The four winners of the Catalunya Turisme contest watched this Sunday’s match between FC Barcelona and Valladolid and the league title festivities that followed the game this Sunday “Barça’s great influence helps promote Catalonia as a tourist destination in the Chinese market,” said Antonio Li, director of Catalunya Turisme in China
The four Chinese winners of the Catalunya Turisme contest attended this Sunday’s game between FC Barcelona and Valladolid and the 2012/13 La Liga title festivities that followed the match. Upon entering the stadium, Chen Feng, Ma Tingxiao, Li Peihuan and Wang Jun – winners of the contest organised by Tencent in collaboration with the Club – were unable to hide their emotions. “I never could have imagined that I would be here. Thanks to the contest, one of my big dreams has come true,” said Cheng Feng, who started following the Club when he was 10 years old.
14-year-old Ma Tingxiao said that being in the Camp Nou is “impressive. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to see my favourite players up close.” Wang Jun, a university student, highlighted the atmosphere of the stadium: “I’ve been a Barça fan for a long time. Being able to experience this in person is very different from watching it on TV 10,000 kilometers away. It’s moving to be able to experience this with so many people, I hope that one day we’ll have the same football culture in China.”
More than 2 millions followers on Tencent Weibo
The contest – the second of which Catalunya Turisme has conducted in China – has helped promote Catalonia in China, especially with the help of FC Barcelona. Every year sees more Chinese tourists land in the Catalan capital with the goal of getting a first-hand glimpse of Barça’s history, its players and its universal values. Antonio Li, director of Catalunya Turisme in China, talked about Barça’s role in the contest: “Barça have more than 2 million followers on Tencent Weibo, the Chinese microblogging site. Barça’s great influence helps promote Catalonia as a tourist destination in the Chinese market.”
In addition to the Camp Nou, the Chinese fans also visited the most emblematic sites of Catalonia like the Dalí Museum, the Freixenet Cava Celler in Penedès and the ‘Temps de Flors’ exposition in Girona. This Monday, they will continue their Catalan excursion as they visit the famous neighbourhoods of Barcelona. They will also get to know Catalonia’s food scene when they participate in a tapas workshop later this evening.