[dropcap letter="L"]
he democratization of tourism and the consequent massification of destinations forced by agencies and guides have reinforced a modern need consisting of seeking tourist alternatives close to the exclusive, relatively novel proposals that combine the memory of a beautiful photo with a memorable experience.
This combination of landscape and experience is the specialty of OnVaig.cat, an 'online' travel agency specialized in festival and tradition tourism in Catalonia. Created and coordinated by Laia Andreu, the startup is something like a "supermarket of Catalan tourist experiences," which allows for the decentralization of tourism and the promotion of new destinations and activities throughout the territory.
"The ones that attract the most attention are the Correfoc – in reality, any activity linked to fire attracts a lot of attention – and the popular Castellers," explains Laia Andreu.After winning the FuTurisme award –endowed with 12,000 euros– in May 2018 and doubling its turnover in one year, OnVaig.cat's next challenge is to internationalize the proposal so that foreign tourists come to enjoy Catalan popular festivals. According to the entrepreneur, they are already testing the digital infrastructure and contacts have been initiated with international agencies, so it only remains to launch it.
"Although we don't have international clients yet, through contact with travel agencies we can already get an idea of the traditions that are most popular among international tourists: those that attract the most attention are the Correfoc –in reality, any activity linked to fire attracts a lot of attention– and the popular Castellers", explains Laia Andreu.
[subscribe_newsletter_esp]
In parallel, Catalan tourists opt for more unusual plans, and the podium of their preferences is dominated by 'las Fallas del Pirineo', a festive tradition that is celebrated in several places in the Pyrenean regions and from which one walks through the forest carrying a burning log. After the descent of the fallas, the second position in order of preferences for the local tourist is the rice planting in the Ebro Delta.
But, what are these getaways like specifically? "The getaways for people from Catalonia and the metropolitan area are usually one or two nights of accommodation in rural settings where every detail is carefully looked after. We usually integrate one or two activities, and the activity of the festival itself. The entire weekend plan costs between 75 and 115 euros", details the entrepreneur.
With this system, the OnVaig.cat platform achieves two laudable purposes at once: on the one hand, it diverts tourist traffic from the city to the countryside, decongesting urban spaces usually saturated by population density itself. On the other hand, it helps combat rural depopulation that has been so much denounced in recent times.
"We understand tourism as a way to boost the local economy, especially in the most rural areas. It is a method to dignify the work of farmers and ranchers because city people understand and comprehend what is being done in the rural world and verify, for example, why it is important to consume zero-kilometer products. Rural tourism gives all these people the opportunity to earn a better living and we believe that this type of accommodation initiatives help develop and repopulate these areas", says Laia Andreu.
Although she recognizes that in very local festivals there are neighbors who don't quite understand why tourists from outside come to them –"what interests them about us?", they ask themselves–, in the end they assume, according to Laia, that the exchange is beneficial for everyone. The startup universe and the rural world share profitability in the confluence developed by OnVaig.cat: "It's true that our suppliers are sometimes traditional people far removed from this world of entrepreneurship and startups, but we balance both universes and try to understand both realities so that everyone wins. The conjugation serves to maximize the benefits of both," concludes Laia Andreu.