Tourism

The Tourism Consortium’s international campaign is mainly aimed at the US and UK markets.

The day the Christmas lights are switched on, Barcelona becomes a fairytale city. This magical transformation begins on 23 November, a date eagerly awaited by everyone in the city. With more than 4 km of lights shining brightly throughout streets and squares, Barcelona will be under a spell like none other. This year, the majestic Passeig de Gràcia, which is marking its bicentenary, will host the Christmas light switch-on event.
It’s the time to look up and be mesmerised by the unique, sustainable designs that give Barcelona nights a special kind of light. To see this magic up-close, for the fifth year running, from 24 November to 4 January, the Barcelona Christmas Tour will be winding its way through the city on a route that takes in the holiday lights and decorations on the most iconic streets, avenues and buildings, such as Passeig de Gràcia and Plaça de Catalunya, among others. This 80-minute tour on board a double-decker tourist bus offers the opportunity to enjoy the Christmas lights and learn more about Catalan Christmas traditions from tour guides in Catalan, Spanish or English.

“Barcelona, a Christmas season open to the world”, Barcelona Tourist Consortium’s Christmas campaign, reflects the city’s open and hospitable spirit and invites people to come and enjoy what it has to offer through unique experiences during the Christmas season.  It does so by literally opening its doors to everyone with the goal of making Christmas in Barcelona a highlight for local residents and an attraction for visitors, all with a focus on free, high quality cultural activities and showcasing the city’s shopping, cultural and culinary fabric. These activities include the Santa Llúcia Fair and the fair at the Sagrada Família, visits to the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Palau de la Música and the Auditori; the Nativity scenes at the Cathedral, in Plaça Sant Jaume and at the Museu Frederic Marès; enjoying the Nose Race and New Year’s Eve on Avinguda Maria Cristina, and taking in the Three Kings parade.

More information on the campaign can be found at https://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/page/3911/christmas-in-barcelona.html, which offers different stories and suggestions based on the preferences of various target audiences, such as: Christmas in 48 hours (for short getaways or city breaks); Christmas by the sea; 10 non-Christmassy experiences and suggestions for Christmas as a family.

The Tourism Consortium’s Christmas campaign this year is aimed at the United States, since this market, , along with the Asian market, has one of the highest visitor spends per visit, at around €109.8 per person per day, with the average total spend for the trip at around €1,900, while the average international visitor spend is €1,100.

The campaign also focuses on the UK market. With Brexit, this has become a non-EU market and, therefore, has benefitted from the Tax Free VAT refund service, which is an incentive to spend more on shopping.  To reach this market, for the first time, over the course of two weeks, adverts will be placed on 50 of the iconic red buses that run along the most central streets of the city of London, with an impact of approximately 2 million people.

Furthermore, an agreement with Renfe will offer discounts on train travel to Barcelona, and will open up the French market with high-speed trains to Lyon and Marseille.

Christmas is coming, Barcelona is coming

This year, from 16 to 29 December, Plaça de Catalunya and Plaça de la Universitat will be hosting the Christmas Festival with a programme for all ages and a whole host of different activities. Also, Sons de Nadal [Christmas Sounds], the Christmas version of Sons de Ciutat [City Sounds], will be offering live music in the streets and squares of the shopping hubs and markets in all of the city’s districts from 9 December to 4 January, with 100 concerts by local groups. This year there will be a special series of concerts on Passeig de Gràcia to celebrate its 200th anniversary.