"The world of manga continues to attract a lot and is expected to continue doing so in the coming years," says a cheerful Meritxell Puig, general director of Ficomic, after the attendance figures at the Manga Barcelona show were announced this Sunday afternoon. A total of 165,000 visitors have attended the annual 'otaku' event, 2,000 more than the previous year.
In statements to La Vanguardia, Puig anticipates that 2023 "is the year that the most families have come to the venue. Seeing so many generations together in a single space is the most enriching."
He also applauds that "sales of manga are not declining. It is logical that there is not an increase as extreme as in the years of the pandemic, but the sector remains in good shape. In fact, in the salon, the places where the most people gather has concentrated is on the editorial stands, which in the end are the true heart of the fair, so we are very satisfied and excited.
The event has not only grown in attendees. Also in space, since for the second consecutive year the activities have been carried out across 85,000 m2 of the Fira Gran Via, in l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, which is 3,000 m2 more than the last edition.
The duties have been completed but, far from putting the brakes on, the organizers are already thinking about 2024 and the guests they could bring to Barcelona.
