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 Each
year 7 million tourists holiday in northern Catalonia, placing
the region in the leading group in Europe. This massive presence,
80% of which is centred on the coast where ten resort towns
share 50km of coastline, contrasts with the popularity of thermal
baths in the 19th Century which attracted tourists to the mountains.
The region which allows people to go from 0 to 2900 metres in
altitude over a distance of only 100km makes many forms of tourism
possible. The ski station of Fontromeu was founded in 1904 but
the true democratisation of vacations came about in the 1960s
when Paris introduced the Mission Racine – which encouraged
tourism en masse by moving the maritime villages of Barcarès
and Sant Cebrià (St Cyprian).
In
the 20th Century annual tourism, the biggest economic sector
with its strong point over the summer months, creates 7000 permanent
jobs, fills 300 000 beds and close to 250 camping grounds and
as many hotels. In the high season the sociological upheaval
in the area is manifested in the small seaside towns where the
population is multiplied by 40. The winter sports and activities
are the primary tourist function of many of the towns in the
micro-regions of the Cerdanya and the Capcir, changing the rural
rhythms. Since 1990 the weakness of the buying power and the
unique value of the sun have curbed qualitative tourism: in
the union of sea and mountain northern Catalan tourism, submitting
to the hazards of climate and consumption, is slowly stagnating.
Its fragility highlights the risk of a non-productive mono-economy
caused by an historic real estate pressure. However, the heritage
of the area is also its future: the circuit of Roman Art, the
route of the museums, the botanic tours, the agricultural visits
and the traditional rural accommodation, enlivened by the available
leisure activities and the cultures of the back-country. This
new economic stage is inspired by the identity and lifestyle
of the Catalans and answers a desire for quality and truth.
The name Pays Catalans, promoted by the local political authorities
clarifies the image of the region and strengthens the desire
for authenticity for the educated tourist.
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