A total of 79,058 people visited the Gaudí Palace in Astorga last year 2021. This figure yields positive numbers for the monument that are close to those recorded during 2019. The Gaudí Palace had to keep its doors closed between the months of January and April of last 2021, due to mobility restrictions because of Covid-19. “I think the figures are very positive and are close to the numbers recorded during 2019, when we exceeded 100,000 annual visitors,” says the monument’s director, Víctor Murias Borrajo.
The data collected show that, in addition, 8.71% of the 79,058 people visited the Palace with a guide and 4.78% of the visits were made as a family, with the new proposal of the Palace implemented last July, which provides families with interactive tablets that, through games, puzzles and a secret to discover, shows the monument designed by Gaudí in Astorga.
Last 2021 the Palace presented two new proposals for visits to the monument. On the one hand, the audio guide ‘app’, free with the general admission to the building and available in five languages; and, on the other hand, family visits, a tour for families with children between 6 and 14 years that shows the monument from another point of view. “This year we wanted to provide the Palace with new tools to make the visit to the monument more accessible, on the one hand the audio guides are downloaded to the cell phone and so each person can enjoy getting to know the palace at their own pace. On the other hand, family visits have been very popular, because they offer parents and children the opportunity to enjoy the building in another way, through games and puzzles, competing to get the most points and it is very interactive for them, “says the director.
In the monthly comparative, visitors to the Astorga monument increased the months of July, August, September, October and December with respect to 2019. August was the month that received the most visitors to the Gaudí Palace, with a total of 26,379 entries. A figure higher than the 19,570 entries recorded in the month of August 2019, an increase of 34.73%. “In general, visits to the Palace have been very well received, despite the fact that we had to close the building for the first four months of the year. These are data with which we are very happy and the difference between the months of 2021 and 2019 is very positive,” expands Murias Borrajo.
Throughout 2021, the Palace received almost 3,346 pilgrims, a figure that is far from what was expected for a Jacobean Holy Year, but which reflects the health and tourist reality experienced last year. The monument was also visited by 6,777 students and 4,367 people in groups. The guided tours, more than 6,800 throughout the year, were the most highly rated by visitors.