2023-04-21 06:30:17
«We should ask ourselves what would happen to Girona’s economy without it tourism”, warns the Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences of the University of Girona, Anna Garriga. «In Girona, tourism has a value higher than 20% of the GDP in many counties and we don’t know it», added Garriga, in one of his reflections during a day held yesterday at the Girona Chamber of Commerce, organized by Girona newspaper with the collaboration of the Chamber and the sponsorship of CaixaBank, under the title “What is the spearhead of Girona’s economy?”.
Garriga explained that “when there is a crisis, the economy in Girona falls much more than in other places, it is not resilient at all». This causes that, in retrospect, it may seem that the economy in the demarcation is growing above the Catalan average, when really what is happening is that it is recovering all that economic fabric that it lost during the crisis, he argued. «Higher growth than in Catalonia is recorded, but we have not recovered all of what we have lost».
The dean of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences of the UdG sees as one of the biggest problems of the demarcation the “Gironi cofoism, the thing of thinking that we are already doing well», a complacency that “has been a brake” for demarcation. A statement that Pau Presas, 1st vice-president of the Provincial Government of Girona and president of the Informative Commission for Finance, Administration, Economic Promotion and Local Cooperation, subscribed: “thinking that Girona is already pulling has hindered the progress of our territory”.
Deseasonalization
“Deseasonalize tourism”. This has recently been one of the recurring themes regarding the analysis and objectives of the sector in the Girona regions. Yesterday, he again grabbed some of the debate. «Deseasonalization of tourism is necessary. We need to bet more on the quality of the service, offer different experiences and know how to find the type of customers with whom we can grow», go ensure Stick Fangs.
“This happens through longer seasons or stop talking about seasons, and a more regular influx,” he said. “It is possible to improve the competitiveness of the sector with a lower volume of visitors and, surely, with the change process we are laying the foundations for the model of the future tourism sector in the demarcation of Girona”.
To achieve this, experts consider that it is necessary to promote distinctive projects. For this reason, Jaume Guàrdia, vice-president of the Girona Chamber of Commerce, showed the concern within the sector with the position of the Generalitat towards the Costa Brava-Barcelona candidacy for the 2031 Ryder Cup. “We must fight against deseasonalization and the golf is it”, he remarked.
However, the vice-president of the Girona Chamber of Commerce also wanted to convey the optimism that surrounds Girona tourism in terms of the immediate future. «The tourism sector tells us that the booking forecasts are very good and that Easter has already shown it». “The Catalan, French and Spanish markets have been consolidated”, he added.
Along these lines, Montserrat Benítez, commercial director of CaixaBank in Girona and Central Catalonia, explained that the spending data with cards for Easter “have been good”.
For her part, the dean of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences of the UdG pointed out that in the Girona counties “the tourism sector has grown first in quantity and is now growing in quality». Anna Garriga explained that “before the pandemic, the prices of hotels on the Costa Brava were the cheapest on the entire Catalan coast”, despite the fact that “the hotel sector invested a lot after the 2008 crisis”. “Awe have the highest prices on the Girona coast, which emphasizes qualityt”, he added.
However, Garriga assured that to promote tourism in the demarcation, the airport needs to be enhanced. «It plays a key role, but the forecast for this summer is not good“, he said. The dean of the faculty of economic and business sciences believes that “we have a problem with the airport, we need a new way of promoting tourism”. To achieve this, the commercial director of CaixaBank in Girona explained the importance that “from the banks we can open new sales channels, online, but also from social networks”, a tool that Benítez considers key.
Industry
Despite the fact that exports continue to reach good figures in the regions of Girona, rindustrializing the territory and increasing the weight of the sector in Girona’s economy is another of the challenges facing the demarcation.
“A bet on reindustrialization must be made from a good base. It is particularly important to create and plan the infrastructures and bet on renewable energies, not only because of the issue of energy costs”, argued the 1st vice-president of the Diputació de Girona.
«If we don’t recover industrial weight badly rai», pointed out Anna Garriga. The dean believes that “the bet is not only the relocation of the industry here but to make a green industry». “If the green transformation does not take place in Girona, where will it take place in Catalonia”, he wondered. “We have all the conditions: suitable environment, expertise and all the connections with the world market that will pay for these green products”.
From CaixaBank, Benítez pointed out that “to bet on this growing industry, it is worth remembering that there are Next Generation funds, despite the fact that there is that feeling that they do not arrive». “Of the 28 million requested in 2022, 40% has already reached companies. During this year, until March 8, requests have doubled compared to last year. We must be an alliance to be able to grow”, he said.
For his part, Jaume Guàrdia, vice-president of the Girona Chamber of Commerce, recalled another of the obstacles facing the economy. “To achieve growth we have a major challenge which is the labor market, there are problems when it comes to finding professionals in some positions. In transport, in the tourism sector or in industry it is difficult to find certain profiles». “It is true that infrastructure is needed, but also professional profiles. If we also want to welcome and attract new investments, we need to have trained people”, added Pau Presas.
On the other hand, the commercial director of CaixaBank in Girona and Central Catalonia Benítez wanted to give a positive point. Benítez recalled that at the beginning of the year “the forecasts were not what they have become now, but we are happy to have been wrong”. “The level of employment is good, there has been a pause in interest rates and inflation has moderated.”
The water cluster calls for collaboration to combat the drought
“All sectors need to collaborate”, said Xavier Amores, director of the water cluster Catalan Water Partner, who yesterday starred in the presentation that opened the event “What is the spearhead of Girona’s economy ?”. Amores focused part of his talk on the current drought situation and future prospects for this problem. “Water is a resource that is scarce by nature and is poorly distributed”, he assured.
The director of the water cluster stated that we are in “a critical situation”. “We’ve never had weeks as intense as these, and I’ve been in the water sector for 11 years now.” Amores warned that “we will have to adapt to regulations that will be increasingly demanding regarding water”. However, the director of the Catalan Water Partner also wanted to shed light on the situation, explaining some of the actions being taken within the sector to combat this situation.
“We are promoting the circular economy, water regeneration and the need to make better use of aquifers and desalination plants”, he explained. Amores believes that it is necessary to ask how an intelligent adaptation to climate change can be promoted. He believes that “we have to think about how competitive winning companies can generate economic and social impact”, while understanding that “being more sustainable helps us to be more competitive, we reduce energy costs”.
The problem of drought has worried some sectors for years, the director of the water cluster remarked. One of them is tourism, which, according to Xavier Amores, “has been doing its homework for years”. However, there is still a long way to go, and Amores insists that “it is necessary to raise awareness and explain that there are technologies for water reuse and reducing the impact on the environment that have an investment that is returnable”.
The director of the Catalan Water Partner water cluster also insisted on the need to invest in R&D to boost the economy in the region. “The reflection I would make is: What will happen when the Next Generation funds run out? What capacity do administrations have to invest in R&D”, questioned Xavier Amores during his speech at the conference.
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