Tourist visit to the Priorat

In 2009, the project L’altre Priorat created a socio-geographic map of the Priorat region that reflected the part of the Priorat that is excluded from tourist and official discourses. In 2023, the project Visita turística al Priorat proposes a fictional tourist visit to the typical topics of the region, those that were tried to escape from.

The project

The tourist offer of the Priorat region is focused on wine, olive oil, and landscape. Tourists take away experiences linked to these products and the quality landscape. In this way, a kind of Theme Park of the Authentic is being constituted in the Priorat. The project Visita turística al Priorat delves into this concept of the creation of a Theme Park of the Authentic, but as a second layer of information, that can only be read if the first, the mentioned topics, is traversed. For example, to go from Reus to Porrera, you have to go through the Coll de la Teixeta, from which you can see the environmental and landscape impact of the large wind turbines in the area. This dichotomy between natural landscape / artificial landscape summarizes the intention of the project.

Objectives

  1. To identify aspects and places of interest in the region, including their dichotomies.
  2. To question the “quality tourism”.
  3. To systematize the information and generate documentation.

Results

  • An information brochure from a travel agency that offers a tourist visit to the Priorat to (re)know the topics of the area.
  • Stickers, t-shirts, and promotional posters.
  • Videos and photos of the actions.
  • Carteles
  • Videos y fotografías de las acciones
  • Website: visitaturistica

Methodology

The project was based on the idea of continuity with L’altre Priorat, but this time starting from the concept that caught the most attention: Theme Park of the Authentic. To this end, the aesthetics of theme parks were investigated: safaris, attractions, routes, zoos. Based on their aesthetics, a travel agency was created based on the underlying idea of the project El Capitán Obvio, where the typical topic is the most relevant. This travel agency made a fictitious tour of the Priorat announced in a monograph brochure that was deposited at the Tourist Office of the Priorat (Museum of Wine), distributed to pedestrians in Falset and in some travel agencies in Barcelona and specialized bookstores through the “putting” technique.

Information day

On April 23, 2023, the project was presented in Falset, the capital of the Priorat. A table was set up where actors sold the advantages of the Priorat Tourist Route, distributing the mentioned brochures, stickers, and promotional t-shirts along with a taste of vinegar. Around 400 brochures, 50 t-shirts, and 100 stickers were distributed.

Conclusions

The project Visita turística al Priorat is a critical proposal that questions the tourist topics of the Priorat. Through a theme park aesthetic, the project invites tourists to reflect on authenticity and quality tourism.