Canillo Considers Tibetan Bridge Price Hikes to Cap Visitors at 100K

Canillo parish council is analysing targeted price increases of €1 in low season and €2 in peak periods for the Tibetan bridge in the Riu valley, aiming to stabilise annual visitors at around 100,000 and prevent overcrowding.

At Wednesday's council session, tourism promotion councillor Alex Kinchella reviewed 2025 results for the bridge and Quer rock viewpoint, which together generated €1.93 million—a 14.5% increase from 2024. The bridge brought in €1.55 million (up 9.6% despite a 2.9% drop to 94,138 tickets, linked partly to poor late-season weather), while the viewpoint earned €381,204 (up 40.1% with 72,886 tickets, a 18.4% rise). Total tickets sold hit 167,024, up 5.4%, with combined packages at about €19 proving most popular. Individual rates are €16 for the bridge and €6 for the viewpoint.

Both attractions are closed and scheduled to reopen by late March, weather permitting. Kinchella described 2025 as satisfactory, positioning the sites as deseasonalising draws, and stressed that price acts as a key regulator without plans for across-the-board hikes. Head consul Jordi Alcobé echoed this, saying adjustments—slightly above inflation—must account for new restaurant services at the bridge and coach group packages including meals at Armiana. "We don't want it to become massified," Alcobé said, targeting about 7,000 daily visitors in peak times like late July to early September.

Enhancements are planned without increasing overall traffic, including year-round operations from 2027 and scheduled visits for bus groups plus joint packages with the Palau de Gel. The council also intends to award contracts for a cable car from the former Pla camping site to the Armiana area before summer, after completing excavation cost studies and avalanche risk measures.

The session followed recent traffic issues in Canillo, where police fined eight foreign-registered buses on Tuesday for lacking mandatory winter equipment, causing over an hour's delays at La Trava. Alcobé called for systematic border checks to bar non-compliant vehicles, warning they endanger passengers and other drivers. Government spokesperson Guillem Casal responded that protocols would be reviewed with all parishes.