What values does industrial heritage transmit?

Apart from the interest of the real and movable heritage elements themselves, I would draw attention to the intangible knowledge offered by the physical elements of our immediate past; they bring us closer to our contemporary history; they allow us to interpret the landscape and certain city planning and economic developments … A factory can help us to understand the pace of life of workers, of the owners, the harsh working conditions of the era, etc. That which stimulates the emotions we all seek when travelling or visiting somewhere.

Certain elements that have imbued our culture and society come from the process of industrialisation. The short time that has elapsed from the period we are talking about until now allows us to establish a first-hand dialogue, consulting the main sources and, something which may be more interesting, a very valuable intergenerational dialogue that allows us to talk of true “family tourism”

Moreover, we also talk about industrial tourism when we refer to visits to companies that are still operating, through which we learn about the technological processes currently used to produce the objects that surround us.

How would you rate industrial tourism?

The concept of industrial tourism sounds strange if the tourist we are addressing does not know what we are referring to, since initially we may relate it more to work than to leisure. There already exists a consolidated target, one that wishes to learn of the recent development of a community based on its industrial elements, but we have to explain the interest and appeal that underpins this concept if we wish to attract a broader audience. And once you've tried it.. you like it!

In this regard, industrial tourism must be situated as another option within Catalonia's tourist offer; although very few Catalan travel agencies currently include the industrial tourism option. We have to explain what industrial tourism is and position it within the tourist package.

What could the museum's role be in the dissemination of industrial
heritage?

The Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (mNACTEC) is a key institution in safeguarding heritage and creating contents that supply this tourist market.

The mNACTEC is a point of reference in the management and dissemination of industrial heritage at an international level. Its contribution to the creation of social awareness of the value of industrial heritage has promoted the generation of civic movements that fight for protection of real property, as is the case of the three chimneys of the Sant Adrià del Besòs Power Station.

In this sense, the mNACTEC makes knowledge and values, whereas the XATIC is the commercial agent that promotes them and makes them available to anyone interested. The Museum has to understand that tourism is a source of visitors and that the XATIC is a tourism tool that can supply them.

The future projection of the XATIC?

At the moment, the XATIC has prepared its Plan to Energise Industrial Tourism and Technological Innovation Promotion in Catalonia, with promising results. The objectives are to consolidate it as a point of reference of industrial tourism in Catalonia, both for the general public and more specifically for the institutions and professionals engaged in tourism. In this regard, the aid received from the Secretary of State for Tourism to develop marketing channels poses a new challenge for us, which is also a new opportunity to increase the number of people that engage in industrial tourism.