To invite Barcelona residents to reclaim their most international promenade. This is the objective of the initiative La Rambla. A new model of urban tourism. Promoted by Amics de La Rambla together with the City Council and GetYourGuide, the proposal aims for La Rambla to once again be an iconic place not only for tourists, but also for Barcelona residents.
How to achieve it? With a strategy that includes not only activities, but also an observatory, a new brand, and a reflection on the souvenir. These are proposals within five lines of action that will be developed until 2027, all with the aim of strengthening the image of the promenade so that Barcelona residents return to their Rambla. The calendar coincides precisely with the works for the renovation of the iconic avenue, which have already begun and are scheduled to finish in 2027.
Among the lines of action of the pioneering public-private collaboration initiative is La Rambla Inventa. Through this, the project aims to be a loudspeaker for the creative voices of the neighborhood, with a particular proposal: to design a souvenir object from La Rambla, created locally and aimed at everyone. Amics de La Rambla proposes rethinking the typical souvenir sold on the avenue and promoting this new object with the collaboration of the cultural, associative, and educational fabric of the neighborhood, where design schools such as Elisava and Massana are located. Fermín Villar, president of Amics de La Rambla, explained this to The New Barcelona Post. The entity, created in 1960, wants to transform the type of souvenir that represents La Rambla and promote attractive souvenirs not only for visitors, but also for the local public.
The new object that emerges from this reflection must be closely linked to the territory, both from a creative and constructive point of viewWith this objective, at the beginning of 2024 a conference will be called to reflect on the souvenir and the creation of a new type of souvenir object representative of the emblematic avenue. "We have the ingredients", Villar claims. And he lists them: La Rambla has businesses that are committed to improving the perception of the avenue to attract Barcelonians and a profile of quality visitors, while also having design schools and small producers, especially in the Raval. "We have to bring these three realities together, which until now have gone their separate ways and have never coincided," and do so with the common goal of rethinking the memories that represent the symbolic thoroughfare.
And what could be produced? "From textiles to ceramics, passing through any possibility we can invent," always with the aim of reorienting the objects that explain La Rambla, in order to "raise the level" of the current offer. And the first steps are already being taken towards this redefinition of the souvenir that should characterize Barcelona's most universal promenade. In this sense, a collection of attractive posters has been created for both tourists and locals, which aim to recover the charm of poster art linked to the city. They will be offered in short runs of 100 copies combined with free postcards, and will feature recognized artists and students from Massana and Elisava as authors.
The new objects that are designed will have a new space as their main showcase: the Territori Rambla establishment. It will be a physical space designed to promote culture and explain the history and traditions of La Rambla. The venue, which will open during 2024 in a location yet to be determined, will promote the heritage of the Barcelona artery and its offer, both cultural and gastronomic. The experiences encompassed by Territori Rambla will also be grouped in a virtual space promoted by the entity together with the GetYourGuide portal.
Villar has highlighted that they foresee the space housing a model of La Rambla and a digital map where its attractions can be consulted. The president of the entity advocates doing so by enhancing the connectivity of La Rambla's offer with that of Paral·lel, "because historically they are two streets that have complemented each other in their leisure and cultural offerings."
Activities to rediscover La Rambla
The initiative also proposes rediscovering the iconic avenue through activities that highlight its tangible and intangible heritage and are primarily aimed at Barcelona residents. This line of action, named La Rambla Proposa, encompasses existing and consolidated activities, such as Tast a La Rambla, Festa del Roser, and also La Rambla Vila del Llibre, which in July celebrated its second edition inviting people to rediscover the iconic promenade through books.
And it not only includes existing events, but also launches new proposals, such as (Re)descobreix La Rambla, underway since last week. The initiative invites Barcelonians to get closer to the culture, heritage, and history of the avenue and the surrounding streets. It does so with seven thematic, guided, and free routes, focusing on secrets and elements that go unnoticed in the fields of literature, illustrious visitors, and the "darker" La Rambla.
Data and antennas on visitor flows
Another initiative included in the proposal is the Observatori Rambla, which aims to establish itself as a space for reflection, creation, and dissemination of studies on the emblematic thoroughfare. With what objective? To generate a forum and a meeting and debate point around La Rambla and on how to use tourist volume to transform the city. To collect the necessary data, Villar announces that antennas are being installed on the avenue to monitor visitor flows, and that they will work with economic analysis companies to quantify the impact generated by La Rambla, "something that has never been done before." In addition, the project also contemplates offering a paper map with information on the street's attractions, its history and heritage, and promoting a local newspaper about the representative Barcelonian artery.
The public-private initiative has the support of the Barcelona City Council and the tourist experience portal GetYourGuide. This alliance between the three actors aims to revitalize cultural activities and the offerings of La Rambla within the framework of tourism that is moving towards a more sustainable model compatible with the conservation of local heritage and the creation of economic and employment opportunities.
All of this, with an underlying objective: that Barcelonians return to stroll along the boulevard par excellence of the Catalan capital, and attract quality visitors. "Tourists are starting to complain that there are too many tourists, and that's a warning. If we lose originality, we run the risk of being replaced by cheaper destinations," warns Villar. For this reason, he emphasizes the importance of also promoting local, quality commerce and gastronomic offerings that are also oriented towards Barcelonians.
The impetus for this strategy coincides with that of the renovation works on La Rambla, which will change its appearance, its uses, and its traditional undulating pavement. The road resulting from this remodeling will be an avenue with a single traffic lane in each direction and more space for pedestrians, both on the sides and on the central roadway. The renovated Rambla will have more resting points and three new intersections converted into squares for the enjoyment and contemplation of visitors, whether tourists or Barcelonians from other neighborhoods newly attracted by the most universal avenue in their city.