tour operators and travel media who gathered to celebrate Barcelona as the host city of the 37th America’s Cup. The event will take place between August and October this year.
Hosted at the Preview Club in downtown Manhattan, among sports and music memorabilia, the opportunity wasn’t lost to highlight Barcelona as both the site of this well-known sailing race and as a tourist destination.

Sharing Barcelona with the World
“America’s Cup is an opportunity to share our city with the world,” said Jordi Valls, Fourth Deputy Mayor at Barcelona City Council. He emphasized that the city also wanted to “celebrate the UNESCO challenge to improve the health of the ocean and pollution.”

The America’s Cup, of course, also is a chance to shine a light on the city’s impressive port and seafaring tradition. Jordy said the event gives Barcelona a chance to improve its “nautical brand.”

Beyond the event itself, the prime location of Barcelona makes a trip there for the America’s Cup a prime opportunity to explore, not just the rest of Spain and Catalonia, but the rest of Europe, Patrick Torrent, Executive Director at Catalan Tourist Board, said. “Our location is well connected with all of Europe, the U.S. and airports,” Torrent pointed out.

Ready for the “Grand Tour”?

Torrent referenced the “Grand Tour” of Catalonia, a circular road trip route the tourism board debuted in 2021 to make it easy for visitors to explore every facet of the region, from the beauty of its landscape to its historical sites and top restaurants. Visitors have the option to “enjoy an expansive itinerary,” he said.

Like Deputy Mayor Jordy, Torrent said the city of Barcelona was conscious of the environmental impact of the America’s Cup, noting that the boats participating in the race have been tasked with minimizing their carbon footprint. He said Barcelona also wanted to make sure the race was more inclusive than ever before, referring to “an evolution of America’s Cup to include new people.”

Promotion Director Mateo Asensio said the America’s Cup’s huge international audience presented a significant opportunity to draw in new visitors. People would watch the event on TV, he said, and say “tomorrow I’m going to Barcelona.”

Retail Therapy in Shopping Village

Among the many items on display at the Preview Club that night was a model of a new Bicester Collection luxury shopping village under construction in Belmont Park in Long Island, just outside New York City. This will be an addition to the 11 existing Bicester Collection sites across the world, including one in Barcelona, the Boutiques at La Roca Village.

Having such prime luxury shopping near the site of the America’s Cup gives visitors yet another reason to make the trip to Barcelona.

With a major sporting event happening, in addition to the gastronomy, natural resources, and the hospitality of the Catalan people, the chance to also engage in retail therapy, may be just what convinces skeptical travelers to make Catalonia their next destination.