Salou. Costa Dorada. 18 May 2025.
A small book titled Salou, a Sea of Culture has been the winning proposal of the SouvenirArt contest, organized for the first time by the Salou-Costa Daurada Tourism Innovation and Research Chair, with the collaboration of the Tarragona Provincial Council and the collaboration of the Salou Town Council.
The author of the new souvenir is Muntsa Sucarrats, from Olesa de Montserrat, a graphic designer and art director who has been working in communication and advertising for over 15 years. The award jury unanimously selected this proposal because it “creatively and originally addresses the identity of the Salou destination.” The book showcases the heritage, culture, history, and traditions of Salou, with naive-style illustrations and soft, warm colors inspired by the Mediterranean.
The jury was composed of David Places, Head of Internationalization and Culture of the Crafts Area of the Consortium of Commerce, Crafts and Fashion, of the Department of Business and Labor of the Generalitat de Catalunya; Jordi Tresseres, director of the Laboratory of Heritage, Creativity and Cultural Tourism and UNESCO Consultant in Culture, Tourism and Sustainable Development; Fina Veciana, multidisciplinary artist; Natàlia Bel, Tourism Promotion Technician of the Salou Municipal Tourism Board; and Noemí Rabassa, Professor of Tourism Marketing and researcher at the Tourism Innovation and Research Chair of the URV.
A total of 51 proposals were submitted to this first edition of SouvenirArt. Images of all of them are on display in the corridor of the Salou Theatre Auditorium (TAS). To evaluate the proposals, the jury took into account the following criteria:
- Innovation: originality and creativity in the proposal
- Representativeness: ability to symbolize the Salou destination
- Reproducibility: possibility of mass production
- Commerciality and authenticity: commercial appeal and fidelity to local identity
- Narrative: ability to convey a story or concept
The
Vice President of the Tourism Board, Hèctor Maiquez, highlighted the importance of Salou as one of the main tourist destinations in Catalonia and defined the souvenir as an "
extension of the tourist experience of our visitors".
For her part, the
director of the Salou-Costa Daurada Tourism Innovation and Research Chair, Marta Nel·lo, thanked the contest for its good reception, as a challenge, and elaborated on the meaning of souvenirs, which represent and connect with the current image of the destination and the one that is intended to be projected.
