The Lloret Theatre was packed to capacity to celebrate Lloret de Mar’s Tourism Night, organised by the departments of Economic Promotion and Lloret Turisme. The event was presided over by the Catalan Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Miquel Sàmper, and the Mayor of Lloret, and was also attended by Martí Pujals, President of the La Selva County Council, Joan Plana, MP and Second Vice-President of the Costa Brava Tourist Board, Xavier Font, Deputy Director General for Tourism Development of Lloret de Mar, and Xavier Font, Deputy Director General for Tourism Development of Lloret de Mar, Deputy Director General of Tourism Development of the Catalan Government, Lara Torres, Deputy Director General of Transparency and Good Governance of the Catalan Government, Jennifer Pérez, President of the Consell de la Selva Tourism Association, councillors of the municipal corporation and representatives of the different trades.
Lloret Tourism Night is part of the World Tourism Day celebrations and is the most important event in Lloret’s tourism sector. In the words of the Councillor for Tourism, Frederic Guich, “this night was revived last year to highlight the great work of the professionals in Lloret’s productive fabric and to highlight a way of doing things in our sector that, over the years, has maintained its focus on customer service and its pioneering and innovative spirit as its main characteristics”
The winners of this year’s Lloret de Mar Tourism Night were:
– Innovation Award. To Jordi Frigola and Anna Martínez of the Delamar Frigola Group as a source of inspiration and leadership for an investment of 26 million euros in the refurbishment of their establishments, demonstrating their commitment to offering exceptional experiences to their customers.
– Social commitment award to the environmental organisation Xatrac. Created in 2008, the environmental organisation Xatrac promotes the conservation and protection of the natural environment, especially the marine ecosystems of the area, with an enthusiasm and tenacity that, even in the most difficult times, such as this year with the collapse of the Fenals Promenade, has maintained its activity and commitment.
– Emblematic establishment award to Can Planet-Toni Planet. Since 1877, the Planet family started the butchers’ trade in Lloret de Mar, reaching the fifth generation with Toni Planet. His grandfather left in 1953 for the city of Cologne, in Germany, Joan Planet, for an apprenticeship specialising in German sausages and opened the establishment in what is now Calle Sant Pere. The philosophy of the shop is to specialise in German sausages, with more than 30 traditional products, without forgetting at any time the typical products of Catalonia.
– Award for international projection to the driver Miguel Molina. Since he was a child, he showed an overflowing passion for motors. At the age of five, he already felt the adrenaline rush at the wheel of the Go Karts, dreaming one day of competing among the big ones and where he won two Spanish championships and one in Catalonia. He went through the Young Drivers programme at the Circuit de Catalunya and in 2010 he joined the Audi team in 2010 to race in the German Touring Car Championship, becoming the first Catalan to participate, winning the title of best rookie and the following year reaching the podium for the first time. This year, with the 24 years Le Mans podium, he enters the history of motorsport.
– Award for tourism communication to Mariona Ferrer. After a long career in Barcelona and Madrid working for different media such as TV, Televisió de Barcelona and the international press, where she has lived and explained the challenges posed by current political and social issues, Mariona moved back to Girona a few years ago as a delegate for Diari Ara. She has won this category with “trip to the authentic Lloret” published on 24 July, which as you know is the day of the Festa Major.
– Local ambassador award to Maria Josep Martí. A sports doctor, she has taken the name of Lloret beyond its borders with her tireless commitment against doping at the Olympic Games. She first took part in the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, then in Tokyo 2020 and this year in Paris 2024 she has once again ensured compliance with the doping control programme.
– Entrepreneurship award to Joan Bernat. Co-owner of La Brava Grup, he has created a line of quality restaurants combined with modern, contemporary establishments. His entrepreneurial vision has made it possible to create a modern restaurant offering that at the same time maintains the charm of emblematic places such as Casa Marlés, boosting the economic dynamism of this area.
The final part of the event saw the presentation of the two outstanding awards of the evening; the outstanding professional award and the business career award:
– Outstanding professional award to Pere Travaglia. Born in Luxembourg 55 years ago, he is a benchmark in the tourism industry in Lloret de Mar, with Swedish and Catalan roots. Since he was a child, he has experienced the world of tourism from close quarters with a family that has worked in various travel agencies such as Ultramar Express, Feria Tours, Creutur and Viajes Bonavia, which have awakened in him a deep passion for the industry.
At the age of 20, Pere began his career at the H-TOP Gran Casino Royal in Lloret de Mar as a receptionist. His dedication and interpersonal skills stood out from the very first moment, which led to a rapid progression within the company until he became director. His leadership has been a key element in the transformation of the L’Azure hotel, always committed to excellent service and fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.
– Business career award to Montserrat Sala Montero. Born on 28 June 1946 in Lloret de Mar, she is a visionary, courageous and tireless woman. As the second of six siblings, she grew up in an environment of work and responsibility, values that have accompanied her throughout her life. Educated by Catalan nuns and with business studies, her passion for knowledge led her, when she grew up, to complete a Master’s degree in Business Management at ESADE.
At just 16 years old, Montserrat began working in the management of the Hotel Montserrat, the family hotel, an establishment that stood out as one of the most modern of its time. This was only the beginning of a professional career marked by her courage, determination and vision of the future. On 30 October 1967 she married Joan Masó, and together they embarked on a business path that transformed Lloret de Mar and the neighbouring towns.
From small food shops to the construction of large apartments and aparthotels, Montserrat was always an innovative woman, able to see beyond and to take on ambitious projects, such as the construction of the Massó supermarket in Fenals in 1974, when the area was still underdeveloped. With sacrifice and perseverance, she consolidated a business empire that over the years included apartments, hotels and shopping centres in various locations.
But beyond her business success, Montserrat Sala was a generous, empathetic, modern and very discreet person. In the words of the Mayor of Lloret, Adrià Lamelas, “A woman of challenges, who has left her mark not only in business, but also in her way of doing things”.
In his closing speech, the Mayor of Lloret de Mar recalled the beginnings of tourism in 1950, when Lloret became a pioneering destination for European tourism, emphasising that tourism has been fundamental to the prosperity of the town and its people and recalling that “Tourism is not our ultimate goal. It is a tool, a means that has helped our grandfathers and grandmothers, mothers and fathers and now many of us to prosper. The real purpose is to build a strong, cohesive community, with quality of life for all, because the well-being of our citizenry also brings quality to the tourism experience of our visitors. Tourism has allowed us to develop, but it cannot define us or exhaust our dreams. We must be able to use it to create opportunities, to care for our environment, to preserve our identity, and this is the line along which we will work in the Lloret de Mar Strategic Plan, a plan that puts people at the centre”.
The Catalan Minister of Enterprise and Employment, Miquel Sàmper, stressed that Lloret de Mar 2symbolises the strength and vitality of the Catalan tourism sector, which is not only an economic engine but also a fundamental element for the social and cultural cohesion of our society”. The minister highlighted the good work “of the professionals who, day after day, make it possible for Lloret to remain a leading destination” and “the complicity between the residents of Lloret and those who visit us, the tourists”. For Sàmper, this complicity “is key to achieving respectful and balanced tourism, where hospitality is combined with care for our environment and our identity”.
Lloret Tourism Night is the main event of World Tourism Day, but it is complemented by various free activities on 27 September, such as an open day at the cultural facilities of the Lloret Open Museum; a guided tour at 11:30 am in the Santa Clotilde Gardens in Catalan and another guided tour of the Indiano Route at 5:30 pm in Spanish; the travelling show Swing Engine Street Sextet at 7 pm, and the cover band WASA in Plaça de la Vila at 10 pm.
