For Barcelona it means a ‘lung‘ with much more potential than its current uses. Underutilized and undervalued, the citizen conquest of the mountain of Montjuic It continues to be a pending challenge after various municipal plans eternally slowed down. But the complex network of gardens and cultural and sports facilities is contemplated by the sector tourist as a golden opportunity for decompress the tourist influx of the city center. Therefore, they claim a serious strategic planmore resources to improve both the offer and its promotion, without forgetting accessibility and security issues that improve the experience.
They consider that the attractions of the area should be articulated as a single unit, giving it an identity, facilitating visits and taking advantage of the cultural, sports and experiences vein for the visitor
The mountain is not a tourist preserve, although it aligns some of the main points of interest or local tourist elements. Starting with the Castell de Montjuïc, which in 2019 (last reference to normality, prior to the pandemic, when activity fell, and in the absence of data for 2022) added more than 881,200 visitors (between foreigners and locals), closely followed by the MNAC, with 837,000 (of which 70% are tourists). CaixaForum Barcelona was close to 674,600, and the Fundació Joan Miró more than 364,500. In another area, the Cable Car was used by 1.61 million users, and Poble Espanyol visited by 1.24 million. These examples are very different magnets and they attract audiences with different interests and concernsbut for now they lack a common strategy. The ‘Monjuïc experience’ does not exist for the visitor.
That is precisely one of the claims main ones that are heard from employers linked to tourism. Jordi Clos not only presides over Gremi d’Hotels of Barcelona, but as a cultural patron he was a promoter of the Clos Archaeological Foundation and the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona, so he is a firm defender of the role of culture as a motor of quality tourism. In this sense, the hotelier regrets that the debate on Montjuïc has been recurring in the last two decades, without ever coming to fruition or action.
“The decentralization of tourism is not done without more, it is only possible if the tourist sees interest in the places that are offered to him. The traveler is not stupid”, reflects the leader of the employers’ association, from the conviction that Montjuïc “is undervalued” and continues to be “the pending subject”, but it has enormous potential. He recalls the times when the “island” was talked about of the museums”, which came to nothing. “A strategic plan is necessary that brings together the offer of the perimeter in a single unit of action even though it encompasses different products,” he insists.
Content and facilities
For Clos, articulating the network of museums and exhibitions is the first step, but then it must be complemented with good services, such as restaurants and a better network of communications in the area, that promote the experience “of going to spend the day and being able to do different activities”. “You have to put everything together and give it identity“, he stresses.
The president of Barcelona Tourism Eduard Torres, is pronounced in the same sense. “Montjuic hosts different spaces of cultural and tourist interest that must be empower in accordance with the cultural story of the city”, he interjects. And also because they fit perfectly with “the objectives of the decentralization and deconcentration of tourism,” he adds.
These arguments were already heard at the conference held by the CETT and Foment last November, where different entities and operators in the field of tourism, culture and sport already defended at all costs more prominence for Barcelona’s ‘central park’. The president of the Tourism Commission of Fosterand Executive Vice President of Catalonia Hotels, William Vallet, He defended then and reiterates before this newspaper, that the mountain be integrated as a central element of the city and be capable of articulating culture and sport as motors. He is convinced that it would work as a pole of attraction that can decompress tourism.
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For Catiana Tur, manager of ACAVEthe Corporate Association of Specialized Travel Agencies, such an integrated location in the city deserves “greater use”. He explains that up to now the interest is concentrated a lot in the lower part, especially to see the Magic Font, but the upper part is much more isolated, despite having enough tourist attractions. “For us the mobility It is fundamental, and there are many impediments there. There are no stops for buses, even if they are for small groups, so it is difficult to organize visits despite the fact that there are no affectations,” he points out, alluding to the fact that there are no neighborhood centers or dense traffic in most points on the mountain. “It could have much more travel”, he says in terms of the offer.
Nor is the offer of accommodation abundant in the mountains and it is the neighborhoods around it that provide the first flow of visitors. the district of Sants-Montjuïc It is very extensive and has just over 7,000 hotel beds, 9.3% of the total in Barcelona, but it is widely distributed. The only hotel in situ is the luxury Miramar, under municipal concession from 2001 to 2051 and for sale. At the foot of Montjuïc there has recently been another five star hotel, the InterContinental on Carrer de Lleida. Most of the options close to the mountain are in Plaza Espanya and on the other side of Paral·lel, already in the Eixample area.