The souvenir industry is reinventing itself beyond the fridge magnet

BarcelonaThe premise is clear: anything can be turned into a souvenir. Obviously, refrigerator magnets still reign supreme as the most popular tourist souvenir, but they're facing a host of competitors; many of them unexpected, like glasses for viewing this summer's solar eclipse or plush toys shaped like Iberian ham for pets. A wide variety of these items can be discovered this weekend at the Souvenir Expo Spain fair, held for the second time in the Catalan capital. Of course, there are also personalized t-shirts, caps, and mugs, reflecting the new empire of... tote bags They're making a strong impression, but the exhibitors are also offering wooden boards for cutting cured meats, bottles of oil, chocolate tablets, or nougat, regardless of whether it will be hot or cold when they're sold.

"For me, a souvenir "It's everything a tourist can pack in their suitcase and take home—anything that reminds them of their trip," summarizes Fabio Nardella, director of Souvenir Expo Spain. Before arriving in the city, the fair established itself in Greece, another prime tourist destination, where it originated. It grew and began its international expansion, first in Istanbul and then in Barcelona. "The industry in Spain is very strong," Nardella emphasizes. Among the exhibitors are Bic pens. Personalized gifts have grown "enormously." Because perhaps banks no longer give away pens, but hotels do: a new and clearly expanding business avenue thanks to models like Cristal or 4 Colors, where you can have a drawing of the Sagrada Família or a photograph of Casa Batlló printed on them.

There's also room for socks, another souvenir that's rapidly gaining popularity. Mandarina Socks is another local company looking to carve out a niche in souvenir shops. The family business manufactures 150 sock designs in El Papiol, of which only about a dozen seem geared towards tourists, featuring the caganer, the tió, the Sagrada Família, and Montserrat. "We're focused on the local people, but if tourists buy them, that's good too," explains the company's founder, Ferran Giralt. National icons are always a safe bet in this industry, with other examples like La Quijotería, a brand launched by Dioni Vicente from Cerdanyola del Vallès, to celebrate the universal figure of Cervantes's character on T-shirts, mugs, and prints.

Obviously, at Souvenir Expo Spain there is no shortage of unfortunate souvenirs that have invaded the Rambla, with t-shirts full of clumsy words, But they also have caps and underwear customized with the same suggestive expressions, not to mention phallic objects and condoms. There aren't many exhibitors displaying them at the fair, but they're there. One of them is the Catalan company Crazy World. "We also have baby strollers and magnets," they quickly reply when asked about the controversial souvenirs.

They are returning as exhibitors at Souvenir Expo Spain because last year went "quite well" for them, even though others criticize these products. "Exhibitors are quite opposed to T-shirts with Pablo Escobar's face or sexist phrases. Shops want to avoid them, unless they are forced to by the area they are in, and they want to differentiate themselves from the shop next door so that tourists end up buying from them," Nardella points out. "It loses its decorum."

A sector on the rise

If the tourism sector is experiencing record-breaking growth since the pandemic recovery, souvenir businesses are reaping the benefits. "If the number of visitors increases, so do we," argues Nardella. The figures speak for themselves. Spain received 91.4 million international tourists visited Spain between January and November, a 3.4% increase compared to the same period in 2014. This rise was also accompanied by increased spending: international tourists alone spent €126.707 billion in the first eleven months of the year, a 6.9% increase. Although growth is moderating, it remains at unprecedented levels, and exhibitors at Souvenir Expo Spain have not yet noticed any downturn. "It has been a very good season," insists its director.

It's no surprise, then, that Souvenir Expo Spain has almost doubled its footprint at the Fira de Barcelona this year, reaching 6,000 square meters where souvenir shop owners, as well as gas station, tobacconist, and kiosk owners—other businesses where sales are steadily increasing—are strolling. This is especially true given that Nardella points out that souvenirs never go on sale and can't be bought on Amazon. "We're always in peak season," she emphasizes.