During the month of November 2022, the Med Pearls project was happy to organise the first official familiarisation and press trips to promote the Breathing Land destinations and products. These trips were organised in Catalonia and invited tour operators and reporters to discover the Catalan territories where the project has been working on: the counties of Anoia, Les Garrigues and Ribera d'Ebre. Join us in this article where we will share some of the experiences lived. 

The first trip took place between the 21st and the 24th of November and it was joined by a group of German tour operators and travel agents interested in learning more about the products created in Catalonia for Breathing Land. Together with the help of the Catalan Tourism Board, the collaboration of different travel agencies that have created products in Catalonia for the project (Turismo Vivencial, Trek and Ride, Buena Ruta, Lleida i Tu, El Brogit and Travel Tec), and the assistance of the local tourism representatives of the three territories; the group was able to meet with local tourism service providers and live slow tourism experience first-hand.

It all started in the country of Anoia, where just after landing and the first lunch, they joined a natural flower printing workshop in the town of Copons before spending the night in the capital of the county, Igualada. The following day they discovered the contrasting landscapes of the territory in an e-bike tour from the town of Calaf, before heading to the next county, Les Garrigues. Famous for its virgin olive oil production, the travellers were able to meet a local oil producing company as well as the works of local artists through a hike across the countryside. Lastly, the group travelled to Ribera d'Ebre to venture into its landscapes painted by the river Ebro, like the Serra del Cardó mountain range, and discover its local wine producers..

On the other hand, the second trip took place during the same week between the 26th and 29th of November. In this case, the trip was joined by a group of French reporters who were enthusiastic to discover the different slow tourism destinations that Catalonia has to offer. The trip was organised as well with the participation of the same companies as in the familiarisation trip, but in this case they took a different route.

 
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In this one the group started in Les Garrigues, where they had lunch with a wine producer that showcases works of art in their vines, and discovered a virgin oil producing company the following day. Anoia was the following county the reporters went to, where they were able to learn about the old industries of the region, like paper-mill production in Capellades, and also explore the contrasting landscapes of the territory with an e-bike tour that ended with a yoga session in Calaf. As with the fam trip, it ended in Ribera d'Ebre. In this case the group visited the town of Miravet that has an impressive view of the river Ebro, and discovered its ceramic industry in a workshop with a local artist. 

All in all, both groups were satisfied with the slow tourism experiences lived in Catalonia and showed interest in discovering more. Furthermore, they also were enthused about the different actions that the Med Pearls project has been working on and were surprised by the way the Breathing Land brand promotes slow and responsible tourism in the different countries of the Mediterranean. 

But this is not all, starting in 2023, the project is happy to announce that more trips are being organised in the other Med Pearls pilot areas. So stay alert as we will keep you updated in the following weeks.

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