Local markets, prioritized in the tourism strategy for next season

The Canonja. Costa Dorada. Catalonia Tourism considered priorities facing the next tourist season in local markets to try to stop the decline in employment of more traditional tourism markets. Catalonia receives an annual average of 25 million tourists, 15 million of which came from foreign countries: France (3.5 million), the United Kingdom (2'4 million), Germany (1.4), Benelux (1 ' 3) and in smaller quantities from other countries to complete the sum of 15 million foreign tourists. Moreover, Catalan tourism (5 million) and the rest of the state (5 million) complete the map of tourism employment in Catalonia. Facing 2010, these markets, together with the proximity and the Russian market, the American and Asian emerging countries are the priorities in the action of Tourism of Catalonia. As for this season, the Assistant Director of Tourism of Catalonia, Torrent Patrick considered that the results demonstrate the robustness of the Catalan tourism sector because despite falls finally employment figures were higher than those under first year and all this in a context of falling employment worldwide. Moreover, and in connection with last minute discounts applied by industry, Torrent believes that although the price factor is important when choosing a destination, Catalonia has fought in the 'league quality and not in the money ' because, he said, there are more affordable destinations with which Catalonia can not compete from the price factor. In this sense, Torrent Patrick considered that the sector is not much scope for further adjusting the prices downward. The Deputy Director of Tourism of Catalonia, Patrick Torres made these remarks this past October 15, 2009 in the framework of the Symposium on Transmitters Markets Catalan Tourism held at the Hotel Mas La Boella, La Canonja. The conference, held biennially, is intended to contact those in charge of Tourism Promotion in eight centers abroad (Benelux, Nordic, France, United Kingdom and Ireland, Germany, Italy, Russia and China) with companies and organizations operating in the Costa Dorada and the Terres de l'Ebre to exchange information to meet the demand and the trends recorded in the source markets.  

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