Unity is the key to a successful tourism model

The afternoon of the first day of Andorra Taste featured a key debate towards growth in mountain areas which already are or could be tourist destinations: gastronomy as an added-value concept, and the most successful business models. 

Guided by Benjamín Lana, head of Vocento's Gastronomy division, the debate included Nandu Jubany, entrepreneur and chef with businesses in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Andorra; Fernando Gallardo, head of EuroFintech/Alianza Hotelera and former hotel critic; and Àlex Orúe, head of Hospitality & Corporate Business at Grandvalira-Setap (Soldeu, Andorra).

Nandu Jubany broke the ice by declaring that his business trajectory focused on the diversification of opportunities, and "not betting it all on just one number". The Catalan chef, who runs an entire restaurant group with many different options, confessed that his secret "is saying yes. I've done a lot of things, and I've met a lot of people by saying yes". But this passion and eagerness have to be fully understood, he warned, because "if a business doesn't work, you have to let it go, You have to be stubborn, but not stupid”.

Hotel expert Fernando Gallardo, seeing the big picture, declared that "we're not all Nandu Jubany”, and if we're a smaller outfit, the key component is unity. Gallardo said "the special features of a project could be very attractive as a concept, but above all a business has to be economically viable". To this end, the hotel critic added that "scaling up the business is the only way to go, and doing so with people you can trust, seeking out partners, other companies you can trust, to optimise costs by sharing management. The world compels you to work in a globalised manner”.

Finally, Àlex Orúe contributed his experience running the restaurant business at the Grandvalira complex, with which this ski domain has become a benchmark of gastronomy experiences in the skiing sector. “We realised - explained Orúe "that we had moved on from selling a product to becoming a service, but we had to go even further and offer an experience". This is something they achieve with their gastronomic evenings next to the ski slopes, making gastronomy just as decisive a factor as skiing when a destination is chosen.