More than 290 agents will take part in the 11th edition of Benvinguts a Pagès La Festa

This weekend, 3 and 4 October, Catalonia will once again open the doors of its farming sector with the eleventh edition of Benvinguts a Pagès La Festa. For two days, farms, livestock operations and fisheries will allow visitors to see first-hand how food is produced, talk with the people behind it, taste seasonal products and buy them directly at source.

This year's edition features more than 290 participating agents across the territory: 79 farms, 16 food producers, 32 restaurants, 136 accommodation providers and 27 complementary activities. This offer makes it possible to combine farm visits with gastronomy, rural tourism, nature and culture. Visits to farms require advance booking through benvingutsapages.cat, which centralises the whole offer and allows users to search for proposals by territory, product type, establishment or experience.

Benvinguts a Pagès thus reaches its eleventh edition after a decade of bringing the primary sector closer to citizens. Since it was launched in 2016, more than 240,000 people have visited farms from across Catalonia to discover where food comes from, meet its producers and appreciate the value of local and seasonal consumption.

In the words of the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Òscar Ordeig: “After more than ten years, Benvinguts a Pagès has evolved alongside the participating farms. Today it not only makes it possible to show how food is produced, but also to build new high-quality agritourism experiences, connect different agents in the territory and open new ways to bring local products closer to the consumer”.

“Benvinguts a Pagès is an initiative that brings Catalans closer to the richness of our territory. Proposals like this help to de-seasonalise tourist activity, distribute it better across the country and create opportunities for the different local agents, while offering visitors authentic experiences linked to culture, gastronomy and landscape”, said Miquel Sàmper, Minister of Business and Labour.

29 of the registered farms and producers will take part for the first time this year, expanding the diversity of products, production models and territories represented at La Festa. As a result, visits will showcase a broad representation of the Catalan agri-food sector: vegetables, fruit, cereals, olive oil, honey, pulses, aromatic plants, livestock, poultry or fishing, as well as processed products such as cheeses, cured meats, preserves and other specialities. Furthermore, the initiative includes conventional and organic farms and different production models, both dryland and irrigated, intensive and extensive.

A proposal for spending the weekend in the countryside

La Festa goes beyond farm visits. The 32 restaurants, 136 accommodation providers and 27 complementary activities registered make it possible to complete the experience with gastronomic proposals, rural stays and activities related to culture, nature and local products.

Among the options available, visitors can discover local cuisine at restaurants such as Restaurant Siurana, in Cornudella de Montsant, which combines Catalan cuisine, seasonal produce and creative cooking, or B-Crek Solfa, in Olot, with a proposal based on meats from the Garrotxa and products from small local producers. The stay can be completed at accommodation such as Xalet de Prades, located in the surroundings of the Prades mountains, or Cabanes Dosrius, in the Parc Natural del Corredor. This combined offer allows each visitor to shape the weekend according to their interests.

From a tourism perspective, Benvinguts a Pagès La Festa contributes to the objectives of the “(+) Catalunya, millor turisme” strategy, encouraging Catalans to discover the territory and enjoy authentic experiences through weekend stays that combine accommodation, dining and activities. It is an initiative that highlights the essence of each destination and has a positive impact on the territory and its resident population.

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El Berguedà connects accommodation and producers in a pilot experience

One of the novelties of this edition will take place in El Berguedà, one of the regions with the strongest presence in Benvinguts a Pagès. As part of a pilot experience promoted by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Business and Labour, through the Catalan Tourist Board, and the Berguedà Development Agency, with the participation of the Berguedà Agritourism Association and the La Llar Foundation, a group of tourist accommodation providers in the region will offer their guests a package made with products from participating farms. The initiative, linked to the «De la terra, del Berguedà» brand, seeks to strengthen the connection between the different agents in the territory and ensure that the visitor's experience also includes knowledge and consumption of local produce. Participating accommodation providers will also have information about the Benvinguts a Pagès proposals in the region and may encourage their guests to take part in the scheduled activities.

Benvinguts a Pagès, also all 365 days of the year

The experience will continue beyond the weekend with Benvinguts a Pagès Tot l’Any, which will offer visits to more than 120 farms throughout the year. The offer is complemented by 16 agritourism routes across different territories of Catalonia.