refocus the strategy not on quantity but on a more sustainable type of visitor who chooses Barcelona for specific reasons that make it unique. such as culture, gastronomy, fairs, architecture or sport.
One of the most visible examples of this shift is the change in Turisme de Barcelona's promotional slogan, which will go from VisitBarcelona – which began to be used 15 years ago – to This is Barcelona. "It is a slogan that has a connotation of total change and is assertive, it is an affirmation, a signage of what we want the world to know about Barcelona to give them the specific reasons why they should come to the city," said Mateu Hernández, general director of the consortium, during the presentation of the change of slogan at the Palau de la Música.
Hernández added that the previous concept has worked well and has allowed the city to position itself in the world, which has gone from 4.5 million hotel overnight stays in the 90s to more than 20 million today, but he considers that now is the time to change for a more selective visitor and Barcelona is in the position to be able to do so.
Change of motto coinciding with the America's Cup
The new slogan will be released from August 22 coinciding with the America's Cup and can be seen in a video in the broadcasts of the competition, with an estimated audience of 1,500 million viewers. It will also be available on the new Turisme de Barcelona website, which is being worked on through the award of a first tender, of more than two million, out of the 5.5 million allocated within the framework of the European Next Generation funds. In this sense, one of the projects consists of developing a platform for "prescribing" the Barcelona experience, that is, work will be done at the source to determine profiles and advise visitors based on the interests of the city based on the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence. At the same time, Barcelona's offer will be proactively recommended through the staff in the fifteen tourist information offices.
The new tourism promotion of the city focuses on four major challenges: to stop promoting the city in a generic way to do it in a specific way, for example, by enhancing the cultural offer through festivals, events and museums; compete for the best congresses, fairs and international events such as the America's Cup; making use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence to recommend what to do and how in Barcelona; finally, that the city feels proud of tourism.
Asked about the results of the latest biannual barometer of the Barcelona City Council published yesterday in which it indicated that the negative impact of tourism has risen to third position as one of the problems that most worries citizens, after insecurity and access to housing, the general director of Turisme de Barcelona pointed out that they are aware that for years the city has decided to "put limits on tourism so it is up to us that the tourist beds we have in the city are occupied by the people we want to occupy them."

They just want rich folk. Better jack up the tourist taxes and bring world class casinos.

They just want rich folk.

Who is rich and who is not is very subjective. My reading is they're not targeting so much rich people but rather people who are more interested in cultural activities and longer-term stays, rather than your typical Northern European on a city break with a mug of overpriced sangria in one hand and a plate of microwaved paella in the other.

I think the Rick Steves type tourist is the model for what Barcelona wants to attract now. Are Rick Steves type tourists rich?

I think the Rick Steves type tourist is the model for what Barcelona
wants to attract now. Are Rick Steves type tourists rich?

Absolutely.

I think the Rick Steves type tourist is the model for what Barcelona wants to attract now. Are Rick Steves type tourists rich?

By most standards in the world, sure, the current RS tourists are well off, but I would not say they are the type of tourist Barcelona would like. The older school RS crowd tend to be budget travelers, and seeing responses, probably would rather stay in the AirBnBs Barcelona is trying to shut down, rather than a 5 star hotel. They also would prefer to focus on the tried and true visitor sights (Sagrada Familia, other Gaudi works, The Picasso Museum, Boqueria Market, Las Rambla, etc.), not venturing elsewhere in the city, and they would also like that mug of Sangria you mentioned and the cheap flight to get there. (Oh, and make sure they get a Senior discount at the various sites)

But to the original article, what always amazes me is that cities think their marketing efforts are effective. Barcelona does not need to market itself, and few people are visiting because they saw some feature on Barcelona. The hordes are already beating a path to the city, changing a slogan is not going to stop them in their tracks. Ironically, by changing their focus, and looking to attract a different crowd (presumably one that is not visiting today), crowds will only increase. The Americas Cup may be an example of the type of event they want to attract, but it still drives crowds above and beyond what are already are. What's next? Another Olympic bid to "reduce" tourism?

Okay, we have two types of RS travelers.

The RS Tour traveler who pay $5000 for a $3000 trip because they like the society of the group. Throw in airfare and its got to be close to $8000 per person for two weeks (the not so budget travelers). A couple has to have a lot of disposable income to blow $16000 once or twice a year. (wealthy)

I suspect the RS Forum Traveler could do the same trip off the tour and the cost would be a third or half less Still thats $12,000 a couple once or twice a year. (less wealthy)

Then there is the age group thing. The RS being Older folks require more comfort. Kids require more beer. Comfort costs more than beer.

As far as attracting people for other purposes, I'm not sure if those here on the forum know about the reputation of Barcelona as a mecca for skateboarding and BMX?

Barcelona is absolutely chock full of great street spots to skate or ride BMX, just by happy accident of urban design. People come from all over the world. Just about every sponsored team or pro has a whole video or section shot in Barcelona. I was lucky enough to stay with a friend in Badalona some years ago and he is able to make a good living shooting skate videos all year round in Barcelona.

I'm probably a bit old to know about these things, but I still maintain an interest even though I'm not out shredding the streets these days :) It's another cultural string to Barcelona's bow that you may not have been aware of.

Here's a link to some spots you may recognise if you've been around Barcelona a little. There's a thousand more.

https://www.hyclothing.es/blog/bcn-skate-spots-part-i/