Tourexpi
The Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, has
visited the Parador de Tortosa to review progress on the establishment’s
tourism-sustainability projects. The historic property will close to the public
in autumn 2026 and remain closed until approximately mid-2028 to undergo a full
renovation aimed at improving facilities, modernising operations and enhancing
environmental performance.
Renovation works to build on current conservation
projects
The planned refurbishment will complement the
conservation works already in progress, which are scheduled for completion in
the first quarter of 2026. In total, the Parador de Tortosa has received €14.3
million in public investment, of which €4 million were provided by Turespaña
and the remainder by Paradores.
The Parador recorded an occupancy rate of 71% in 2024
– six percentage points higher than in 2023. More than 18,000 guests stayed at
the property during that period, an increase of over 1,500 compared to the
previous year.
Commitment to preserving cultural heritage
During the visit, Minister Hereu was accompanied by
the President of Paradores, Raquel Sánchez, and the Mayor of Tortosa, Jordi
Jordan. He underscored the importance of continued public-sector investment in
projects that help preserve and enhance Spain’s cultural and historical
heritage while reinforcing the quality image of the country’s tourism industry.
This approach, he noted, reflects a core principle of the government’s tourism
strategy, centred on economic, social and environmental sustainability.
€338 million invested in tourism across Catalonia
Speaking to the media, Hereu highlighted that the
Ministry of Industry and Tourism has allocated more than €338 million from the
Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) and other programmes to
support 217 projects across Catalonia. These initiatives cover sustainability,
digitalisation, diversification and the conservation of historic heritage for
tourism purposes.
Within the province of Tarragona alone, nearly €50
million have been channelled into 17 Tourism Sustainability Plans implemented
across the territory.
Catalonia leads Spain in international tourism
spending
Between January and September 2025, international
visitors spent more than €2.7 billion in the province of Tarragona, a
year-on-year increase of 19.9%. During the same period, the number of foreign
visitors rose by 1.9%, reaching around 1.8 million.
Catalonia remains the Spanish region with the highest
international tourism expenditure: by September, foreign visitors had spent
€19.5 billion, 2.88% more than in the previous year, with nearly the same
number of international tourists (around 16 million in the first ten months of
the year).
Image
Credit: © Government of
Spain. Ministry of industry and tourism
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