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Lloret Tourism strengthens its leadership in sustainability with a leading role at an international event in Andorra and a trip for a specialised German press

Lloret de Mar’s sustainability strategy has featured prominently this week on Lloret Turisme‘s promotional agenda, with participation in an international event in Andorra and collaboration on a specialised press trip with German journalists.

On the one hand, Lloret de Mar was the guest destination invited to participate in the fifth edition of the Sustainable Tourism Days “Spokespeople of a Better World”, organised by Radio SER Principality of Andorra and the Comú of Sant Julià de Lòria. The meeting, which this year sold out all available places, has established itself as a key forum for reflection on innovation, sustainability and the future of tourism.

As part of the ‘Tourism, Sustainability and Innovation’ programme, the director of Lloret Turisme, Elizabeth Keegan, presented the Lloret Healthy and Responsible project, an initiative that promotes a tourism model based on quality, health, sustainability and coexistence between residents and visitors.

In the words of Elizabeth Keegan, “sustainability is no longer a value-added feature, but an essential condition for tourism competitiveness. In Lloret, we are working to make a real, cross-cutting and shared transformation with the sector and the local community possible.”

During the event, consultant Rafael de Jorge also highlighted the artificial intelligence implementation project developed in Lloret de Mar as an example of an innovative destination and a benchmark in the application of new technologies to tourism. The event also addressed other strategic challenges such as ethical and responsible tourism or the impact of climate change on the Pyrenees.

On the other hand, Lloret de Mar will host a German press trip specialising in sustainability this Sunday, 26th April, organised in collaboration with the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board. The event will feature seven journalists specialising in sustainable tourism, responsible travel and quality destinations.

During the visit, the professionals will discover the Santa Clotilde Gardens, one of the most visited cultural sites on the Costa Brava, with over 120,000 visitors annually, a Cultural Asset of National Interest and a founding member of the European Cultural Route of Historic Gardens. They will also visit the new Amphitheatre of the Gardens of Santa Clotilde, a recently launched project financed by the Next Generation EU funds, which stands out for its landscape integration.

With these two initiatives, Lloret Turisme reinforces its international positioning as an innovative, responsible destination committed to a sustainable and de-seasonalised tourism model.

Lloret Turisme strengthens Lloret Cycling’s positioning with promotional activities in Navarre and London

Lloret Turisme has stepped up the promotion of the Lloret Cycling product this past quarter by taking part in two promotional events, one national and one international. At a national level, the destination participated in the II Navarra in Bici International Congress, held in Pamplona and organised by the Government of Navarra, in a round-table discussion dedicated to the strategic positioning of cycling tourism territories. More than 100 professionals took part, and topics such as cyclist profiles, public-private collaboration, territorial impact and future challenges were addressed.

“Actions like this consolidate Lloret de Mar’s position as a benchmark destination in the creation and promotion of this product”, highlighted the manager of Lloret Turisme, Elizabeth Keegan.

Internationally, last week Lloret Turisme took part in a professional workshop in London organised by the Costa Brava Pirineu de Girona Tourist Board, alongside the Rouleur Live trade fair, one of the UK’s most prominent cycling events. The initiative, entitled “Costa Brava Girona Pyrenees Cycling & Wine Tourism”, brought together 20 representatives from the media and specialist agencies, to whom Lloret Tourism presented the value proposition of Lloret Cycling, in terms of its scenery and routes, as well as its specialised services and accommodation. Elizabeth Keegan explains that: “it is a strategic action that has allowed us to contact a highly qualified and influential audience within the sector2.

In 2025, Lloret Turisme has introduced three new road cycling routes, designed for a wider audience with less demanding technical requirements. The existing routes have also been updated, with a detailed review of elevation profiles, routes and GPS content, as well as the renewal of the image bank, the update of the official website www.lloretcycling.com and the dissemination of content on specialised platforms such as Strava and Wikiloc.

As for cycling events in the municipality, Lloret de Mar hosted the Corriols de l’àvia this weekend, a popular mountain bike race with over 400 entrants; and the date for the next Gran Fondo Lloret Costa Brava has already been announced, to take place on 18 April 2026. The fifth edition of the Corriols de l’àvia sold out all places before the official registration deadline, a clear indication of the growing interest in mountain biking in Lloret de Mar.

Lloret de Mar strengthens its position in MICE & Sports by participating in the MICE & Sports Showcase and hosting an international famtrip

Lloret de Mar consolidates its position as a leading destination for MICE & Sports tourism by participating in the first edition of the MICE & Sports Showcase held in Santa Susanna, organised by FC Sport Experiences, a UK-based company specialising in MICE and sports, and supported by the Catalan Tourist Board (ACT). According to the manager of Lloret Turisme, Elizabeth Keegan: “From the moment we heard about this initiative, we were committed to it, participating in and hosting a prospecting visit in a tourism segment that allows us to showcase the tourism products in which we are leaders: sports tourism and meetings and events tourism”.

The event brought together 25 international operators specialising in sports and meetings tourism, offering professional contacts and promoting the destination’s specialised offerings. Lloret de Mar was represented by Lloret Turisme, accompanied by several local companies such as Melià Lloret, Evenia Hotels and Sport Contact.

Subsequently, three famtrips were held, one of which took place in Lloret de Mar and the Costa Brava, co-organised with the Catalan Tourist Board, the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board and Lloret Turisme. This familiarisation trip was attended by seven international agencies, which were able to see first-hand the destination’s potential for hosting corporate events and sports stays.

During the famtrip, participants enjoyed a full schedule of activities that included an immersive experience at Lloret Castle, a visit to the municipal sports facilities, a visit to the 20th-century gardens of Santa Clotilde with a presentation of the new amphitheatre, lunch and a visit to the 5* Santa Marta Hotel, and various complementary experiences at the Girona FC football ground and at the Camiral, a Quinta do Lago Resort, Girona.

Lloret de Mar, with more than 100,000 sports tourists in 2024, has been certified as a Sports Tourism Destination since 2006, and since 2009, it has had the Lloret Convention Bureau with more than 50 members, becoming one of the first sun and beach municipalities in Spain to work with this product.

MICE in Lloret: a year-end with top-level events

The last four months of the year have confirmed the good health of the MICE segment in Lloret de Mar, with the holding of numerous corporate events, conventions and international incentives that have brought together participants from different countries and sectors. Among the most notable at the national level are the conventions of multinationals such as Unilever, Kave Home, Eurofins Laboratories and Mary Kay. Several international incentive trips have also been held, such as those organised by Selvert Thermal (Italian cosmetics sector, 200 people), Delko (French automotive sector, 280 participants) and Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (technology convention for 200 attendees).

In addition to these events, there have been other incentives and professional meetings, such as that of the US company Pear Sandals, those of the Scandinavian agency Provotum with companies from Finland and Sweden, and corporate activities by firms such as AGC Pharma, T-Systems and Fit XR, with participants from Spain and the United Kingdom. The season has also included major international conventions such as Gang of Pizza (550 people, France), The Access Group (two incentives for 860 and 540 people, United Kingdom and Romania), Isaza Medical (56 participants, Spain) and Herbalife (292 participants, Spain).

The Councillor for Tourism, Cristina Aymerich, explains that: “Lloret de Mar reaffirms its strategic commitment to the MICE&Sports segment, which clearly contributes to the deseasonalisation and diversification of the tourist offer, and consolidates the municipality as one of the leading destinations in Catalonia and Spain for holding conventions, incentives and sporting events in a unique setting such as the Costa Brava.”

Lloret de Mar presents itself in Barcelona as a healthy, responsible destination with its sights set on the potential of the 2031 Ryder Cup

Lloret Turisme, in collaboration with Personalxef, presented Lloret de Mar’s positioning as a healthy and responsible destination at the La Patente show cooking space in Barcelona. The event, which brought together around fifteen general media outlets from Catalonia, was attended by the mayor, Adrià Lamelas; Elizabeth Keegan, manager of Lloret Turisme; and Personalxef, creators of gastronomic content and chefs from Lloret with an audience of more than 530,000 followers on Instagram.

The mayor, who gave the welcome speech, emphasised the municipality’s commitment to coexistence, sustainability and quality of life, highlighting the desire to consolidate a balanced city model for residents and visitors. Personalxef then presented the event menu, inspired by the “Healthy Lloret” philosophy, with an autumn gastronomic offering based on local produce and Mediterranean recipes that highlight tradition and the values of wellbeing and health.

In the words of the manager of Lloret Turisme, Elizabeth Keegan, “Lloret de Mar is now a benchmark destination on the Costa Brava and in Catalonia, especially in terms of healthy eating”. Lloret de Mar currently has more than fifteen certified gluten-free establishments; seventeen establishments with the AMED distinction, which recognises restaurants that promote Mediterranean cuisine; and around twenty establishments with the Little Foodies seal, promoted jointly with the Alícia Foundation, which guarantees good, healthy and sustainable children’s catering. In addition, Lloret de Mar is the first destination in Catalonia with Bioscore certification, which accredits the sustainable commitment of its accommodation, catering and public facilities with permanent control indicators in areas such as water management, energy efficiency and carbon footprint.

During the presentation, special emphasis was also placed on the potential of Lloret de Mar‘s natural environment: improving and extending the coastal path along the 9 kilometres of coastline; making all its beaches smoke-free and preserving the two sea routes (former Vías Bravas) for the enjoyment of open water swimming; as well as the preservation of its forests, which are essential for outdoor activities.

In terms of mobility, there are also plans to implement strategic projects that will substantially improve sustainability in this area, such as the introduction of BRCAT by the Generalitat de Catalunya, a fast bus and bicycle lane on one of the main arteries into the municipality. This infrastructure will enable sustainable connectivity with neighbouring municipalities such as Blanes and Tordera.

Also noteworthy is its strategy for coexistence and responsible tourism management with the Lloret Actua plan, a cross-cutting plan promoted by the Town Council with the aim of ensuring a more sustainable, cleaner and safer tourism model. Among the most relevant measures is the creation of a body of inspectors dedicated to detecting and sanctioning illegal tourist accommodation, which has opened 52 disciplinary proceedings for unlicensed activities with fines of up to £20,000. A specific service has also been set up to monitor cleanliness, waste and the environment, made up of four officers who have carried out 700 inspections, with 132 requests, 40 disciplinary proceedings and more than 250 incidents resolved due to poor waste management practices.

Looking ahead, Lloret de Mar, as the main hub of the Costa Brava, is entering a new phase as a leading Mediterranean city in sustainability and sport, with its sights set on hosting the 2031 Ryder Cup at Camiral, a Quinta do Lago Resort, Girona. Located just twenty minutes from Lloret de Mar, this event represents a strategic opportunity to showcase Lloret de Mar’s tourist offering to the world and reinforce its image as a modern, connected city that is alive all year round, with a specialised offering and leisure activities tailored to the needs of these customers.

Lloret de Mar intensifies its promotion in the Irish market with a roadshow in three cities

Lloret Turisme continues to focus strongly on the Irish market, which is highly strategic for Lloret de Mar. The organisation recently took part in a promotional roadshow in three cities with direct connections to Girona: Dublin, Limerick (15 minutes from Shannon Airport) and Cork.

During the three-day workshop, more than 110 professionals from the Irish tourism sector were able to see the destination’s offerings first-hand, establishing contacts and promoting future collaborations.

Between January and August 2025, the number of travellers staying in hotels in the destination increased to 15,846 tourists, representing a 28% increase over the same period in 2024 (12,328 travellers).

This increase has also translated into a significant rise in overnight stays, which have gone from 70,052 (2024) to 82,990 (between January and August 2025), an increase of 18%. Last season, September and October 2024 were particularly positive for the Irish market, with September being the month with the most tourists and October also exceeding August’s figures. According to Elizabeth Keegan, “this trend is continuing during September and October, and therefore the outlook is that growth in 2025 will be even higher once the data is finalised at the end of the year”.

In the words of Elizabeth Keegan, manager of Lloret Turisme, “The Irish market is strategic for Lloret de Mar not only because of its high level of spending, but also because it helps to extend the season and diversify the visitor profile. The growth in 2025 confirms that promotional activities and good air connections are yielding very positive results”.

A strategic market for Lloret de Mar

The Irish market is particularly interesting because of its average spending – the country with the highest spending in 2024 – and its seasonality, as Irish travellers prefer to travel in spring and autumn. In addition, they are showing a growing interest in experiences beyond sun and beach, which reinforces Lloret de Mar‘s commitment to diversifying its tourism model by incorporating cultural, sporting and nature-based activities.

Good air connections with Girona Costa Brava Airport – with flights from Dublin, Cork, Knock, Shannon and Belfast – are another determining factor in this sustained growth.

In January 2025, Lloret de Mar also participated in the Holiday World Show in Dublin, the country’s leading tourism fair.