LUX Autumn 2018

115 Barcelona Holiday is a specialised travel company that organises day trips to the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Barcelona. In July, Barcelona Holiday were recognised in LUXlife ’s flagship 2018 Global Luxury Travel & Tourism Awards with the title of Spain’s Leading Destination Specialist of the Year. We spoke with the firm’s Content Manager, Mònica Mateu Batlle, to find out more about Barcelona Holiday and the story behind its success. A multi-award-winning firm in the luxury travel and tourism sector, Barcelona Holiday has wowed travellers and experts alike with their informative tours of the Costa Brava region. A culturally rich, and idyllic area in Spain, Costa Brava has become one of the populous, must-go tourist hotpots in Europe. To start, Mònica gives us some background on the company, “Barcelona Holiday is a local company that offers comprehensive tours from Barcelona and around Catalonia, giving unforgettable experiences to our customers. We don’t offer a traditional tour with only transportation from one place to another; our tours are active and offer activities such as walks, alongside bus, train and boat rides, which offer beautiful panoramic views of the important historical sites and charming villages. We have expert local guides that give geographical, historical and local information in a very interesting way.” In a sector that is constantly moving forward with the latest trends and fashions, innovation and adaptation are required to keep pace of ever-evolving customer demands. Mònica gives an example of how 1808LU38 Barcelona Holiday strives to innovate and develop their services every day; “Following our need to improve all the time, we have been focused on offering our tours in several languages. We used to offer our tours live in English and Spanish, with one guide for English and another for Spanish. Four years ago, we introduced our audio-guided system that allows people to follow our tours in more languages at the same time. We introduced German and French first, then Italian, Russian, Chinese and Portuguese. Our guests really appreciate being able to follow the tour in their own language.” “We specialise in tours to Costa Brava. We showcase the most awesome sceneries, the most beautiful and charming villages, wonderful boat rides, and allow our customers to swim along picturesque beaches and discover the old and fascinating history of the area.” Coming to the close of the interview, we briefly discuss the challenges that Barcelona Holiday has faced over the last year; “We had a number of large external challenges during last year that did have an effect on tourism – a terrorist attack, and an unstable political situation to name two. As a result, we’ve adopted a less aggressive approach to any upcoming projects, choosing instead to just ‘wait and see”. Nonetheless, Barcelona Holiday offers tourists and well-travelled explorers an unparalleled perspective of Barcelona and the Costa Bravo region. Their informative, and above all, captivating tours have enchanted their clients for years, as they continue to be the leading touring company for those wanting to experience true Spanish hospitality. Company: Barcelona Holiday Address: Plaza de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain Website: www.barcelonaholiday.es Telephone: +34 627 92 91 93 Offering a Taste of True Spanish Luxury Explore