Catalan Groups Slam Pyrenees Management as 'Postcard' Sans Strategy

Eleven business associations and entities from Catalonia's hospitality and tourism sectors have criticised the management of the Pyrenees, accusing authorities of treating it like a mere "postcard" without a clear, ambitious long-term territorial strategy.

In a joint statement issued two weeks before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo, the groups expressed regret that Catalonia is watching the Alpine event "from the stands". They pointed to the abandoned Pyrenees-Barcelona bid, initially prepared for the 2030 Games, which was dropped due to a "lack of leadership".

The signatories—Associació d'Hostaleria de l'Alt Urgell, Cambra de Comerç de Lleida, Cambra de Comerç de Girona, Càmpings de Lleida, Catalunya Experience, COELL, Empresariat Cerdanya, Pallars Actiu, Grèmi d'Ostalaria dera Val d'Aran, Hostaleria de Lleida, and Pimec Lleida—argued that the Pyrenees cannot remain in "permanent renunciation".

They acknowledged climate change concerns but highlighted recent heavy snowfalls as evidence of "margin" for winter sports infrastructure. The groups said these conditions undermine the justifications used to scrap the Olympic bid.

The associations complained that projects centring the Pyrenees always seem "more debatable, more fragile, more dispensable". They called for greater projection, investment, narrative, and opportunities for these mountain regions, beyond mere institutional support to compete on equal terms.

While other territories leverage major events to accelerate infrastructure, territorial cohesion, and international visibility, the statement lamented the Pyrenees' choice of "the comfort of saying it's not our turn".