PortAventura World has long had a strong presence in its domestic market; it celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025 and is the largest theme park in Spain. It’s catapulted even further into success, though, as GetYourGuide has become its top OTA partner for international markets and connected PortAventura to high-value customers around the world.
Encompassing three theme parks and 10 hotels, PortAventura World has a lot to offer visitors. That also means there’s a lot they need to market. Sara Gomis Roigé — Manager of E-distribution Sales, B2B Marketing & CRM — joined the company in 2019 when their partnerships with ticketing OTAs were still new. At that time, she was the only person working on the channel. Now, she leads the OTA sales team, which has grown to four people.
“PortAventura World is a very unique product,” Sara explains. “It’s a super opportunity working with GetYourGuide to show it to everyone and reach new audiences around the world.”
In 2019, PortAventura World had a record year with around 5.2 million visits. In 2025, they rose above pre-COVID levels with approximately 5.3 million visits, in part due to stronger digital and online distribution to international customers.
Here, Sara discusses how GetYourGuide has increased PortAventura World’s global visibility, become their top partner for international ticket sales, and helped them reach customers in the inspiration phase.
How does GetYourGuide factor into your overall bookings?
Since international travel rebounded post-pandemic, GetYourGuide has become one of our most valuable partners, both in volume and customer profile. It's our strongest OTA for international reach and source market diversity, with 93% of the customers they bring us coming from abroad.
If we had to do this by ourselves, it would be very difficult and very expensive to position all the products in these new markets.
Before joining GetYourGuide in 2018, everything was manual. We sold physical tickets locally in Costa Dorada, with guests typically buying at the hotel or on arrival. Since then, we've seen a clear shift in customer behavior. Travelers now plan their activities before their trip, and that's moved sales firmly into digital channels. Our website, OTAs, and tour operators have all grown significantly as a result.
How has it been working with GetYourGuide so far?
I think the thing that surprises me is the scale that GetYourGuide has achieved in different markets. It’s not only for Germany. GetYourGuide is one of our first partners for the USA and the UK. Because our marketing resources are limited, we focus our efforts on our main markets, Spain and France, and use GetYourGuide for the rest.
Another surprising opportunity has been how much GetYourGuide has helped us increase awareness of our product at a very early stage of the customer journey. Beyond direct sales, it has become a powerful channel for inspiration, especially among international travelers who may not know our brand yet. This visibility has opened the door to new markets and customer segments that are harder to reach through traditional or purely domestic channels.
How have you used GetYourGuide’s data to improve your business?
We regularly use conversion data from GetYourGuide to assess whether our product strategy, pricing, or promotional actions are working as expected.
We’ve seen that people during the summer want to spend a lot of time at the beach in the morning, but they have some free time in the afternoon. We tested adding a new product, a night ticket from 5 p.m., and it worked very well to attract people who are spending all day here at the beach.
We are now moving to dynamic prices too, which is still not very common in the experiences sector. GetYourGuide has been a great partner in this process. They’ve been very flexible and supportive in adapting to our new pricing strategy, which has helped us test and implement a more advanced and data-driven approach to pricing.
How does working with GetYourGuide compare to your other OTA partners?
What really stands out compared to other OTAs is the level of partnership and trust. We have a very good relationship with the GetYourGuide team, and they feel like a true extension of our business. They understand our strategy, our priorities, and our challenges, and they actively contribute with insights and ideas. This level of collaboration makes GetYourGuide a key strategic partner for us, not just a sales channel.
Can you give an example of when the GetYourGuide team helped you overcome a challenge or seize an opportunity?
A good example is when we launch new attractions and products. From day one, GetYourGuide supports us in promoting them with strong content, positioning, and campaign support. This makes it much easier for us to reach international customers quickly and maximize the impact of each new launch.
When did customer feedback through GetYourGuide inspire a change?
We’re always adding new products and new rides based on customer reviews. We started PortAventura World as a theme park for adrenaline lovers, but now we’re growing to welcome visitors of all kinds. For example, families were asking for things for little children so we added a new Sesame Street area.
Continuing with this strategy of reinforcing our products for families, this July, we are opening a new jungle trek ride, Makamanu Jungle, the Adventure Trek. We’re also adding a new area in our Caribe Aquatic Park called Coral Bay, La Leyenda Perdida, with 6,000 square meters of rides and swimming pools for children.
When it comes to trust and brand protection, what gives you confidence in working with GetYourGuide?
The operational reliability of the platform. For example, having payments fully managed by GetYourGuide saves us a lot of time and effort in our day-to-day operations. It reduces payment-related incidents and significantly lowers the workload for our teams. This allows us to focus more on product strategy and growth, while trusting that transactions are handled securely and efficiently.
What would you tell someone who wasn’t so sure about working with OTAs?
Working with OTAs doesn’t mean losing control. It means gaining reach. It’s very difficult to do marketing in every international market on your own, and OTAs help you be present where your brand may not yet be well known. If you’re not there, you are not an option.
Used in the right way, OTAs are strong partners to increase visibility, attract new international customers, and support growth, while still keeping your direct channel strong and protected.
What does success look like for you in two to three years?
In two to three years, success for us means continuing to position PortAventura World as a true “must-see” destination for visitors to Barcelona and Spain. We want to be top of mind for international travelers planning their trip, both as a theme park and as a complete resort experience.
Success also means continuing to grow sustainably, attracting more international guests through digital channels, and strengthening partnerships that help us increase global visibility and long-term brand recognition.
Key Takeaways: PortAventura World's Success with GetYourGuide
- Hiring more employees: PortAventura World has quadrupled the size of its OTA sales team, as working with OTAs has become increasingly important in its business strategy.
- Increasing presence in European markets: PortAventura World receives more European visitors — especially in key markets, such as the UK, France, Germany, and Benelux — through GetYourGuide. Britain now accounts for the largest share of the company’s GetYourGuide bookings at 42.29%.
- Inspiring new customers: The company uses GetYourGuide to attract visitors who may not be familiar with its brand and are in markets where it can’t invest directly.
- Making data-informed improvements: PortAventura World uses GetYourGuide’s performance reports daily to make decisions on pricing, promotions, and visibility. On GetYourGuide, PortAventura has experienced a 22% revenue growth (YTD YoY).
- Adding new products: GetYourGuide insights have helped the company continuously expand and diversify its offerings — most recently by adding family-focused attractions, such as a Sesame Street area.
- Positioning for future success: The company sees GetYourGuide as an important partner in positioning itself as a must-see attraction in Spain.
