The Lleida Tourism Board is organising the second Birding Forum for the Pyrenees and Terres de Lleida, scheduled for 1 June at the Palau de Congressos la Llotja de Lleida. This event aims to strengthen Catalonia's tourism sector in ornithological tourism, positioning the Pyrenees and Terres de Lleida as a premier destination for birdwatching while promoting best practices among businesses, accommodations, and administrations.
Juan Antonio Serrano, the vice president of the Tourism Board, emphasised that “birdwatching is a respectful and conscious way to discover our territory” and aligns with the sustainable and responsible tourism model advocated by the Board. He also noted that this initiative helps to address seasonality, as spring and autumn are the best times for birdwatching in the region.
The Birding Forum is being organised in collaboration with the Catalan Tourism Agency (ACT) and has the support of the Catalan Ornithology Institute (ICO) and SEO/BirdLife Catalunya. Juli Alegre, director of the Tourism Board, highlighted that this edition will focus on one of the priority markets for this tourism segment, the United Kingdom, discussing how marketing, communication, and cooperation can enhance the attractiveness of tourist experiences.
Alegre also mentioned that participating companies from the Lleida region will have the opportunity to receive individual mentoring for the creation or improvement of their tourism products and marketing strategies.
The second Birding Forum will feature the president of the Lleida Provincial Council, Joan Talarn, and the secretary for Ecological Transition of the Generalitat, Jordi Sargatal. The first part of the day will be dedicated to understanding the British market, including a roundtable discussion with Damià Serrano, director of Conscious Marketing at ACT; Byron Palacios, product developer for the British operator Naturetrek; Sergi Sales, associated guide for Heatherlea; and Carles Oliver, founder of the Barcelona Birding Point travel agency.
The second part of the forum will focus on communication, marketing, and cooperation, featuring contributions from biologist and communicator Alfonso Polvorinos; Octavi Bono, head of the Tourism Board area of the Tarragona Provincial Council; Anna Estella, deputy director general of People and Nature at the Generalitat; César Álvarez, technician responsible for the Birding in Extremadura club; José Benito, photographer and president of the Spanish Association of Nature Photographers (AEFONA); and Teresa Fuentes, manager of the Leader Association of Ponent.
In the afternoon, two workshops will be held on accessibility and climate change, conducted by technicians from SEO/BirdLife Catalunya and the Catalan Ornithology Institute.
