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Lloret reinforces its leadership in cycle tourism with new routes and an improved offer

Lloret Turisme continues its commitment to consolidating the destination as a benchmark for cycle tourism on the Costa Brava with the updating and improvement of its Lloret Cycling product, which incorporates new features to enhance the experience for cyclists.

Among these new features is the updating of the tracks and the contents of the existing routes, with a technical revision that has adjusted altimetry and routes to offer more precise information.

In addition, 3 new road cycling routes have been created for a wider public. These new routes are more affordable and accessible for more amateur cyclists or those looking for less physically demanding routes, without renouncing the charm of cycling around the Costa Brava and inland La Selva.

These new proposals have been validated by the professional cyclist Tomi Misser, who has personally toured them and has highlighted both the quality of the route and its accessibility.

In terms of promotion and marketing, the image bank has been renewed with new photographs and all the content has been updated both on the specific website for this product (www.lloretcycling.com) and on the wikiloc platform for national and international promotion.

As part of this commitment to cycle tourism, on 27th April Lloret de Mar hosted the 6th edition of the Gran Fondo Lloret Costa Brava, a top-level sporting event that was attended by over 850 cyclists.

In the words of the Councillor for Tourism, Cristina Aymerich, “this continuous improvement of the offer, together with the public-private commitment, is key to continue promoting cycle tourism in our territory. Sports tourism and cycling in particular are strategic in terms of deseasonalisation”.

Cycling was the third most popular sport in terms of number of activities in 2024, a year in which more than 100,000 people involved in sports tourism visited Lloret de Mar. In the private sector, the town has more than fifteen establishments certified in cycle tourism by the Catalan Tourism Agency, providing a specialised service to meet the needs of cyclists.

With these actions, Lloret de Mar is consolidating its position as a benchmark destination for cycling enthusiasts, with an increasingly complete and accessible offer adapted to all cyclist profiles.

Lloret de Mar consolidates its position as the capital of hobby events with the Radikal Darts International Championship and the Catalan Chess Championship

These days Lloret de Mar combines a large number of tournaments, competitions and sports tourism stays with events linked to the world of hobbies; this is the programme that the Lloret Convention Bureau is working on as “Lloret Hobbies” and which aims to position Lloret de Mar as a benchmark destination for the organisation of events in the field of active and competitive leisure. The two most important events are the Radikal Darts International Championship and the Catalan Chess Championship, both of which have also been held in Lloret de Mar in previous editions.

International Radikal Darts Championship

From 3 to 6 April, the Olympic Conference Centre hosted the international edition of the Radikal Darts Championship, one of the most important events in the world of electronic darts. With more than 3,500 attendees, including players and accompanying persons, and 120 active dartboards, the tournament was attended by representatives of 10 nationalities (Spain, Belgium, Germany, USA, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal and Holland, among others).

With more than 30 years of history, and being held for the fourth time in Lloret, Radikal Darts has established itself as an essential event for lovers of this sport and as a loyal customer of our destination.

Catalan Chess Championship

Since last Saturday 12th and until Thursday 17th April, the Guitart Central Park Aqua Resort has been transformed into the biggest chess board in Catalonia with the celebration of the Catalan Chess Championship by Ages. The event, organised by the Catalan Chess Federation, brings together more than 1,000 people between participants and families.

This federated championship, which is open to players from U8 to U20, is a qualifier for the Spanish Championship. For six days, Lloret de Mar hosts the future promises of chess in an atmosphere of concentration, strategy and sportsmanship.

In the words of the Director of the Lloret Convention Bureau, “Lloret Hobbies fuses sport, leisure and events around a hobby and becomes a product that attracts more and more meetings with more and more participants, following the trend of shared leisure. This April, these events have brought together more than 4,500 participants and accompanying persons, reinforcing our leadership as a venue for large-scale events, thanks to our specialised offer in meeting tourism”.

More than 15,000 people linked to sports tourism will visit Lloret de Mar over the Easter period

Lloret de Mar is approaching Easter and, with it, one of the busiest times of the year for sport and tourism. Over the course of these days, more than 15,000 people linked to sports tourism will visit the destination, with the various tournaments being held in the town, leaving 12,000 people staying in Lloret: 9,620 of them sportspeople, while 2,380 are accompanying guests.

The activity began last week with the Vila de Lloret international pétanque tournament, which brought together 400 athletes from France, Belgium and Switzerland. This week, it will be the turn of various tournaments that are now a regular feature of the destination at Easter. One of the first to start was the Globasket, with almost 2,500 people, including athletes and accompanying persons, from 27 European nationalities, as well as Puerto Rico and Mexico. The Lloret Cup handball tournament also got underway, with 3,300 people, including athletes and accompanying persons. Once again, the competition will be attended by a wide range of nationalities, including France, Germany, Lithuania and Georgia, among others.

Football will once again be one of the most popular sports in Lloret de Mar with two large-scale tournaments. One of these is the MIC, which is of great international prestige, with participants from around forty different nationalities. It will be held from 16th to 19th April all along the Costa Brava, with Lloret as one of the main venues, with 2,000 participants staying in hotels in the destination. In addition, from 18 to 20 April, the 45th edition of the San Jaime football tournament will be held, with almost 1,500 participants from France, Italy, Malta, Israel and various parts of Spain.

The Councillor for Sports, Frederic Guich, pointed out that “the sports facilities will be at full capacity these days, a fact that shows the quality of what is on offer in Lloret de Mar and the high level of satisfaction among organisers and participants”. He also emphasised that “the destination is once again hosting highly prestigious events with a strong international presence”.

In terms of sports stays, between February, March and April, the figure is 245, with 7,350 people staying in establishments in the town and of very different nationalities. The sporting activities were football, basketball, swimming, athletics, triathlon and cycling.

Lloret de Mar has been certified as a Sports Tourism Destination by the Catalan Tourism Agency since 2006. It is certified in six sports: football, athletics, team sports, cycling, swimming and triathlon. It should also be noted that, over the course of 2024, Lloret surpassed the figure of 100,000 visitors linked to sports tourism, which represented an increase of 25.7% compared to 2023, which closed with 82,975 visitors.

Lloret de Mar surpasses the figure of 100,000 visitors linked to sports tourism

A total of 104,307 people linked to sports tourism visited Lloret de Mar’s municipal sports facilities in 2024. This figure represents an increase of 25.7% compared to 2023, which closed with 82,970 visitors, and has enabled Lloret de Mar to exceed 100,000 visitors linked to sports-related trips. Of this total, 59,572 were sportspeople and 44,735 were accompanying persons. The busiest months at the municipal sports facilities last year were June, with 14,378 sportspeople, and March, with 10,731.

These data were presented at the sports tourism working group organised annually by Lloret Turisme, which is made up of more than twenty accommodation establishments and two incoming agencies, all of which have been awarded Sports Tourism (DTE) and/or Cycle Tourism certification by the Catalan Tourism Agency of the Government of Catalonia.

In terms of sports activities, a total of 564 sports tourism activities were carried out in Lloret in 2024, 33% more than the previous year, 80% of which were training camps.

By number of participants, the most popular sports are football (20,029), basketball (9,762) and athletics (9,169). And by nationality in terms of the number of activities, the most popular are France (110), Sweden (78), Catalonia (46) and multi-market (40). In terms of the number of activities, the most popular sporting disciplines in Lloret de Mar in terms of sports tourism are: football (179), followed by athletics (123), cycling (86), swimming (63) and triathlon (47). In general terms, the most relevant markets are France, Sweden, Catalonia and Norway. In the last year, there has been a significant growth in training camps for football teams from Poland and the United States.

As a major event last year, from 23 to 27 October, Lloret de Mar hosted the 49th edition of the UN Inter-Agency Games 2024, a friendly sports competition organised annually by the United Nations, with more than 1,600 participants from over 120 countries. The aim of the event is to foster friendship, cohesion, friendly competition and teamwork among UN employees. During their stay, they took part in all kinds of sporting activities programmed in the different facilities in the municipality and its surroundings (athletics, team sports such as football, basketball or handball, tennis and paddle tennis or swimming, among many others). Elizabeth Keegan explains that this event “is a clear example of the Meetings & Sports product, in which Lloret de Mar has great potential thanks to the joint work of the public and private sectors and destination’s historical specialisation in both meetings tourism and sports tourism, together with an exceptional natural environment and the ideal infrastructure for hosting these events”.

This year Lloret de Mar, in the same vein, will host the 44th edition of the international MEDIGAMES event from 7 to 14 June, this time with the participation of some 1,500 professionals from the world of medicine and health who will meet in Lloret de Mar, where they will take part in an extensive sports programme and a symposium.

Lloret de Mar has been certified as a Sports Tourism Destination by the Catalan Tourism Agency since 2006 and is the destination in Catalonia with the most certified sports (football, athletics, team sports, cycling, swimming and triathlon).

Lloret Turisme starts the year with an intense international promotion campaign

Lloret Turisme has started the year by strengthening its presence in strategic markets with its participation in the Vakantiebeurs trade fairs in Utrecht (Netherlands), this weekend at the Fahrrad- & WanderReisen in Stuttgart (Germany) and at the end of January it will travel to Dublin (Ireland) to take part in the Holiday World Show, thus consolidating its commitment to international promotion in markets with great potential for the destination.

The first action took place in Utrecht from 8th to 12th January, where it participated in the Vakantiebeurs fair at the Catalonia stand, under the umbrella of the Costa Brava, together with six other municipalities in the area. This fair, with over 50 years of history, is the leading tourism event in the Netherlands and is noted for the interest of its attendees in active tourism. The first few days were dedicated to professionals in the sector, while the weekend was open to the general public. The Dutch market has a significant presence in Lloret de Mar, with an influx of 45,843 travellers and 255,067 overnight stays between January and November 2024. Elizabeth Keegan, manager of Lloret Turisme, explains that “the strategy in this market is to show the great potential that Lloret de Mar has outside the summer season, with a landscape and natural environment that is highly valued by the Dutch, travellers who still too often link the destination solely to sun and sand. This fair is an opportunity to continue to showcase the destination’s resources and value proposition in terms of active and wellness tourism”.

From tomorrow, 18 January until 20 January, Lloret Turisme will be taking part in another trade fair specialising in active tourism and nature; the Fahrrad- & WanderReisen held in Stuttgart at the prestigious CMT Holiday Exhibition, which last year attracted more than 234,000 visitors. Lloret Turisme will have its own stand at the Catalonia stand, where it will highlight the destination’s attractions for lovers of outdoor activities. The German market experienced strong growth last season, with 109,500 travellers and 574,033 overnight stays between January and November 2024, representing an increase in the number of visitors compared to the previous year. The manager of Lloret Turisme explains that “in this market, as in the Netherlands, we are committed to showcasing the attractions of Lloret de Mar all year round, as the destination is consolidated and well known in both countries”.

In Dublin, Lloret Turisme will take part in Ireland’s leading holiday fair, which, with over 30,000 visitors expected, will be held from 24 to 28 January. The event will begin with an exclusive session for tourism professionals and will continue with the opening to the general public over the weekend. In addition, Lloret Turisme will attend the journalists of the year awards dinner, organised by Travel Extra magazine. Ireland is a market with great potential for Lloret thanks to the good air connections of Girona Costa Brava Airport, with flights to the four main Irish cities. Elizabeth Keegan points out that “it is a market on which we made a clear commitment two years ago, and which has seen significant growth in Lloret since then. The Irish value highly the sun and beach offer with complementary attractions such as gastronomy, culture and active tourism and, both in terms of customer profile and average stay and expenditure, it is a strategic market for the destination. Moreover, their favourite months to travel are in the mid-season, which contributes to a better distribution of visitors to Lloret throughout the year”.

Next week, from 22 to 26 January, Lloret Turisme will also travel to Madrid in a delegation led by the Mayor of Lloret de Mar, Adrià Lamelas, to take part in the Fitur tourism fair, the most important national tourism fair in the sector.

These actions are part of Lloret Turisme’s strategy to diversify markets and strengthen the international positioning of the destination as a benchmark for active, cultural, family and quality tourism all year round.