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Julià

Julià bus in Madrid

Julià is a Spanish business group providing tourism and bus transport services.[1] The company has grown from its family-owned origins in Spain into an international corporation with operations in Andorra, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, Argentina, Morocco, and the United States.[2] As of November 2024, the bus company reportedly had a fleet of approximately 450 vehicles.[3]

History

Grupo Julià was founded in Barcelona in 1933 as Autocares Julià, initially providing coach transport services for schools, cultural associations, and football teams.[4]

Operations were suspended during the Spanish Civil War but resumed in the late 1930s. Later, by the 1940s and 1950s the company consolidated as a provider of coach services in Catalonia, operating their first excursions in Barcelona and surroundings, and then spread to other regions in Spain.[5]

In 1968, Julià Tours was created, specializing in long-distance holiday travel. In 1978, Julià Travel was launched to handle inbound tourism in Spain,[6] while operations simultaneously began in Argentina and Mexico.[7][8]

In 2000, the company introduced the City Tour brand for hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses in Barcelona and Madrid. Around the same time, it launched Turibus in Mexico City, one of Latin America's first hop-on hop-off services[9]—and established a joint venture with Alsa to support the development and expansion of its sightseeing activities.[10][11]

In 2014, Grupo Julià expanded to the United States with Gray Line sightseeing services in San Francisco and extended City Tour operations to London (2015), Rome (2016), and Tanger (2018).[12][13][14]

In 2024, a joint venture between Grupo Julià and Moventis was awarded a 12-year concession to continue operating Barcelona's official tourist bus service, Barcelona City Tour, with plans to transition to a fully electric fleet by 2029.[15]

Structure

Grupo Julià is organized into two business divisions: tourism and passenger transport.[3]

Initiatives

In November 2024, Grupo Julià partnered with UK-based Zenobē to finance the electrification of its Barcelona fleet. The agreement encompasses the purchase of electric buses, battery leasing, and the installation and operation of charging infrastructure.[3]

References

  1. ^ Arias, Stefania G. (27 February 2015). "Un bus turístico de exportación". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  2. ^ Canalís, Xavier. "Grupo Julià, 90 años como testigo y actor de la historia del turismo". Hosteltur: Toda la información de turismo (in European Spanish). Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Zenobē announces strategic agreement with Grupo Julià". Zenobē (Press release). Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  4. ^ "julia-travel16-12004-43". www.catalunya.com. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  5. ^ @BarcelonaGlobal (16 July 2020). "Grupo Julià, más de 85 años de servicios de movilidad y turismo". Barcelona Global Blog. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  6. ^ "Grupo Juliá se une a la Mesa del Turismo". Ladevi (in European Spanish). 1 April 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Grup Julià, on a trip around the world". VIA Empresa (in Catalan). 9 January 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Grup Julià reconstruye los negocios, ingresa un 37% más y reduce deuda". ON ECONOMIA (in Spanish). 20 October 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  9. ^ "Grup Julià, on a trip around the world". VIA Empresa (in Catalan). 9 January 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  10. ^ Canalís, Xavier. "Grupo Julià y Alsa explotarán el bus turístico de Madrid". Hosteltur: Toda la información de turismo (in European Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Juliá Travel y ALSA gestionarán los autobuses turísticos de Madrid". Telemadrid (in Spanish). 1 April 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Julia Travel Gray Line Spain | Proveedor de GetYourGuide". GetYourGuide (in European Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  13. ^ "Agenttravel.ES – Noticias para el profesional del turismo – Julià Travel gestionará la marca Gray Line en España". www.agenttravel.es. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  14. ^ "Grupo Julià se consolida como tercer operador global de buses turísticos". Hosteltur (in European Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  15. ^ Gambini, Janet (27 September 2024). "Grupo Julià and Moventis joint venture wins Barcelona sightseeing bus service contract". Moventia. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
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