The Sagrada Familia is one of the most important and impressive attractions in the city of Barcelona and world. In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, the number of visitors has dropped considerably, and it is expected to take until 2024 to return to normal in terms of visitors.

In an attempt to recover some of those figures, the Sagrada Familia launched a draw for 12,000 tickets carried out on Sept. 20 through social media. The prize is a free visit to the temple on Sept. 24, 25 and 26 during days that coincide with the celebration of the Mercè Festival. Around 54,000 people have put in for tickets.

Gaudí's famous temple continues to face economic problems as a result of the pandemic, like the closure of its doors in two periods during the last year and a half. During the closure of the Sagrada Familia, 80% of its workers were affected by a temporary lay-off plan (ERTE) and six professionals were dismissed from a staff of hundreds.

Despite initial planning, it has been ruled out that the temple will be completed in 2026 due to the periods that remained closed and they were forced to stop the work. Xavier Martínez, director of the Construction Board, explained that they are looking for "complementary sources of financing" so as not to delay the work any further.

The church has launched a donation campaign through its website. The goal is to raise 120,000 euros by the end of 2021. So far, of the total number of people who have collaborated with the Sagrada Familia, 46% are Spanish, 28% are Americans and Germans and 9% are Japanese.