Management of visitor flows in rural areas (pilot test in Rupit and Pruit) - Life eCOadapt50
| Date of onset | 09/08/2024 |
| Sector | Tourism |
| Lead partner | Associació per al Desenvolupament Rural Integral de la Zona Nord-Oriental de Catalunya |
| Territory of performance | Rupit and Pruit (Osona) |
| Climatic risk | Changes in tourist demand patterns |
| Budget | 83.934,07 € |
The massive influx of visitors to rural areas generates excessive pressure
Tourism is increasingly concentrated in specific seasons and dates, generating excessive pressure on the territory, multiplying the temporary population and causing a sudden surge in demand for water and services. This excessive pressure ultimately jeopardises the preservation of the heritage and environmental wealth of the territories, as well as affecting the experience of visitors and the daily life of residents.
In the case of the Collsacabra region, peaks in demand far exceed the territory’s capacity to accommodate visitors, given that the capacity of car parks is already oversized in relation to the capacity of municipalities to offer services such as restaurants and accommodation. Rupit has just under 300 inhabitants and receives around 150,000 visitors a year. The Foradada waterfall has recorded more than 700 visitors in a single day, an unsustainable figure at the territorial level.
Pilot tests for regulating visitors to Collsacabra since 2018
Since 2018 in Collsacabra several natural areas are managed by environmental information officers (project awarded by UNTWO in 2023). Since 2020, during the Eastern periods, the town councils of l’Esquirol, Rupit and Pruit, and Tavertet, decided to manage visitor flows through WhatsApp channels among the information officers located in the natural areas, the information officers located at the car parks in the area, the restaurant owners in each village and their mayors, who decide when their municipalities are: Free, Full o At Capacity.
This information is transmitted live to visitors at the entrance to the territory via mobile LED panels and a system of information points at the main access points to the territory. This system has resulted in a controlled mobility model that solves the problems of overcrowding. However, it is an analogue system that has its limitations and now needs to be digitised in order to make it more efficient and expand its possibilities.
Sensors and LED panels to monitor mobility in the territory in real time
The action being implemented within the Life eCoadapt50 project is the physical installation in the municipality of Rupit and Pruit, as part of the bioregional project, of sensors and LED panels capable of monitoring mobility in the territory in real time. The action is divided in two stages:
- Stage 1: study and technical drafting of the project including meetings with the local council, road owners and affected private owners, as well as with the suppliers of the technology already in place to establish connectivity ports.
- Stage 2: implementation of the technology planned in stage 1, connectivity and data management, and the launch of the operation.
This measure has the support of the region because it is based on a participatory process entitled “Collsacabra Futur” carried out during 2021, 2022 and 2023, which highlighted the need to limit and regulate the flow of visitors in order to make the region more habitable and resilient.