Nearly a hundred people attended the first seminar on Archives and Tourism held in Lloret between 23 and 25 May. A total of 14 activities were held, including round tables and presentations, as well as complementary activities.
This was the first time that a seminar of this kind has been held in Catalonia and its aim was to address the link between archival collections and the world of tourism, as well as to highlight the work of archives in documenting the memory of towns and tourist destinations.
The organisers of the seminar give a very positive assessment of the event. The municipal archivist, Joaquim Daban, argues that “in this first edition, the initial objectives that had been set have been more than achieved”.
For Daban, “the seminar was an excellent opportunity to bring together different professional fields that manage, conserve and study documentation linked to the world of tourism. Historians, professionals from the tourism sector, archivists, heads of tourism institutions and also professionals from the IT sector have taken advantage of these days”, Daban adds, “to discuss issues related to the management and conservation of tourism data and documents”.
The seminar has also had an international projection, as it has achieved the recognition of the International Council on Archives and has received papers and communications from England, Germany, Italy, Madrid, Mallorca and, of course, from all over Catalonia.
Through the organisation of this seminar, the sector’s awareness of the preservation of documentary collections linked to the world of tourism has been stimulated, and research and studies of the tourism phenomenon have been encouraged.
It should be noted that as a result of the seminar, the creation of an Archives and Tourism working group has been proposed within the International Council on Archives, with the aim of deepening and internationalising debates, promoting research and putting forward solutions to resolve the various problems that besiege these documentary collections.
For her part, Lloret Town Council’s Councillor for Culture, Isabel Bernal, expressed her satisfaction with how the seminar went and said that “a seed has been planted which, if treated properly, could bear good fruit and position our town as a benchmark for international tourist destinations”.
The 1st Seminar on Archives and Tourism was organised by Lloret de Mar Town Council, the Government of Catalonia and Girona Provincial Council, and coordinated by the municipal archive (SAMLM) and Lloret Turisme.
