Technicians from the Consorci de Normalització Lingüística (CPNL) have recently visited about seventy bars, restaurants, and hotels in locations such as Llafranc, Calella de Palafrugell, Tamariu, l'Estartit, Platja d'Aro, and Sant Antoni de Calonge. The initiative, named 'El català et serveix' (Catalan Serves You), aims to advise businesses on promoting the use of Catalan.
According to Marta Padrós, the project coordinator, owners show "very high sensitivity" towards Catalan. However, they face difficulties in hiring seasonal staff with "sufficient knowledge" of the language. The campaign, which began in late May, has the collaboration of the Unió d'Empresaris d'hostaleria i turisme Costa Brava Centre.
During the visits, establishments were informed about the CPNL's linguistic advisory services, sector-specific training courses, support resources, and the 'Voluntariat per la llengua' (Volunteering for Language) program. The ultimate goal is for signage, menus, and especially customer service to be available in Catalan.
Padrós highlighted the sector's good predisposition, noting that many already have menus in Catalan and staff capable of serving in the language. Nevertheless, integrating temporary workers with Catalan proficiency remains a challenge, exacerbated by situations where employees leave mid-season, forcing rapid hires without prioritizing Catalan skills.
The sector's seasonality also poses a challenge for the CPNL, as many businesses have limited scope for training during peak season. Therefore, flexible solutions have been offered, such as short training sessions at adapted hours or the creation of language partnerships among colleagues.
The Hotel Bell Repòs in Platja d'Aro is one of the participating establishments. Its CEO, Sònia Joanals, considers the campaign "a very useful tool" for linguistic integration and improving customer service. Many workers understand Catalan but are hesitant to speak it, which is why the hotel promotes language partnerships and micro-training sessions.
Currently, 20 out of the hotel's 25 employees use Catalan normally. The staff is diverse, with personnel from South American countries and North Africa. One example is Juan, originally from Argentina, who has improved his Catalan through CPNL courses and language partnerships, and now acts as a language partner for colleagues.
The campaign has concluded its "first prospecting" phase and will resume after the summer, with plans to expand to the rest of Girona's counties. The hospitality sector is crucial to Girona's economy, with a significant tourism component accounting for approximately 70% of employment. In this context, a decline in Catalan usage is observed, as the need for staff often prioritizes hiring workers who do not master the language.
Data from the Ofercat study indicates that in Girona city, the linguistic availability of Catalan has decreased from 82 to 63 points over the last seven years.
