Where to change money when travelling?

Before leaving on a trip, many of us wonder whether we should carry cash or use our cards. And if we are travelling to a country that does not have the euro as its official currency, the question arises as to which is the best option to get the best exchange rate. Sara Casals, junior product manager at 11Onze, answers these questions.

The custom and ease of paying by card or directly from a mobile phone are part of our daily lives thanks to the digital revolution of recent years. Even so, not all countries follow the same pace of development as our financial system, and we may find that the country we are travelling to does not have an extensive network of cash machines or the same facilities for paying with a card in all commercial establishments.

As Sara Casals points out, “you have to bear in mind that in many countries, card payment is not so widespread, and you won’t find a cash machine on every corner“. On the other hand, there is also a security issue, “the practice of stealing bank card data is widespread depending on the country”, says Casals.

Before making a currency exchange, you have to remember that it is not the same to make the change by withdrawing money from your bank as from a cash machine in the country of destination, or changing currency at the airport. As Casals explains, “the exchange rate offered by our banks is extremely abusive, and the same happens if you change money at the exchange bureaux at the departure airport“.

Therefore, the best thing to do is to change money at your destination. But where do I change it? The 11Onze product manager recommends “avoiding airport exchange offices” and looking for establishments that offer a more favourable exchange rate and lower commissions. Even so, she warns us that some exchange houses advertise that they have no commissions, but then offer a less favourable exchange rate.

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Inflation continues unabated and the state government maintains its commitment to update pensions in line with the CPI, a fact that clashes directly with the European Commission’s demand for control of the budget, currently at a maximum of 3.3%, and with a new factor that could be decisive: the planned retirement of 50% of the civil service in 2023.

The inflationary scenario we have been experiencing for months has placed the economy of most EU countries in a possible stagflation phase that could inevitably lead to an imminent recession which, so far, has been contained. The European Commission suggests that the solution lies in controlling the budget: keeping the public deficit below 5% in 2023, and 3.9% in 2024, and ensuring that spending does not increase by more than 3.3%, among other measures.

We are in Spain, where this control of public spending cannot exceed 3.3%, leaving the country with a margin of some 20 billion for public administration spending. An insufficient figure that will go almost entirely to cover pensions. In addition to the high level of spending on pensions, there are two key factors: the government’s intention to update pensions in line with the CPI and the expected increase in the number of retired people next year.

Pensions grow at the rate of the CPI

This is the scenario envisaged by the Spanish government, with an expected increase in pensions in line with the growth in inflation, so as not to impoverish this large part of society. This is quite a challenge, bearing in mind that in the event of ending the year with a percentage of 10.8%, as in July, the amount earmarked for pensions would also have to grow by this margin. With this measure, the planned outlay for pensions, which account for a third of total government spending, could amount to 17 billion euros.

This is a high cost that could skyrocket if the number of pensioners grows, which today stands at around 8.99 million people, according to data from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for December 2021. Spain already suffered a similar situation in 2020, during the pandemic, when more than 10,500 civil servants asked for voluntary early retirement in the face of the uncertainty caused by the transfer of the management of pensions from the Treasury to the Social Security. This led to a 22% increase in requests compared to previous years.

50% of civil servants plan to retire by 2023

The current situation foresees that in 2023 we may once again find ourselves in a scenario with a high percentage of civil servants planning to take early retirement. The retirement age for civil servants is 65 for those who retired before 2011 and 66 for those who joined the civil service after 2011. Like all other employees, they have to have paid contributions for 15 years in order to receive a benefit. There is another case, more worrying for the state, which is early retirement, which is available to the passive classes, and which allows civil servants to take early retirement from the age of 60, provided they have contributed for a minimum of 30 years.

The average benefit for civil servants is usually 2,300 euros, according to the monthly pension statistics compiled by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, 64% higher than that received by retirees in the General Social Security Scheme, also in the first quarter of the year, at 1,400 euros on average.

At present, the civil service workforce totals some 2.6 million people, of whom more than one million are between 50 and 59 years old, a fact that is expected to precipitate an increase in the flow of retirements in the coming years. In an attempt to curb this scenario, the Ministry of Social Security will study the implementation of incentives for civil servants to extend their working lives beyond the age of 60. The proposal of CSIF, the largest public sector union, is for a 5% annual cumulative incentive.

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How does machism manifest itself in the socio-economic world and in the consumerism of our society? Are we sufficiently aware of the micro machismo that we encounter in our day-to-day lives? What do women have to do to join and fully develop in the labour market? In a new episode of La Plaça de Territori 17, Lara de Castro, from the 11Onze Human Resources team, and Gemma Vallet, director of 11Onze District, answer all these questions.

Fortunately, ideas, attitudes and practices based on a learned cultural attribution of male superiority are becoming less and less present in our society. However, there is still a long way to go to eliminate sexist attitudes and micro machismo from everyday life. Looking at a man if you buy a car, or at a woman, if you buy a hoover, are behavioural practices that we have come to accept, but which are becoming increasingly unwelcome in a society that continues to evolve towards gender equality in all socio-cultural spheres.

As de Castro points out, “all of this is so commonplace, so normal, even for women, that until all of this is nipped in the bud, we will not be able to move forward“. Even so, there must also be a change of attitude on the part of women, “we will become more accepting of our bodies, our age, our wrinkles and the fact that we are women. That we are also capable of managing certain things that until now have only been managed by men”.

Gender pay gap, an unresolved issue

According to a report issued by CCOO, the gender pay gap has been reduced, but the average salary of women would have to grow by 24% to be equal to that of men. As Lara de Castro explains, “The pay gap is huge. But it is all about confidence, not only the confidence that the world gives me when it comes to earning money but also the confidence that I have when it comes to creating this money” she continues, “when I earn the money, it empowers me and makes me change my mentality”.

Advertising marketing has not facilitated this empowerment of women, on the contrary, it has helped to reinforce the macho attitude of society, even so, as Gemma Vallet points out, “advertising, in the end, is a mirror of society. And it is a mirror that amplifies. But as we adopt new behaviours, advertising will have to reflect these new behaviours”.

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The latest data provided by the National Statistics Institute (INE) shows that in July, prices rose by 10.8% year-on-year. A rate of inflation not seen since 1984. But what would happen if prices continued to rise rapidly and uncontrollably? Joan Benedicto, 11Onze agent, explains what is hyperinflation and details some historical examples.

Before understanding what hyperinflation is, we need to be clear about what inflation is, as Benedicto explains, “inflation is defined as the generalised and sustained increase in the prices of goods and services in a country, over a given period of time”. However, we can speak of hyperinflation when there is “an uncontrolled, excessively high rise in prices of at least 1,000%”.

The rapid rise in prices, together with the loss of the real value of the currency, leads to a large reduction in the monetary wealth of the population. As the 11Onze agent explains, “if I buy a loaf of bread, and in my country there is 1,000% inflation, this loaf of bread, after a year, will cost €11 instead of €1”.

Moreover, it should be borne in mind that in real cases of hyperinflation throughout history, price rises have been much more disproportionate than in the previous example. Likewise, the social and economic consequences of these hyperinflations are still having a major impact on the world economy.

Hyperinflations throughout history

The most paradigmatic recent case of hyperinflation is possibly that of Venezuela, which in 2018 “went on to have an inflation rate of approximately 130,000%“, notes Benedicto. Although its economy has shown significant recovery, with “inflation below 700% in 2021”, and the end of the inflationary spiral in 2022, the effect of this prolonged crisis is reflected in the daily reality of Venezuelans, who see how a significant part of the population continues to suffer the risk of extreme poverty and food insecurity.

Another case is that of 1923 in the Weimar Republic, today’s Germany. After the First World War, the country was in dire economic straits and had no gold reserves to meet the payments of the Treaty of Versailles. The mark was devalued and, as 11Onze’s agent explains, “five years after the war, inflation reached 665 million per cent”.

We cannot conclude this brief compilation of hyperinflations throughout history without mentioning the Hungarian hyperinflation of 1946. After the devastation of the Second World War, the economy was so badly damaged that prices doubled every day and, as Joan Benedicto points out, “hyperinflation peaked at 41.9 trillion per cent, without doubt, the worst case of hyperinflation ever known”.

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At 11Onze we have taken a look at some of the books that have been written in Catalan about greed. How has this bad reputation been built up, which says that we Catalans have an excessive desire to acquire wealth in order to keep it?

Through all these greedy, pathetic, miserable and egomaniacal characters, Catalan writers have portrayed, not only the stinginess of the Catalan bourgeoisie and the meanness of the ‘lumpen’ who try to survive at all costs, but the society of their time as a whole, as pathologically ill as all those who inhabit it.

• ‘L’escanyapobres’ (1884), by Narcís Oller. The writer Narcís Oller (1846-1930) left Catalan literature some masterpieces. In ‘L’escanyapobres’, which is often compulsory reading in secondary school, he abandons romanticism and plunges fully into realism and naturalism. The novel narrates the misadventures of Oleguer, the miser who lives in the farmhouse of La Coma and who, because of his surly character, makes enemies with all the peasants of the region. Oleguer always shows two sides: on the outside, the hard-working man who maintains the farmhouse; and on the inside, the man obsessed with money who humiliates his subordinates. In addition to ‘L’escanyapobres’, it is obligatory to mention ‘La febre d’or’ (1890-1892), because it is the great novel of 19th-century Barcelona, where the bourgeoisie grows unchecked thanks to unhealthy speculation. The work is a portrait of a crucial moment in the history of Catalonia.
• ‘Terra Baixa’ (1897), by Àngel Guimerà. In Catalonia, especially during the first decades of the 20th century, we have been passionate about rural dramas, and the play by Àngel Guimerà (1845-1924) is possibly the one that best exemplifies this. ‘Terra Baixa’ starkly depicts the conflict between the imaginary highland and lowland. Based on a possessive love story, the drama deals with the miseries of life in the countryside, the hardships of Catalan households of that time and the hierarchical structure of rural societies.
• ‘Drames rurals’ (1904), by Víctor Català. Our Víctor Català (1869-1966), the pseudonym under which Caterina Albert published her work, also narrates the rural dramas of early 20th-century Catalonia. Club Editor compiles in three volumes the stories of this great Catalan author, who depicts with unprecedented sensitivity the darker side of rural life, often raging against women.
• ‘La Xava’ (1905), by Juli Vallmitjana. Rescued from oblivion not long ago, the writer Juli Vallmitjana (1873-1937) portrayed the poorest environments of Barcelona at the beginning of the 20th century. In ‘La Xava’, as he does in  ‘La ciutat vella’, he shows the street talk in the neighbourhoods of Montjuic, the stark struggle for survival and how Barcelona’s gentlemen, avaricious and narcissistic, used the blackest poverty to build their golden bohemia. His works, full of small stories, also narrate the great collective events, and the struggle between the proletarian classes and the bourgeoisie.
• ‘L’auca del senyor Esteve’ (1907), by Santiago Rusiñol. This work by Rusiñol (1861-1931), also from the early 20th century, narrates the confrontation and reconciliation between Mr. Esteve, an archetypal merchant of the petty bourgeoisie, and his son, a modernist artist who does not want to inherit the family business. The play follows the life of the protagonist, a prudent, practical man who, even as a child, wants to devote himself exclusively to his haberdashery, La Puntual, and who marries Tomaseta, a woman of the same disposition. In the background, Barcelona is seen as a city in the process of modernisation.
• ‘Vida Privada’ (1932), by Josep Maria de Sagarra. After years of prosperity of the Catalan bourgeoisie at the expense of the exploitation of the poorest, it is Sagarra (1894-1961) who narrates its decline like no one else do. He does so through the history of the Lloberola family, who see their entire patrimony vanish in the hands of the youngest members of the household. Sagarra ironically portrays the process of social and moral degradation of the family and paints a portrait of high and low society, through meetings in salons, boardrooms and brothels. Other works by Sagarra, such as ‘La rambla de les floristes’ (1935), ‘El cafè de la Marina’ (1933) and ‘L’hostal de la Glòria’ (1931), should also be mentioned, as they offer a kaleidoscopic portrait of the miserly and miserable people who populate the history of Catalonia in the 20th century.
• ‘El carrer de les Camèlies’ (1966), by Mercè Rodoreda. It is Rodorera (1908-1983) who portrays the years of the Civil War and the post-war period in ‘El carrer de les Camèlies’. The novel follows the life of Cecília, a survivor, who begins her miserable life on La Rambla. Later, she lives in a flat in the Eixample and ends up selling herself in shacks in Carmel. Rodoreda portrays a society consumed by the greed of the previous years, a journey into darkness. This grey sadness will be a constant in Rodoreda’s works, as for example in ‘Aloma’ (1936) or in the famous ‘La plaça del diamant’ (1962). She would also give an account of the past in the novel ‘Mirall trencat’ (1974), a portrait of bourgeois decadence in the Sagarra’ style.
• ‘Feliçment soc una dona’ (1969), by Maria Aurèlia de Capmany. As Rodoreda does in ‘El carrer de les Camèlies’, Capmany (1918-1991) portrays the society of her time through the character of Carola, who has lived intensely and has fallen victim to the chiaroscuro of a greedy city that grows in a disorderly fashion. The protagonist begins, at first, a journey in search of happiness, but takes the wrong path that will cause her to lose all her innocence. Capmany also portrays this city overcome by the greedy years in ‘Betúlia’ (1974).
• ‘Benzina’ (1983), by Quim Monzó. The greedy effervescence of the happy eighties of the 20th century is portrayed by Monzó through the story of Heribert. The character, who has triumphed in the art world after an arduous conquest, lives a condescending and boring life until he realises that his lovers are cheating on him with extravagant men.
• ‘El cau del conill’ (2011), by Cristian Segura. Now in the 21st century, Segura portrays the placid existence of businessman Amadeu Conill: tennis matches at midday, demonstrations of popularity in the Barça stands, vermouth in Turó Park and shopping afternoons in the Illa Diagonal. ‘El cau del conill’ tells the story of the tribulations of a prominent member of the Barcelona bourgeoisie in free fall and the generational relay of a social class in a happily achieved decadence in the midst of a globalised world.
• ‘Tsunami’ (2020), by Albert Pijuan. Finally, we meet Pijuan’s three cousins, sons of the three brothers who founded a tourist company with hotels all over the world. At the age of eighteen, they enjoy themselves like never before and like no one else during the inauguration of their new hotel in Sri Lanka: parties, alcohol, scuba diving, exotic landscapes, Asian luxury… But things will change drastically when a tsunami alert spreads to all corners of the Indian Ocean.

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The sun set. A long, cold and decadent night spread across Spain for almost forty years. Finally, the guns had imposed “me over you”. But the conviction and tenacity of many women made it possible to change the situation as the century progressed. We continue with the historical exercise proposed by Oriol Garcia Farré, 11Onze agent and historian, on the history of contemporary women with the contribution of Maria Aurèlia Capmany.

The drama increased when some 500,000 people crossed the border into France between the end of 1938 and January 1939, fleeing the horror. In fact, it had been suspected for months that this would happen. The victory of fascism in Spain became a reality in April 1939, when the hopes and illusions of a social majority that had worked to create a fairer and more egalitarian society were finally dashed. From then on, peace would be imposed under the constant threat of imprisonment for dissidents against the new order.

The regime imposed by force of arms was based on national trade unionism, but after the Second World War it was forced to move towards a different conception of power in order to ensure its survival. The world that emerged after 1945 would no longer be the same as at the end of the Spanish Civil War, since historical reality would be constructed on the basis of the confrontation between the capitalist and communist countries.

It was then that Francoism decidedly opted for National Catholicism as a social articulation. Catholic rhetoric would be more acceptable to the Western allies, the winners of the world war. And the most visible manifestation of this conception of power would be the return of hegemony to the Church, which would control all aspects of public and private life in society. The state would put the clergy on the payroll and provide the Church with a broad tax exemption and, most importantly, it would once again be given absolute freedom in the management of education.

Involution of the role of women

Franco’s dictatorship would destroy all the achievements of the Republic. The Church would legitimise the redefinition of the role of women in society. Thus, Franco’s regime would put the brakes on all the female achievements of the previous period by arguing an anti-feminist discourse, in which women would be perceived as inferior to men, both spiritually and intellectually.

Under this pretext, the new regime would relegate women to household chores, as mothers and wives. Many women were repressed by the regime, especially in the period 1939-1945. Feeding, helping or curing Republican combatants was considered a crime for which many women were imprisoned, sent to concentration camps or even shot. Others, conditioned by fear, silenced their participation in the battlefields, making it a purely private memory.

Even so, the regime legitimised two youth organisations, the Women’s Section and the Youth Front, which were set up to indoctrinate all young people in the principles of the ‘movement’. In this way, the aim was to build a new society that was obligatorily articulated by the new values that underpinned Francoism.

A new political turn

Towards the end of the 1950s something began to change. The failure of the autarchy and the tense international situation, with the Cold War in the background, led the regime to a forced reorganisation of forces in the power families. The Falangists, who had dominated the political scene until then and were the guarantors of fascist symbolism and rhetoric, were replaced by young technocratic politicians linked to Opus Dei.

This change allowed the regime to generate a new ideological discourse and project a more modern social image to the outside world. In this way, ‘developmentalism’ would favour the growth of a Spanish middle class that would sustain the regime for a few more decades, but would also cause its annihilation. This controlled openness, for example, would tolerate the publication of works in Catalan, but it would also allow demands for social gender equality to be rescued from the attics of memory.

Women in Catalonia

It was in this context that Maria Aurèlia Capmany i Farnés (1918-1991) published her famous essay ‘Women in Catalonia’ (1966), one of the key works for the recovery of feminist demands in Catalonia. She was the daughter of the folklorist Aureli Capmany and Maria Farnés, and granddaughter of the journalist and Catalanist politician Sebastià Farnés. From an early age, Maria Aurèlia Capmany showed an innate ability for writing and literary activities in general. The impact of her essay allowed her to give up teaching to devote herself entirely to literary activities and theatre.

The main thesis put forward by Maria Aurèlia Capmany in ‘Women in Catalonia’ hinges on the idea that no progress can be made on the problem of gender if the social and political problems of Catalonia are not solved first. And this is written by someone who was a woman, a Catalan and a socialist. In other words, the devil for the Regime!

A palpable problem

For Capmany, the gender problem exists and is palpable within society. Her essay reveals two major problems: on the one hand, the definition of women as otherness and dependence; and, on the other, social inequalities and women’s access to the public world. In this sense, the conclusion reached by Maria Aurèlia Capmany is very clear: women have the same social status as men, but only in appearance, because the reality is that they are all aware of their lack of integration, their state of evolution and the instability of their insertion in the society in which they live.

A working woman can easily discover the objective conditions of her marginalisation, since she works the same as a man, studies the same subjects, obtains the same qualifications as a man. Still, with these qualifications, she will do a second-rate job. Therefore, if a woman wants to dedicate herself to something beyond the walls of her home, she will have to do it discreetly and without giving it any importance.

As a result, Capmany would once again put forward the thesis of the 1930s, which fiercely defends the “me just like you”. Even so, throughout her long career, first as a writer and then as a politician, she worked tirelessly for the equality and integration of women in society. Through her prolific work, she fought against the stale ultra-conservatism of the Franco regime, coming to the conclusion that the key word for women’s liberation is emancipation. As her song ‘Teatro de cabaret’ says, she was an emancipated woman who had to think and decide, solemn and sensible, and she did it from freedom and dialogue.

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Plan your holiday, pack your bags, and grab a book. Summer is synonymous with disconnection and reading is the main protagonist. We bring you a book selection for your summer travels.

Recently, a study found that reading makes us more empathetic. With the only condition that it is quality literature, the researchers found that people who read are able to recognize the emotional state of the characters and improve their imagination and mental agility. 

And not only that. It is also popularly said that reading makes us attractive; in fact, it would be like brain gymnastics: it stimulates mental activity and concentration, disconnects us from problems and anxieties, and allows us to travel to new worlds. There are many benefits to reading, and they all explain the importance of encouraging it from an early age. So jot down the titles you can’t miss this summer and start training your brain!

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

In this new instalment, the author of Sapiens and Homo Deus describes the fundamental lessons for living in this century. With his theories, he invites us to think, drawing scenarios that describe the main current challenges. He reviews social, political, and existential issues, and warns of technological dangers, from a daily point of view that defines the impact of all this on our present and future lives.

FakeYou: Fake news y desinformación by Simona Levi

The phenomenon of fake news questions the health of the media, political parties, governments, or companies. Controlling this often means restricting citizens’ freedom of expression and information. Simona Levi questions this legislation based on violating fundamental rights, in a work that becomes a weapon to fight against manipulation, lying, and falsification.

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

It is not about vegetarianism, but the story begins when the protagonist stops eating meat. An individual decision that becomes a social challenge, a symbol of rebellion against what is conventional. About quitting submission and facing the system. A poignant and awkward story that describes what happens when you question what is accepted and you break the rules, and how far the human capacity goes to carry it out to the last consequences.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

It narrates the collapse of the American dream following the Great Depression. A context of economic and financial crisis that leads the protagonist family to emigrate and start a vital search to ensure their jobs, their dignity, and their future. A timeless story where power, equality, and justice are confronted in the United States.

El hambre by Martín Caparrós

Wasting food and going hungry are the main concepts that Caparrós reviews in this book that has led him to travel to countries around the world where hunger is the main problem. A book that reviews food from all points of view, from those who speculate to those who need it, to explain and denounce a global problem in which we are all involved.

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Tourism is one of the businesses that shows one of the highest capital flow worldwide. As per the report from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), in 2019, 1.4 billion of international tourists were recorded and up to between 100 and 120 million of jobs are linked to it.

It is, therefore, a sector with an undeniable weight in the world’s economy, and more particularly, with a direct affectation to practically all the inhabitants in the planet either in an active form as travellers or in a passive one as locals.

The touristic sector asks for regulation and responsibility

Given its importance, since years ago there are more and more organisations, Companies and collective bodies that ask for a sustainable tourism system that can be kept over time and nourish the population. Everything points to the fact that this industry will continue growing during the next years and, therefore, if the current model does not change, the negative impact that it generates will increase at the same rate. We are all currently familiarised with sustainability as a concept and we even have adopted certain daily routines that contribute to respect the environment. An attitude that changes more or less when we travel: we leave lights switched on, recycling, take care of public spaces, using more ecological transport ways, spend the necessary water, using less plastic … actions that we may miss when we are on holidays and which, by themselves, do not generate an impact, although they may mean a higher issue when they are multiplied by 1.4 billion people.

Within this context, and with the urgency to change the touristic model into a more responsible perspective, it pops-up the sustainable tourism concept, understood as the one which “satisfies current needs without compromising the capacity of future generations to satisfy their own needs”, as it is described in the Brundtland report. It will be about then, to minimise the negative impact that tourism is currently generating and to maximise its benefits, mainly from the three big pillars: environmental, sociocultural and economical.

To reduce the environmental impact to preserve future 

Tourism very much depends on the environmental quality to survive and evolve but, paradoxically, this is one of the main activities that it harms. Infrastructures construction like airports and roads, highly polluted transport ways by land, sea and air, creation of equipment and touristic resorts like restaurants, shopping centres, golf fields or sportive areas are examples of the negative impact that it brings to any region. All of this brings also risk to the flora and fauna in the area, which in the past years has worsened the situation of hundreds of species, especially the marine ones, which have not been able to overcome the changes that human pollution has caused in their natural habitat.  

In parallel, it has been thanks to tourism that some natural areas have become protected areas or they are areas with especial care being taken orientated to preserve the space looking forward to the future. This is the positive impact where sustainable tourism should be betting: to achieve the maintenance of care of spaces both natural and urban, by governments’ organisms to favour both, local citizens and future visitors.

Controlling the sociocultural impact and to bet for the diversity wealth

The willingness to often travel comes motivated by the restlessness to know other Countries, together with everything that this implies: culture, language, food and costumes. Diversity within the globalism is foreseen, and this arouses respect, tolerance and knowledge by both parts, but especially from the visitor’s point of view. For sustainable tourism it is essentially this cultural preservation but, amongst everything the respect for it. Guaranteeing a value experience therefore, must mean to guarantee sociocultural wealth.

A non-planned tourism, other than being a nuisance to local inhabitants, can bring miserable consequences on their lives and their quality of life, an issue that some areas of Catalonia have already suffered first-hand in terms of gentrification, this is a disproportionate increase of dwellings’ and plots’ prices that turn into, those being inhabitants, to look for more economically viable alternatives, giving way to those who can invest, a fact that may not have a direct relation to tourism in some cases but which, without doubt, has meant an aggravating item. 

The increase in prices in touristic  is one of the reasons to destabilise local people, forcing them to assume higher prices, well above the standard prices they could find in any other street of the city outside the touristic path. If we look at Barcelona, coronavirus crises forced many restaurants in touristic areas to lower their prices to match those offered in the rest of the city, showing the prices war that tourism business means. Avoiding this through regulation policies could not only protect local citizens but ensuring tourists pay for the right price of the product.

Positive economic impact: investing in people

From and economical point of view, it makes sense that as a business, tourism should bring benefits to the related area, but the challenge is making it in an equitable and sustainable way. It will bring nothing to improve the turnover if this does not bring a positive impact in the welcoming area. This is, to have a true benefit it has to mean an advantage to all implied parties and, if managed in a controlled and efficient way, tourism can have the enormous power of enriching the population through the creation and maintenance of jobs both, direct and indirect. 

On the contrary some multinationals, way away from applying a sustainable tourism system, choose to do the other way around, what is known as “scape”. These are business models where profits are not left in the welcoming Country nor bring any profit to the Country, like in hotels with an all-inclusive regime, where customers do not go away from the resort and, therefore, do not generate a positive impact to the area’s economy. They do create an impact indeed but negative as far as taxes is concerned, since the required infrastructures to welcome tourism are often financed through this business. It will require though to weight the generated impact of tourism against the cost that population  pays for. If there is no balance, then we are presumably facing a non-sustainable system and which will need to be revisited.

Tourism is in the end, our joint responsibility since we have all been involved for some time. There are actions that depend only on the individual responsibility and commitment to bet for a sustainable life model, also when we travel. The other side of the management, and that with a higher impact, belongs to the private and public organisations that will need to plan tourism facing next coming years with a clear motive: a bet for sustainability is a bet for the future.

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Want to discover interesting content on Twitch? We recommend 11 channels in Catalan that you can find on the trendy social network. They have gained popularity by talking to us about all kinds of topics, not just video games.

Twitch is an increasingly relevant social network in the world, and Catalonia is no exception. The spontaneity of live-streaming attracts a growing number of followers. Although video game channels are generally the ones with the largest audiences, there is room for a wide range of content. From 11Onze, we present 11 proposals to enjoy this social network in Catalan.

LopezNorman44

Norman López is one of the most popular streamers in Catalan, with nearly 10,000 followers. He produces video game content in general, although he focuses mainly on racing simulators. He likes humour and doesn’t shy away from controversy, as he declares himself a fan of Spanish omelette without onions and says he prefers winter to summer.

LauzetaFolk

After a period of inactivity on Twitch, LauzetaFolk have returned with their violin and guitar to offer folk music and good vibes from Lleida to their 7,500 followers. Joan and Núria, a couple of musicians who have been playing together since 2010, joined this social network in March 2020.

Magori_cat

Almost 2,000 people follow this paid channel, which focuses mainly on manga, anime and ‘Dragon Ball’. In his live shows, MagoriArt usually draws while he chats with his guests. La noche friki’ features Catalan dubbing actors. For example, Victòria Pagès, who had played the character of Nets in Club Super 3, recently took part.

JacintCasademont

Jacint Casademont’s channel offers podcasts, talk shows and interviews, with sections such as ‘Terrors nocturns’ to discuss scary topics and ‘Enigmes pendents’ to talk about crimes. It already has 1,400 followers.

EdCaballer

Cooking channel where the idea is to have a good time while Ed Caballer prepares food and talks about everything: series, games, current affairs, politics… Cooking is the way for its nearly 1,000 followers to have a good time and learn to defend themselves in front of the cooker. Enjoy!

El_raco_del_manga

A Catalan channel about manga, anime and Japanese culture with a stream almost every week. You’ll find talks, interviews, analyses, specials, raffles… More than 900 people already follow it.

xEikNaga

The channel of xEikNaga and his friends, which already has more than 700 followers, appeals to the most creative spirits. Models, crafts and various creations for those who like to do it all themselves. There’s a live model-making event on the weekend mornings.

JaumeFibla

Almost every day, Jaume Fibla, better known as Jau on Twitch, offers “musical numbers with a geeky touch”, as he himself acknowledges, and interviews. His channel includes everything from very free interpretations of songs translated into Catalan to commentaries on culture, cinema and video games. He already has almost 700 followers.

EnricBautista

Enric Bautista, who lives in England, escapes from Brexit by playing his acoustic guitar and singing in Catalan. And, from time to time, interviewing a guest. You can enjoy his music and commentaries every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday night. He already has more than 600 followers.

GranCarles

From Monday to Friday, this actor, journalist and scriptwriter wakes up his nearly 500 followers every morning at 8am with the programme ‘Quiquiriquic’. Carles interacts with the audience openly.

Motor_Esport

The latest news from the world of rallying analysed in Catalan by Nacho Mateo, Eduard Bota, Aitor Domingo, David Rovira and their collaborators. The channel doesn’t slack off and already has more than 400 followers.

Do you know any Twitch channel in Catalan that we shouldn’t miss? Add it in the comments.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

Although we really like to spend the day on the beach, bathe, and enjoy a good time near the sea, it never hurts to remember a few tips so as not to suffer more than necessary under the strong and warm summer sun.

The sun is not bad for our skin, on the contrary: solar radiation is critical so that our body can synthesize vitamin D, an essential vitamin that helps absorb calcium and strengthen our immune system.

In fact, there are countries that, during the winter or some times of the year, almost cannot enjoy sunlight (such as various places in the Arctic Circle), and it is recommended that those who travel there during these times and stay there for a relatively long time take vitamin D in capsules, so as not to suffer harmful effects on the body. 

Between too little and too much sun

It is estimated that, given the power of the sun in summer, there is no need for more than 10 or 15 minutes of daily exposure to the sun to receive the amount of vitamin D needed per day. From here, then, a continuous and unprotected exposure can cause very harmful effects on our skin. 

That is why it is very important not to underestimate the effects of spending too many hours on the beach, and take sufficient protective measures to be able to enjoy a good holiday without having to suffer the negative consequences of excessive sun exposure.

Avoid noon

For starters, very important: the schedule. We all know that in the morning, when the sun is rising, it is less hot. The same happens at the end of the day, during sunset. This is because, due to the rotation of the Earth, there are times of the day when the sun’s rays hit us more directly: it is what is popularly known as “a burning sun”.

These hours of maximum solar power are usually around noon, from 12 to 4 p.m., and these are the times to avoid indiscriminate solar exposure: we will put ourselves in the shade, go for a drink, or go home for lunch. 

Sunscreen, all year round!

But while we avoid the most dangerous hours, the star king is still up there, so we need to protect our skin as well. This implies, above all, using a good sunscreen which helps us to withstand the harmful effects of excess ultraviolet rays.

It is best to use a +50 protection factor sunscreen in the exposed areas of the body, and apply it again at least every two hours. It should also be noted that if we go to the water to cool off, the protective effect of the cream will quite possibly last less, and we’ll have to apply it again sooner.

Furthermore, it is important not to forget certain parts of the body, such as the ears or feet, because we often forget they are also exposed, so as not to wake up the next day with an unpleasant surprise in the form of burns.

The hat as a complement

Sunburn has a problem, however: there are areas that are not entirely accessible for it. One is obviously hair. Despite thinking that hair already protects ours capillary area, the truth is that continued exposure can cause us future problems.

So how can we avoid it? While spray sunscreens for hair are becoming more popular lately, the most logical and also the most traditional solution is very easy: use a cap or hat. In this way, we can protect our hair area without any problems.

If we follow all these tips, and we also hydrate ourselves well every few hours, nothing will stop us from enjoying a great summer on the beach, in the mountains, or in the place we prefer!

Have a nice summer!

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!