A total of 82,975 people related to sports tourism visited Lloret de Mar‘s sports facilities in 2023. This figure represents an increase of 27.4% compared to 2022, of which 45,922 were athletes (34%+) and 37,053 accompanying persons (23%+).
These figures were presented at the annual sports tourism round table organised by Lloret Turisme, which is made up of twenty accommodation establishments and two incoming agencies, all of which have been awarded the Catalan Tourist Board’s Sports Tourism Destination Certificate (DTE). This year, the Acapulco 4* Hotel, the Helios 4*S Hotel and El Trull Accommodation have also joined the group.
A total of 424 sports activities took place in Lloret in 2023, 80% of which were training camps. The data shows that the sports tourism season is getting longer; traditionally it has been held in March (4,037 sportsmen and women), April (11,552 sportsmen and women) and May (3,585 sportsmen and women), but in 2023 there were also very good figures in June (9,613 sportsmen and women) and July (5,977 sportsmen and women).
In terms of the number of participants, the most important sports are football with 14,301, basketball with 6,923 and athletics with 6,923. And in terms of the number of activities per nationality, France (77), Sweden (70), Catalonia (50) and the United Kingdom (26) stand out. These nationalities vary according to the sporting discipline: in athletics, France is in first place (19), followed by Catalonia (19) and Belgium (6); in football, Sweden (38), Switzerland (17) and Norway (14); in swimming, France (24), Germany (10) and Catalonia (5); in triathlon, France (22), Belgium (3) and Sweden (2); and finally, in cycling, France is in first place, followed by Belgium and the Netherlands.
The manager of Lloret Turisme, Elizabeth Keegan, explained that “these good figures are the result of the joint efforts of the public and private sectors, which work proactively to attract sports tourism through a series of promotional activities throughout the year, while also offering personalised attention once visitors are at the destination and maintaining constant contact, which contributes to the high level of loyalty that Lloret de Mar enjoys”. In this sense, Lloret Turisme is currently participating in the third edition of the Sports&Events Workshop in Calvià, a professional meeting that brings together more than a hundred operators from all over Europe specialised in sports tourism, where the Lloret team will conduct a total of twenty-four interviews. The Lloret companies L’Azure Hotel and Evenia Hotels will also participate. Last October, Lloret de Mar hosted the second edition of this benchmark event in the sports tourism sector. Following this, Lloret Turisme will also participate in a benchmark on cycle tourism organised by the Catalan Tourist Board and Cycling Friendly in Mallorca, with the aim of learning about the best practices of a benchmark destination in this field such as this island.
Lloret de Mar has been certified as a Sports Tourism Destination by the Catalan Tourist Board since 2006 and is the destination in Catalonia with the most certified sports (football, athletics, team sports, cycling, swimming and triathlon).
