Since last Friday, Lloret de Mar has become the venue for the Copa AFIA Espanha-Catalunha, the biggest senior football championship in the world, which has brought to the destination nearly 900 visitors from Brazil, half footballers, half accompanying persons. A total of 20 teams are participating, from 16 different cities and 3 regions of Brazil, who are staying exclusively at the Hotel L’Azure along with accompanying persons and technical staff. The football pitches in the municipality are also at full capacity throughout the week. The event, which was due to be held for the first time in May 2020, is expected to be held again next year in Lloret de Mar, as a two-year agreement has been signed that can be extended for a further two years.
The technical infrastructure of this event includes live streaming and VAR, as well as a special programme for accompanying persons.
The manager of Lloret Turisme, Elizabeth Keegan, explained that “this sporting event is a clear example of new tourism trends with senior clients who are still very active, with high purchasing power and who are looking for these differential experiences, such as a tournament outside their own country, which they can then combine with visits to the region”. The expected economic impact on the region, according to the organising company, is €3,000 for each participant, totalling almost €2.7 million.
The closing ceremony will take place next Thursday evening at the Lloret Theatre.
Football was the clear sporting protagonist this weekend as Lloret de Mar also hosted the Futbol IN event, a grassroots football tournament with the best clubs in Spain and Europe. The event was attended by 120 teams in the alevín, benjamín and prebenjamín categories, with a total of 1,600 participants and more than 5,000 spectators. Some of the most outstanding teams were Barça, Betis, Valencia, Atlético de Madrid, Juventus, Milan and Olympique Lyon.
Lloret de Mar has been certified as a sports tourism destination by the Government of Catalonia since 2006 in six disciplines and currently has 14 hotels certified in sports tourism. Every year, its sports facilities welcome more than 61,000 sportspeople and their companions, and more than 400 sporting events are organised.
