The congress, held on 2-3 April at CosmoCaixa, brought together over 50 experts to rethink the future of tourism in major cities.
Barcelona became the epicentre of tourism's future debate during the Tourism & Economy Summit Barcelona 2025. This international gathering, under the slogan "A New Resilient and Sustainable Tourism: Major Cities and Barcelona's Proposal", brought together policymakers, business leaders and sector experts to address tourism's key challenges in today's context.
Over two days, CosmoCaixa's auditorium hosted discussions about transforming a tourism model still rooted in the 1960s into one that's more inclusive, balanced and respectful of both the environment and communities. Key topics included sustainability, funding, industry evolution and international market perceptions.
Barcelona Provincial Council served as a global partner at the event alongside Barcelona City Council, the Catalonia Government's Department of Business and Labour, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, Catalonia Tourism, Aena, Aigües de Barcelona, La Roca Village, Paradores, Barcelona Tourism and Veolia.
Value-Driven Tourism Serving Communities
Barcelona Provincial Council President Lluïsa Moret opened the summit by advocating "tourism with value and values" - fair, inclusive and sustainable. She emphasised the need to create "symmetrical relationships" between visitors and residents that benefit both parties, rejecting the notion of tourism as a problem. "Tourism must remain an opportunity - it's a strategic sector producing spectacular economic figures," she noted.
The Provincial Council's strategy focuses on environmental sustainability, social sustainability and good governance, through initiatives like "Natural Spaces and Sustainable Tourism" (balancing conservation with tourism) and the "Barcelona is So Much More" brand promoting destinations beyond the capital.
This decentralisation approach by the Provincial Council was praised by Industry and Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu, who also stressed the need to modernise this half-century-old tourism model. "Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain must be world leaders in transforming tourism into an economic and social growth driver," he stated.
Barcelona as a Model
Barcelona Mayor, Jaume Collboni, highlighted the city's dual approach: promoting quality tourism through an expanded cultural offering and conference tourism, while implementing regulatory measures to mitigate negative impacts.
Collboni said that "tough decisions" like increasing tourist taxes and restricting holiday rentals (with their complete removal planned by 2028) are already showing results, potentially serving as models for other global cities.
Catalonia's Business and Labour Minister Miquel Sàmper did in turn advocate "living with tourism", rejecting anti-tourism rhetoric in favour of a sustainable model that balances visitors' rights and responsibilities.
Global Perspectives
The summit featured over fifty prominent speakers, including: Catalonia President, Salvador Illa; UN Tourism Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili; the Deputy for Tourism at Barcelona Provincial Council, Ana Herrera; the Director General of Tourism for Barcelona, Mateu Hernández; the Director General of Tourism for Catalonia, Cristina Lagé; the Director General of Turespaña, Miguel Sanz; the President of Segittur, Enrique Martínez; the President of Aena, Maurici Lucena; and the CEO of Aigües de Barcelona, Felipe Campos. All of them agreed on the need to reconcile tourism with urban life through quality-focused, responsible and balanced approaches.
