The Galician tourism sector considers that sustainability, increased profitability and less seasonal tourism should be among the objectives of the future Galician Tourism Strategy 2024-2030. They are part of the conclusions of the process of listening to the sector, in which more than 1,000 public and private agents participated and which made it possible to prepare a diagnosis of the situation and challenges of tourism in Galicia.
The diagnosis will serve as a starting point to develop the future Galicia Tourism Strategy 2024-2030 that will be launched by the Xunta in collaboration with the sector. The results of this consultation with the sector were presented this morning at Fitur 2024 by the president of the Galicia Tourism Cluster, Cesáreo Pardal, during the event Galicia es agua. Galicia is future, which was closed by the president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda.
Cesáreo Pardal praised the “rapid response of the sector in such a short space of time” and described the process as “collective reflection” with broad participation of professionals and public and private entities.
The president of the Cluster highlighted the importance that the sector gives to sustainability and the care of our resources as one of the objectives of Galicia’s future tourism strategy, as well as increasing profitability and reducing seasonality.
Cesáreo Pardal also addressed another of the great challenges of the sector, professionalization and attracting talent. And in this sense, he pointed out that it is necessary to make an effort to ensure that activities linked to tourism are perceived as attractive and with possibilities for professional development. The president of the Cluster pointed out that tourism is an industry that “generates employment, that we know how to make it sustainable by relying on our own values, on authenticity, also taking advantage of its capacity for territorial rebalancing.”
The president of the Cluster recalled that Galicia is identified as a quality destination, and that this is “a joint achievement of companies and administrations”, to whom he wanted to thank the facilities for access to the different certifications that value Galician tourist products.
With the horizon of two Xacobeos years in 2027 and 2032, the head of the Tourism Cluster also wanted to refer to “our true great tourism brand” and the need to be prepared for these milestones, avoiding concentrations that would distort its attractiveness.
Diagnosis of the sector
Regarding the main conclusions of the consultation, the weight that sustainability has for the sector stands out, an element that was highlighted recurrently, both in the 20 work tables held and in the nearly 600 online surveys received. Half of those consulted agreed that Galicia has the potential to consolidate itself as a sustainable destination and that it would be necessary to influence the visibility of sustainable products, in the training and qualification of this aspect among professionals in the sector and in financing and aid formulas for adaptation in terms of sustainability.
Regarding the profitability of companies, 10% places profitability at a very high level. For the sector, the factors that most influence profitability are the costs of operations, the price and the dimension and size of the companies.
Reducing seasonality is another priority issue for Galician tourism. An objective for which actions such as the call for events of interest outside of high season are aimed; the promotion of less seasonal products; or the commitment to greater tourism diversification.