Med Pearls grant winners in the Catalan regions of Anoia, Les Garrigues and Ribera d'Ebre

The Med Pearls project anounces the allocation of funds for the creation of Slow Tourism products in the Catalan regions of Anoia, Les Garrigues and Ribera d'Ebre

The grants have been awarded to 6 Destinations Management Companies (DMCs) for a total value of € 96,000, 90% cofinanced by the ENI CBC Med Mediterranean Basin Cross-border Cooperation Program 2014-2020.
The products that will be developed highlight the local actors of each territory to offer immersive experiences and make known, several unknown corners of the metioned Catalan destinations.

Context: The Med Pearls grants for Slow Tourism products

Launched in September 2019 and led by the Catalan Tourism Board, the Med Pearls project aims at having Slow Tourism experiences in the 13 pilot areas of the participating Mediterranean countries (Spain, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Greece and Palestine) in order to position the Mediterranean internationally as a destination of quality and excellence for Slow Touism.

Up to now, the project has already awarded grants in Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Greece and Palestine, and last 25th of February the Med Pearls has added to this portfolio of projects the ones to be developed by six Destination Management Companies (DMCs) in the counties of Anoia, Garrigues and Ribera d'Ebre, the three Catalan counties pilot areas of the project.

With a maximum allocation of € 16,000 for each project, a total of six grants have been awarded. In absolute terms, it is an investment of € 96,000 90% cofinanced through the ENI CBC Med Mediterranean Basin Cross-border Cooperation Program 2014-2020.

In this sense, all the pilot experiences that are part of this project are being developed under the same quality criteria and must be based on a type of responsible and sustainable tourism, which emphasises the promotion and involvement of local economies, in order to publicise cultural and natural tourist experiences, while fully respecting the destination.

Subsequently, grants will be given to startups and entrepreneurs who will create ICT solutions to integrate them into these new tourism products. The ultimate goal of this project is to market the Slow Tourism experiences under the brand name "Breathing Land".

The Slow Tourism selected products in Catalonia:

Slow Tourism Product in Les Garrigues promoted by "Tu i Lleida"

Tu i Lleida is a receptive travel agency specialized in the Lands of Lleida. Since 2008 they have been working on tourism projects in the area with different institutions. In 2018, they managed to get the Terres de Lleida tourism brand to have the highest percentage growth in Catalonia.

Its proposal is based on developing 10 sustainable tourist experiences of different lengths (between 1 and 5 nights accommodation) that will include oil tourism, wine tourism, gastronomy, hiking, cycling, as well as guided tours of castles, museums or paintings in caves among others. These products seek to encourage tourism in less crowded areas that have great charm, increasing visitor spending and economically, culturally and socially revitalising the region of Les Garrigues and surrounding areas.

Discover Les Garrigues by motorhome with Buena Ruta

Buena Ruta is a travel agency specialising in motorhomes that has been practicing sustainable and destination-friendly tourism for many years. Their motorhome trips seek to make known the natural and cultural assets of the destinations without forgetting the local traditions and companies, highlighting the importance of the road and the experiences enjoyed.

With these key elements, Buena Ruta wants to start a project to discover the territory in Les Garrigues through itineraries and themed tourist packages that connect the natural assets, cultural assets, heritage, history and local personality of the area. In this reard, the visitor can get to know heritage and cultural facilities such as the Espai Macià, food and wine facilities such as the Oil Museum, natural spaces, restaurants, local shops and companies producing local products such as Vinya els Vilars, Mas Blanch and Jové and Olicatessen, or enjoy activities and tourist services provided by local companies such as La Manreana.

Xino-xano through Les Garrigues: Slow getaways through the land of oil with Traveltec

Traveltec proposal for Les Garrigues is to promote the landscape and cultural values of the oil region. The resulting packages will be based on the agricultural and gastronomic heritage of the region with oil, wine, almonds and local cuisine as protagonists, linking them with the cultural and architectural heritage of the region from dry stone constructions, modernist cooperatives, churches, castles, the Vilars d'Arbeca and cave paintings, or even artistic proposals that highlight the dryland landscapes and their people. The products developed will also include typical field-to-table and forest-to-table harvesting experiences, hiking and cycling proposals, cooking, art, dry stone and bioconstruction workshops, mindfullness, photographic discovery and forest baths.

The entire offer is designed for both local and international audiences and with packages of different durations. With this proposal, Traveltec wants to contribute to a sustainable and slow quality tourism in a region with much to offer.

Live Anoia through its local hosts with the help of Turismo Vivencial

Turismo Vivencial is a tour operator specializing in the creation and marketing of sustainable and unique experiences, created with a strong connection to the destinations and actors involved in the products where highlights the figure of the local host.

The aim of his proposal is to make the Anoia region an experiential destination under the claim "Live Anoia through its local hosts". In this regard, they will develop experiential activities committed to the territory and linked to small family businesses, active and fun activities where the traveler will participate in workshops and proposals that will thelp them connect with the territory. The traveler will be able to choose between different "Slow activity" options and "Slow getaways" linked to nature, culture, gastronomy and well-being, always respectful of the environment, traditions and customs of the territory.

Anoia step by step, a proposal of Trek and Ride

Trek and Ride is a travel agency focused on active tourism, hiking, cycling and multi-activity as main products, which incorporate complementary elements including wellness activities, gastronomy, wine tourism and culture.

The company's proposal in Anoia is the creation of soft active tourism products that combine physical activity, nature and culture. They understand culture as experiences that create knowledge and allow the discovery of the territory through local actors. Anoia is a land rich in heritage and nature, the towers and castles make up its landscape together with small villages with identity and a natural environment of great beauty, with rivers, gorges, forests and trails. All these resources will be the basis for the creation of proposals that will allow visitors and tourists to discover an unknown Anoia.

The river of flavours of Ribera d'Ebre, a product of El Brogit

The different products will be articulated by the travel agency El Brogit, specialised in ecotourism and wine tourism, in collaboration with different companies in the territory that offer accommodation, interpretive activities, catering, local products and transport.

It is proposed to develop several slow that comprehensively cover the entire territory of the Ribera d'Ebre. All of them will take place within a gamified narrative ecosystem, where the characters that make up the explorers of La Ribera, will show the hidden corners of the region and take the visitor to taste their local products. From the mountains of Tivissa to the Sierra del Tormo, from the river Ebro to its mouth, from the castle of Miravet to the village of the Castellet de Banyoles site, during the journey you will not only travel through time but also everything a universe of flavors.