The French market continues to be the main international market for the Costa Dorada. This year, up to the end of August, more than 550,000 French visitors have generated 2.13 million overnight stays, with an average stay of 3.8 nights—consolidating a market that has always been strategically important for the destination.
To showcase the latest news for the upcoming season, from September 23 to 25 the Costa Dorada took part in IFTM Top Resa 2025, France’s leading professional tourism fair, with its own stand where local business owners and institutional representatives presented the destination to French professionals. The fair gathers more than 170 destinations from around the world, 1,500 companies, and is expected to host over 13,000 meetings and more than 32,000 tourism professionals. These figures position IFTM Top Resa among the five most important tourism fairs in Europe.
Seventh consecutive participation at IFTM Top Resa
The Costa Dorada, through the Joint Tourism Promotion Plan, participated for the seventh consecutive year with its own stand, enabling business owners and tourism boards to present their services and establishments, strengthen relations with French professionals, and reinforce the region’s presence in the market.
This year’s institutional representation was especially notable: Pere Granados, Mayor of Salou; Oliver Klein, Mayor of Cambrils; Lluïsa Clavé, President of the Vila-seca Municipal Tourism Board; Octavi Bono, Director of the Tourism Board of the Tarragona Provincial Council; and Berta Cabré, President of the FEHT, accompanied local business representatives throughout the fair.
Among the participating companies were PortAventura World, Best Hotels, Estival Group, Oh!tels, Blaumar Group, 4R Hotels, Htop Hotels, Hotel Eurosalou & Spa, Hotel Planas, Ibersol, La Siesta Group, Náutico Parque, Viajes Olympia, Calafell Evasion, W2M, WelcomeBeds, Viajes Velero, and Ávoris Travel, among others. PortAventura World, a strategic partner of the FEHT, stood out at the stand with a dedicated space where its sales team and mascot Woody welcomed French professionals.
This initiative forms part of the Joint Tourism Promotion Plan of the Costa Dorada, which involves the Tourism Boards of the Tarragona Provincial Council, Salou, Cambrils, and Vila-seca, together with the FEHT, representing 90% of the region’s accommodation capacity. The goal is to establish new contacts, strengthen existing ones, and give visibility to the destination’s tourism offerings.
Workshops and sports tourism
In addition to attending IFTM Top Resa, the Costa Dorada’s promotion in France this season included participation in the Rencontres CSE fair held at PortAventura World from September 16 to 18, aimed at Economic and Social Committees (CSEs)—a key segment for attracting group travel. The destination also took part in the LaOla workshop, a B2B event featuring meetings with strategic French tourism companies, held on September 18 at the Ernest-Wallon Stadium in Toulouse. Promotion will continue with participation in Eluceo Paris on October 1 and 2, an event aimed at representatives of employee organizations from major French companies.
Furthermore, the Costa Dorada continues to invest in sports tourism and media presence in France, maintaining its role as Official Partner of the Olympique Lyonnais Women’s Team, with the aim of promoting training camps and sports stays in the destination.