More than 20,000 people took part in the tenth edition of ‘Benvinguts a Pagès La Festa’ this weekend in Catalonia

The last guided tours of the afternoon to the farms and livestock holdings brought the tenth edition of Benvinguts a Pagès La Festa to a close, with the participation of more than 20,000 people over two intense days across the country in which the weather accompanied a festival that gives the leading role entirely to Catalonia's primary sector. The guided farm tours were the backbone of a weekend in which the public was able to get close to the farms, rediscover the origin of what we eat, meet the people who make it possible and understand the importance of consuming local and seasonal produce. The weekend was also a good opportunity for producers to sell their products, reach new audiences and build loyalty through the experience enjoyed by visitors who, once the tours were over, made purchases at most of the holdings.

In this tenth edition more than 80 farms and livestock holdings in Catalonia opened their doors for 48 hours through a joint offer involving nearly 300 participants, with around a hundred rural accommodations, some fifty restaurants recommended by the farmers themselves, around forty complementary activities and the participation of small artisan producers.

 

 

 

 

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Gratitude

The farmers who organised the tours give a very positive assessment and share a feeling of gratitude towards the public who travelled throughout the territory. From La Segarra, Virginie Buu-Hoi Tacies, head of the aromatic plants holding of Sant Miquel de Tudella, says that “it is a very special weekend because it gives us a unique direct contact with people and, moreover, we can sell everything we produce on the estate: olive oil, almonds, aromatic herbs and jam”. This was the fourth year they have taken part in Benvinguts a Pagès La Festa and they say that “next year we will certainly do it again”. Coinciding with the walnut harvest season, Miquel Rabert, who runs the family holding Nous Can Llavanera, in El Pla de l’Estany, points out that “the public responded and was able to see our product right in the middle of the harvest season. We showed them the cleaning and gathering work in our walnut grove”. One of the holdings that was fully booked this weekend was the beekeepers Mel de Can Monràs Nou, in El Vallès Occidental, with nearly 200 visits. “It went very well, we have taken part since the first year and it helps us enormously to make ourselves known, to sell more and to explain the details of the whole honey-making process and the specific features of the product”, says Alan Monràs, the estate's beekeeper.

From the organisation of Benvinguts a Pagès La Festa, the managing director of Prodeca, Dèlia Perpiñà, says that “we take a positive view of a weekend that is a landmark in the country's collective imagination and that over these ten years has established itself as the great meeting point between the countryside and the city, an opportunity to publicise all the work done by the primary sector, help raise awareness among all kinds of audiences and promote new sources of income for farmers".

For their part, the director of the Catalan Tourist Board, Arantxa Calvera, states that “Benvinguts a Pagès is a clear example of the tourism model we want for Catalonia: sustainable tourism, rooted in the territory and leaving a legacy. An initiative deployed throughout the country, respectful of the environment and of the people who live and work there, generating a positive impact on the economic, social and local development of our communities. At the Government of Catalonia's tourism department we work to break tourism seasonality and to make Benvinguts a Pagès a proposal that lasts all year round".

It continues all year round

The project remains active 365 days a year through the initiative Benvinguts a Pagès Tot l’Any, which continues from now on with guided tours of more than 100 agrifood holdings in Catalonia. The initiative responds to the request of farmers and fishers, who have this tool to generate activity 365 days a year. The benvingutsapages.cat website contains all the information, where the range of visits can be consulted by territory or by product, and also includes a section with details of the routes, available to be done at any time.

The project

Benvinguts a Pagès is led by the Government of Catalonia in a coordinated action between the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, through Prodeca, and the Department of Business and Labour, through the Catalan Tourist Board.

Benvinguts a Pagès was born in 2016, coinciding with the Catalonia, European Region of Gastronomy distinction, and this year celebrates its tenth anniversary coinciding with the Catalonia, World Region of Gastronomy recognition. The project is supported by the Alícia Foundation, Barcelona Provincial Council, SX3 (CCMA), Barcelona City Council, the Catalan Youth Agency, the Department of Social Rights, the County Councils, the County Offices of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, the Tourism Consortiums and Offices and other bodies and associations working for the revaluation and promotion of the sector. This Government of Catalonia initiative has become an action to promote the marketing of products and to support the participating agrifood and fishing holdings, aimed at the general public but above all at family, senior, foodie and young audiences.