Catalonia has experienced one of the most atypical Holy Weeks in its history. Several ski resorts have been forced to close their doors or cut their hours due to lack of snow. Meanwhile, the companies dedicated to nautical tourism in the Siurana, Llosa del Cavall or Sau swamps continue with the stranded boats waiting for some rain that has not just arrived. Another unusual situation is the one experienced in the Montserrat Natural Park, where the accesses have been closed for a few days due to the high risk of fire, a measure that has not been activated outside of summer since 2013. The Costa Brava has not been spared either. , with some municipalities with low water reserves and the fear of running out of supply in the middle of the tourist season.
The climate crisis is putting the current tourism model in check. Nordic ski resorts, most of which do not have artificial snow cannons, have experienced one of their shortest seasons. Gone are the days when the possibility of a winter Olympic Games monopolized the agenda of the Pyrenees. The situation is no better in the summer months: last year, canyoning enthusiasts had to get used to rivers with hardly any water. Worse luck had the areas affected by forest fires or by the closure of access to parks and natural environments due to the high risk of fire, which saw their tourist reserves plummet.
Renew or die, they have thought of the municipality of Àger (la Noguera), which sees the Congost de Mont-Rebei, one of its main attractions, languishing due to lack of water. To compensate for the loss of visitors, the City Council is promoting the Corçà mines, visible again with the lowering of the level of the Noguera Ribagorçana. But the greatest exponent of what is known as drought tourism is found in the Sau reservoir, where they have even had to control access due to the high influx of visitors.
In the region of Pallars Sobirà, the Bike Natura-Aventura Pallars Sobirà project is being promoted. Thanks to the more than 2.3 million from the Next Generation funds of the European Union, the initiative seeks to de-seasonalize tourism and turn the region into a benchmark in the world of cycling. In the same line, Pobla de Segur (Pallars Jussà) will receive 2 million euros of European funds to turn the municipality into a "centre of reference for active tourism, sports and ecotourism in the Pyrenees".
Beyond these specific initiatives in the territory, on April 3 the Pirineu Strategy was presented. In the tourism field, the strategy proposes transforming ski resorts into 365-day mountain resorts, diversifying their activities, as well as promoting decarbonized and sustainable tourist mobility. Also recently, on March 23, the Government of the Generalitat presented the National Commitment for Responsible Tourism. It is a roadmap to which more than a hundred entities have adhered.
At the presentation ceremony, President Pere Aragonès defended that the nearly 15 million tourists who visited Catalonia last year and the good prospects for the coming years "are figures that call for a more sustainable model at all levels", and insisted in the "need to work to maximize the positive impact and correct the impacts that we do not like, and adapt them to the climatic conditions of each moment".
Less than 15 days later, the Government itself eliminated the prohibition on filling private municipal or community swimming pools (among which are those of tourist establishments).
