Tourism

A promotional banner on the Gran Vía in Madrid and a vinyl-covered Renfe AVE train are the main attractions for national tourists and cycling enthusiasts.

Barcelona Tourism has launched the publicity and information campaign for La Vuelta Ciclista a Espanya, which will set off from Barcelona on 26 August, with a series of initiatives including a banner on Gran Via, 54 de Madrid and a Renfe AVE train that will run during weeks leading up to the competition, together with a website “Barcelona està de Vuelta (Barcelona is Back), with a range of information and ideas for bike and cycling enthusiasts.

The slogan “Come to Barcelona, Live the Tour” invites visitors to come to Barcelona to “live” the experience in allusion to the liveliness and dynamism currently present in the city thanks to the multiplicity of cultural events and sporting events such as the America’s Cup. The aim is to reclaim Barcelona as a centre for world-class sporting events by organising the start of major sporting competitions such as the Vuelta Ciclista a España, which has not had its start in the Catalan capital since 1962.

The aim of this event is to capitalise on the opportunity to project Barcelona as a sports capital and to influence brand positioning by highlighting culture, sport, gastronomy, creativity and innovation as key elements.

One of the Consortium’s objectives is to promote the sport and cycling culture among citizens and visitors and to involve the public in this major event by promoting public attendance at the start of the race, which will kick off on 26 August.

La Vuelta

The Vuelta ’23 will start on 26 August in Barcelona. The city will host one race start and two race finishes on the first two days: a team time trial and a half-mountain stage. It will be the second time in history that the Catalan capital has hosted an official start: the first was in 1962.

During these days, Barcelona will become the epicentre of the professional cycling world, which presents another opportunity to put the city under the spotlight as a key point of reference among all the sporting capitals of the world the international stage. Each year, La Vuelta is broadcast live on 18 channels (RTVE and Eurosport are the official channels in Spain) and shown in 190 countries. More than 1,000 journalists from 28 countries and 298 media outlets covered the last edition of the race.

Cycling is a very popular sport, both as a spectacle and as a sporting activity. (second most followed sport in Europe).  Barcelona is one of the leading cities when it comes to using this means of transport. Barcelona has more than 200 km of cycling lanes. As a means of transport, cycling has become a central component in the sustainable development of cities.

Barcelona, capital of sport tourism 

Sports tourism in Barcelona represents about 20% of the total number of visitors. The Tourism Observatory report concludes that people who travel for sporting reasons spend more days at their destination and spend more than the average traveller. There is thus a difference of +25.5% between the average length of stay of visitors in general and that of sports visitors (5.1 nights versus 6.4 nights).  On the other hand, daily expenditure (excluding transport and accommodation) of people who travel for sport-related reasons is +12.8% higher than that of tourists in general (€81.10 per person per day versus €71.87).

The profile of people who take part in sporting activities in Barcelona city is young and mostly of international origin. On average, these travellers are 30 years old, live outside Spain (78.3%), travel for leisure (65.8%) and have visited the city before (58.9%).

Sports tourism —whether as a spectator or as someone who practises physical and/or sporting activities during their visit to the city— had a predominant weight in the city as part of the overall destination (province and city) between October and May 2021. This increased presence coincided with the regular sporting events held during these months in 2021, such as the various Marathon and Half Marathon races, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

After La Vuelta this August, the preliminary race of the 37th edition of the America’s Cup —which will be held in the waters of Barcelona in 2024— will take place. It will be an open event that can be watched free of charge from the special promenade that will be set up.