For two consecutive years, the event has concluded by surpassing the expectations of the organ-isers and collaborating companies and institutions. Yielding very satisfactory results, the two edi-tions have generated considerable hotel occupation and important economic activity in the Girona counties.
During the Sea Otter Europe weekend, Girona became the global cycling capital, both for road and mountain biking. The festival was enthusiastically supported by the region’s companies and institutions, making it a huge success.
The first edition, held between 2 and 4 June 2017, and coinciding with the Cycle-tourism Year in Girona and the Costa Brava, set the bar very high, with some spectacular figures including 30,000 visitors and more than 4,000 sportspeople in attendance, and very positive results from the experience, both for the exhibiting brands and the professional sportsmen and women and general public who attended the event.
The presentation of the second edition included details of all the new features of the sports pro-gramme and an important increase in the size of the commercial zone. Just a few weeks after the announcement, and seven months before the event was due to take place, more than 70% of the space set aside for the cycling industry had already been reserved.

The challenge is a complex contest made up of a wide variety of activities concentrated in one weekend during which the Girona counties turn into the world cycling capital thanks to the Sea Otter festival.

Visitors to the event – more than 50,000 people in 2018 – range from families to cycling legends, as well as amateur sportspeople, companies and professionals from the world of cycling of 50 nationalities.

In the 2018 edition, the festival occupied 60,000 m²of Girona’s congress and trade fair space, divided into the commercial fair and the different spaces where the cycling trials were held and zones for services and family activities. The exhibition area, covering 26,000 m², included a trial display zone and stands offering sports services, such as sports nutrition, physiotherapy and mechanical services, among others.

The exhibitors – brands selling bicycles, accessories, products and destinations – exceeded their expectations thanks to the huge amount of visitors and financial gain generated.

(*) Source: BM Consultors and Sea Otter Europe

Another highlight or visitors was the Demobike area, a battery of tests where 34 brands made over 400 mid- and top-range bicycles available for visitors to try out during the three-day event. One of the strongest features of Demobike’s are the two circuits, situated a few metres from the entrance to the Sea Otter event, which cross the city’s historic quarter and a series of tracks that are perfect for putting the latest cycle models to the test. 

The event’s official accommodation in 2018 was provided by Hotel Ultònia and Hotel Carlemany in Girona, both located in the city centre. Both establishments hold quality certifications that guarantee suitable services for cyclists and information about the local Greenways available to clients.