Imatge
Imatge
The number of visitors rose by 14% compared to last summer, also surpassing pre-pandemic figures
From June to August, 3,000 new members joined the Zoo Club, five times more than three years ago
The new Invertebrates Space and the Nature Passport, two of the summer’s big successes
Barcelona Zoo closes the summer with highly positive figures. Since the end of the school year, the zoo has had 183,894 visitors, nearly 14% up on last summer's figures and up almost 12% on summer 2019, which closed with 164,800 visitors. These figures confirm the consolidation in the recovery that began after the COVID-19 lockdown.
The rise is not only in the number of visitors but also in the number of new Zoo Club members, who are entitled to unlimited entry into the Zoo for 12 months, along with other benefits and discounts. A total of 3,097 new members registered between June and August, compared to 579 in 2019. And there have been 7,593 new registrations since January. In total, the Zoo Club family now has 80,599 members, 26,000 more than three years ago.
According to the third Deputy to the Mayor’s Office and chair of the Zoo Foundation, Laia Bonet, “these figures show that the new features presented in recent months and the new model for Barcelona Zoo have been well received by families”. Of particular note is the Invertebrates Space, the new Zoo facility featuring this under-represented group of animals in zoos of vital importance to habitats. Since it opened in June, it has received 87,940 visitors, who have mostly rated it with a score of between 8 and 10.
Success of the new Nature Passport and the summer activities
The new Nature Passport, introduced in July, has also proved a major success among members who have started to use it, with over 1,400 passports issued in just two months. This document, in the format of a real passport, allows Zoo Club members to take part all year round in free and exclusive activities on biodiversity and its conservation. The first such activity, called “Discovering the Zoo”, received a score of 9.6 among participants, and the second activity “Primates and humans, first cousins” is shortly to be programmed.
Also well received were the activities open to the general public, which were programmed every day in the summer. These activities allow visitors to take a closer look at the day-to-day life of the Zoo and the conservation work that is carried out. Among the most successful were the new encounters with carers, who explained to visitors the care and attention given to the penguins and the sea lions, yet another example of the importance Barcelona Zoo places on animal welfare.
And once again this year, the summer activity programmes were very well attended, with all the places filled just a few hours after registration began on 9 May. A total of 934 children took part from June to August, 60 more than the number of participants in the summer of 2019. These are activity programmes the Zoo offers in the summer, Christmas, Easter and other school holidays, giving children and teenagers a chance to get a closer look at the animal world, promoting respect for biodiversity and the natural environment.
The Zoo remodelling work has continued throughout the summer months
As planned, the largest tasks in the demolition of the old Aquarium were completed in August, although the work will continue until November. All the work was carried out ensuring that acoustic and environmental impact was kept to a minimum and guaranteeing the well-being of the Zoo animals at all times. The newly empty space will be used as an animal reserve, a new facility scheduled for completion in the summer of 2024 for housing Zoo species temporarily affected by the improvements planned in coming years. This work is part of the new model for Barcelona Zoo, approved in 2019.