There is still some uncertainty of what will be the new NORMAL for the travel industry, in the future. Borders have just opened for tourist from Schengen zone, and both individual and group tourism can start again! Most of the hotels are opening on the 1^st of July and we constantly get updated information about new rules for security measures, cleaning, F&B, meetings and events. Still to be confirmed are bus transfer requirements and final capacities for restaurants, boat trips, venues and outdoor events. We are in the loop and will keep you informed on any major changes!

Upgrade Spain has just been rewarded with a certificate for Responsible Tourism from the Spanish Government. This doesn’t only mean a commitment from our side when we arrange stays and events on the peninsula and the islands, but also comes with the responsibility to fulfil the requirements of our customers.  We want to ensure SAFE TRAVEL, as far as possible, being alert to every sign and health measures. The land under the sun is awaiting your next visit, and we’re here to help you have an amazing time! Have a great summer, everyone!

If there is one thing all our groups have in common, it’s that they love to spend time outside in fresh air.  It’s a good thing that the weather in Spain permits it all year around!

In the past, we have organized many successful outdoor events and activities, from cozy dinners, through city quiz and movie shows to beach activities, even weddings!

Nowadays it looks like we are facing a new reality when it comes to events, where things like social distancing, space lineups, individual serving and extra cautions, need to be considered. Luckily, we have a lot of outdoor spaces and venues to choose from here, which makes it all the easier to arrange your next event.

Outdoor terraces and rooftops have finally opened all over Spain this week and boy have we missed them! They are part of our lifestyle and are frequently visited by all generations. It is great to again see live and happy faces on the streets and hear the buzz and clinging glasses! So, who’s up for the next round around the table? We are – Cheers!

If there’s one thing Spain is quite famous for, it’s keeping the tradition of celebrating festivities. Some of these celebrations are very local, in one specific village, but quite a few are also regional, like today’s 23^rd of April in Catalonia, which honors the legend of St. Jordi.  This year we have had to cancel or postpone many of our Festivities, like for example Easter celebration or Feria de Abril in Andalucia, Las Fallas in Valencia and it’s already decided that the San Fermin in Pamplona, will not take place in July.

Today’s celebration of Sant Jordi is also postponed, as we would normally hit the streets to buy books and roses for our loved ones or take part in different school activities with our children. The only thing we can do for now is to #STAYATHOME and hope that things are soon back to normal. Because just as St. Jordi beat the evil dragon on a day like this, we hope to soon beat this evil virus, and once again take part in our beautiful, crowdy celebrations. So long, Sant Jordi!

We are witnessing strange times these days, that has a devastating impact on the travel industry. We are learning an important lesson both in private and professional lives. Things we’ve always taken for granted, are now put in perspective, and core values are once again on the agenda. We see the importance of unity, teamwork and respect for people working frontline to prevent the Covid-19 from further extension, and the rest of us, owe it to them, to stay at home.

Although it’s sad to see our beautiful destinations with empty streets and closed-down shops, we know that the vibrant, local life, will once return. People will get to travel again and business will go on as ususal. There will be moments where we probably wish we could hit the reset button for 2020, but it’s necessary to look ahead and just learn from this experience. We’d like to quote the director of WHO,  Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to finish up;

“This is the time for facts, not fear. This is the time for science, not rumors. This is the time for solidarity, not stigma. We are all in this together, and we can only stop it together.”

Did you know that it’s not necessary to go to Rio for a great carnival experience? Throughout the week, this dress-up adventure has been going on in many Spanish cities and villages. But tonight it will be Sitges who has to dust off the glitter and feathers and become the center of the festivities. During the evening, people will join from near and far to take part in the parade, admire the colorful costumes and dance to Samba rhythms until early morning.

Sitges, by being a gay-friendly village, adds that necessary glam to the party and the heels of some of the costumes will cure your fear of heights forever. If you can’t join us for this year’s parade, mark it off on next year’s calendar, and we’ll show you a real, good time! Carnaval, te quiero!

As members of PLUS DMC, we get to go back to our roots from time to time, attending well organized travel fairs in the Nordics. Not only do we meet up with our colleagues within the alliance, but we also see our clients face to face by presenting the latest news on our destination or to talk about existing projects. Both Matka (FI) and Travel Match (NO) are excellent options to do this and we actually have great fun at the same time!

PLUS DMC is all about sharing and working together to represent great, local expertise in each of our respective destinations. By sharing the same values and principles towards the Nordic market, it’s easy to present each other to our existing clients and share sales and quality. We all understand the Nordic way and mentality, and we hope to grow to soon cover the whole European continent. A big thank you to our colleagues, clients and friends for making Matka and Travel Match a huge success. We are already looking forward to next time!

Last week we attended IBTM with the whole PLUS DMC GROUP, our allied partners from around Europe. For Upgrade Spain it wasn’t the first time on this fair, but it WAS the FIRST time with our own stand! And what an experience it has been!

A lot of our most important collaborators in Scandinavia responded to our invitation and became part of Hosted Buyers program.With busy itinerary with meetings, team building activities, lovely dinners and surprise parties we have concluded the fair as a great success!

IBTM was very well organized both for exhibitors and visitors and everything was assured to every little detail – the same way we take care of our groups:-)

In PLUS DMC , we are currently 8 partners that represent 11 countries and the stand at IBTM has enabled us all to secure future business and collaborations on all levels. Next stop will be Matka in Finland and Travelmatch In Oslo in January 2020.  We are already looking forward to it, so see you soon again!

This is a common question among Catalans these days. Do your family celebrate the traditional custom, La Castanyada or recent years Halloween?

La Castanyada is a festivity where people get together and eat roasted chestnuts, sweet potato and panellets (small pastries made of marzipan, almonds and pine nuts) accompanied with Moscatell (a sweet dessert wine). Most schools do different activities during the day, such as roasting chestnuts, singing songs about “La Castanyera” (The Chestnut woman), traditional dances and workshops. Some even mix it up with dressing up in Halloween costumes, which will end with Trick or Treating this afternoon. A nice blend of local and imported tradition:)

So why choose one when you can take bits and pieces of everything? Either way, just make sure to have fun!

Even though most of Barcelona is busy celebrating LA MERCÈ today, working outside the city center means business as usual for us. LA MERCÊ is an official city holiday, that has been celebrated since 1871. The festivity has religious origins and honours the Lady of Grace, the patron Saint of Barcelona.

Actually, the celebration has been going on for a few days already, with different concerts and many cultural & artistic events. Today the most visible part of the celebration, will be the Giant parades, human towers, the fountain show at Montjuic and of course, the fireworks. Tonight, the sky of Barcelona, will be lit up with beautiful colours, a crowd-pleaser without doubt.

LA Mercè can also give you the opportunity to taste some great local wine, as we are in the middle of harvest now. The cellars use the festivities to expose the best of wine and cava so we can all make a toast for the Lady Mercè herself; Salud!!!

If you want to catch a glimpse of Spanish traditions, you’ll probably have a chance if you happen to be in the country this week. A lot of villages and also neighborhoods start their FIESTA MAYOR today, which can include parades, concerts, decorations, street food & fairs, fireworks, giants and human towers.

There is no entrance fee for these street festivities, and anybody can join, but each village or neighborhood have their own program. The biggest events are likely to happen today, as tomorrow is bank holiday in Spain, and the celebrations play a big part in the cultural and social life of the locals.

One of the most famous neighborhood parties happen in Gracia (BCN) where the streets are decorated, crafted by residents, from recycled materials. Each street gets a special theme and a jury will decide who has done the best job. It’s likely to be a crowdy business, if you decide to go, but you’ll see it’s worth it, once you get there.

Let the celebrations begin!