The Culture Voucher returns, with discounts of 5 and 10 euros

BarcelonaBarcelona City Council will allocate €1m to reissuing the Bonus Cultura vouchers during 2021. According to figures from the Council, the money, along with the contribution of people who buy them, will represent a total of €4m in turnover for the cultural sector. The voucher can be used for books, cinema, concerts and theatre and its aim is to encourage cultural consumption.

Until now, those interested could purchase a €40 voucher for €30 plus €1 management fee on this website. As a novelty in the format, from this Thursday the Bonus Cultura will also offer a €20 vouchers at a cost of €15 (plus €0.50 management fee). The Barcelona City Council's Councillor for Tourism and Creative Industries, Xavier Marcé, stressed that this new modality will help the areas of culture with a lower price policy, such as books or cinema. Marcé has pointed out that, approximately, there will be between 100,000 and 150,000 Bonus Cultura. In any case, the Council's goal is to double the number of vouchers sold during 2020. It is hopes to maintain this grant when the situation resulting from the pandemic is back to normal.

Marcé has remarked that the Bonus Cultura of 2021 "may be used on 100% of the cultural activity carried out in Barcelona". Thus, he has advanced that it will be interchangeable in the Grec Festival. In the same vein, he said that it can also be used for different musical activities that will be held in Barcelona during the summer, but did not specify which ones. The complete list of establishments adhered to the Bonus Cultura so far can be consulted on its website, where you can also purchase the voucher. According to figures from Barcelona City Council, there are currently 177 participating establishments. During 2021 access to the Bonus Cultura will be made easier: all establishments where the vouchers can be used will also sell it.

During 2020, 78,800 Bonus Cultura have been marketed, mobilising resources in cultural consumption to the value of €3,153,240. In addition, between January and March 2021, more than 17,000 have already been sold. In terms of sectors, the theatre is the one that has benefited the most from the initiative, since 87% of the vouchers have been spent on tickets for plays. A further 9% has been spent on books and the remaining 4% on music. Marcé attributed these differences to the "opening process" of the different activities, since concert halls have been largely closed.