Lloret de Mar hosted the 20th G! Tourism Awards on 11 June at the Municipal Theatre, with the ceremony led by the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board of the Girona Provincial Council. The event recognised work in tourism, communication and sustainable tourism across the Girona regions.
Miquel Noguer, president of the Girona Provincial Council and the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board, presided over the ceremony. Around 150 guests attended, including Adrià Lamelas, mayor of Lloret de Mar, and Xavier Guitart, delegate of the Government of Catalonia in Girona. The event also had support from Lloret de Mar City Council and collaboration from CaixaBank.
A commemorative video marking two decades of the awards opened the ceremony, followed by the presentation of eight prizes across two main groups, honorary and special awards, and tourism communication awards. The Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board also said the Yvette Barbaza research award will have its guidelines presented for the next edition. For more on local coverage, see news.
Among the honorary and special awards, the G! Francesc Xiquet i Sabater Award for entrepreneurial projects went to Camping Las Dunas in Sant Pere Pescador. The G! Josep Pujol i Aulí Award for professional work was awarded posthumously to Josep Capellà i Hereu. The G! Special Jordi Comas i Matamala Award went to Hostal de la Gavina in Castell-Platja d’Aro and S’Agaró, while the G! Special Juli Soler i Lobo Award for gastronomy went to the Cuina Pirinenca de Cerdanya association.
The tourism communication competition is international and offers €12,000 in prize money. A professional jury selected the winning entries from 42 submissions in different languages. The G! Climent Guitart Tourism Communication Award went to journalist Nicole Schmidt, Trinitat Gilbert received the award for the most original and innovative content, Kate Maxwell won for the best tourist experience, and Pierre and Myriam Cabon of Wheeled World were recognised for the best proposal and or experience in sustainable tourism.
The Tourist Board said that, from the next edition, the communication award for the best proposal and or experience in sustainable tourism will be named after Josep Capellà i Hereu. The ceremony also included the new sculptural trophy, “Facets. The Earth Sustains, the Sea Envelops”, designed by Lili Cassan Marfany, a second-year student at the Olot Art School, plus musical performances by the Black Music Big Band and a cocktail outside the theatre with products from the Girona Excel·lent agri-food quality label.
