Casa Vicens received 49,376 visitors in its third year open to the public

48% of visitors to this World Heritage Site came from the province of Barcelona

This World Heritage site in the Gràcia district opened only 195 days in 2020, 46% less than in 2019, and it nevertheless had about 50,000 visitors (compared to 163,096 in 2019). The house-museum’s director, Emili Masferrer i Fons, gives a very positive assessment of the local public’s response, as the perimeter confinements have meant that most of its visitors since its reopening in July have been Barcelona residents, “it may seem like a low figure, but we are really proud of each of these visits, with all the restrictions and it being our third year open, all we can do is thank the people of Barcelona for their trust and their desire to see Gaudí’s first house.”

Origins

As to the origin of the 49,376 visitors, Spanish citizens accounted for 57%, followed by 8% from France, 6% from Italy, and 4% each from the United States and Japan.

Within the 57% of Spanish visitors, the province of Barcelona accounts for almost all of them, with 23,492 visitors or 48% of the year’s total visitors to Casa Vicens. Within this data the actions carried out with Casa Vicens’ most immediate surroundings were key, particularly in the neighbourhoods of the Vila de Gràcia, La Salut, Camp d’en Grassot i Gràcia Nova, Carmel, Sagrada Familia, Putxet i Farró and Sant Gervasi-Galvany, whose inhabitants constituted the greatest number of visitors to Casa Vicens during 2020.

Future prospects

It is difficult to make predictions about how 2021 will go, whether mobility restrictions will continue or when international tourism will be reactivated. However, the house-museum is maintaining stable opening hours on the weekends, going for a sustainable tourism model. This entails 50% capacity, guided tours in very small groups, an audio guide on your own mobile phone and creating new digital products to meet today’s needs. And then there are the badges obtained in 2020: Safe Tourism (Spanish Tourism Quality Institute) and Safe Travel (World Travel & Tourism Council). Additionally, the house-museum is close to obtaining the Biosphere certification of economic, socio-cultural and environmental sustainability.