Lleida adventure tourism aims for record season as rafting marks 40 years

Adventure tourism operators in Lleida, western Catalonia, are aiming to exceed 840,000 booked activities this year as the new season gets underway, with a renewed push to promote rafting in international markets.

Last year the sector recorded 847,926 booked activities, the highest figure on record, according to a study by the University of Lleida.

40 years of rafting

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first rafting descents on the Noguera Pallaresa river in Pallars Sobirà, a pioneering initiative in Spain that helped transform the sector.

Jordi Ferreny, one of the early promoters of rafting in the area, said that within a few years activity grew from two rafting boats a day to more than 70 run by a single company.

Land, water, and air

The adventure tourism industry in the Lleida region is made up of 280 companies, including 228 in the Pyrenees. It generated an economic impact of €114.16m and employed 1,857 people, directly and indirectly.

Of the 280 companies, 232 offer land-based activities such as trekking, hiking, mountain biking, and horse riding.

A further 37 specialize in water sports, including rafting and canyoning, while 11 focus on air-based activities such as paragliding and hot-air ballooning.

Land activities accounted for 53.8% of bookings last year, compared with 44.5% for water-based activities and 1.7% for air.

Strong river flows

Flòrido Dolcet, president of the Pallars Sobirà Association of Adventure Sports Companies, highlighted heavy snowfall in the mountains this winter, which is expected to ensure strong river flows in spring.

He said bookings are already picking up compared with last year, pointing to a "very good spring."

Cristina Lagé, Catalonia's director general for tourism, underlined the growing year-round appeal of mountain activities, noting that adventure sports season begins less than a week after the end of the ski season.

"When we talk about de-seasonalizing, that is precisely what we are doing," Lagé said, adding: "This is sustainable tourism."

Focus on international markets

The University of Lleida study also shows that most adventure tourism visitors to Lleida come from within Catalonia.

Travellers from the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, and Tarragona accounted for 44.6% of customers last season, while those from Lleida made up 31.8%.

Visitors from the rest of Spain represented 15.7%, with Europeans accounting for 7.2% and tourists from elsewhere 0.7%.

Juan Antonio Serrano, vice-president of the Lleida Tourism Board, said adventure sports are now well established and that efforts must now focus on international markets to attract more foreign visitors.

Average daily spending by adventure tourists in Lleida reached €155.70 last year, up €3.90 on 2024. Of that total, €57.80 was spent on activities, €61.20 on accommodation, €26.40 on food, and €10.30 on other expenses.

Rafting remains the flagship water sport in Pallars Sobirà. The first boats took to the Noguera Pallaresa in 1986, launching an activity that reshaped the region's tourism offering and put Lleida on the adventure tourism map.