The City of Culture hosted the celebration of the General Assembly of the Galician Tourism Cluster, the annual meeting that this entity holds with its members and which served to take stock of both the actions of last year and to present and ratify the proposed budget and actions for 2018. After the intervention of the technical secretariat and the president of the CTG, Francisco González, the highest body of the CTG endorsed the decisions taken by the Executive Council, approving all the items on the agenda.
Thus, the modification of the Statutes of the CTG and of the Internal Regulations of the CTG was approved, which is due to an internal readjustment of an adaptation to the needs of operation, which requires a more agile response for the increasing number of actions carried out by this entity. The Assembly thus ratified the changes previously approved by the Executive Council and which will be in force within 3 months.
The General Assembly also served to ratify the accession of new members, this time were Muxía Natural Rural Tourism Association, Asociación Vanconguía, Asociación Profesional de Turismo Rural CAMPOEMAR, Asociación Gallega de Ferias y Eventos (AGAFE), Asociación Empresarios Camiño de Santiago a Fisterra e Muxía (SOLPOR) and Viajes Abramar, S.A. that are incorporated as full members, which allows the Tourism Cluster of Galicia to add a total of 64 associated entities and group together more than 7,000 companies.
Budget 2018
The Assembly also approved both the report of actions for 2017 and the proposal for 2018, whose budget amounts to just over 880,000 euros. Of this amount, the largest amount is earmarked for the promotion and marketing of Galicia as a tourist destination, with half a million euros, and which is committed to actions aimed at improving the marketing of tourism products in Galicia, especially those that affect the low season (October to April), publications and promotional material specific support for the promotion and dissemination of tourism resources, organization and participation in fairs, conferences, exhibitions, technical conferences, meetings and seminars of a tourist nature as well as online marketing projects and advertising campaigns or fam and press trips.
The approved budget is also completed with an agreement for the creation of a tourist product for the amount of 95 thousand euros and the continuation of the agreements signed in previous years with the Xunta de Galicia for the promotion of the Q for Quality, the training of managers and the promotion of associationism, as well as an agreement signed with the Diputación de Pontevedra for the implementation of a professional day aimed at the Galician tourism sector.
Eight marketing projects
Within the framework of this year’s actions, the Cluster Tourism of Galicia will also carry out the projects for the promotion of Destination Galicia approved on the basis of the proposals made by the CTG members at the beginning of the year within the framework of the Ideas Competition. In total, 8 projects will be carried out for a total amount of € 205,543.95, which must be completed before 1 November this year.
Among the projects approved are some that have been underway for two years, such as the promotion of the complementary offer of Rural Tourism, the Galicia MICE, Galicia Active Destination or the promotion of the brand Enoturismo Galicia. Others started last year as the Galicia Friendly and Galicia Family Destination while others are newly created, such as the Golf & Wellness and Health Tourism and Medical, both directly linked to thermalism and health care through sport and diet.
Balance sheet 2017
Finally, the president of the Cluster Tourism of Galicia thanked the support given by the associates and highlighted the great number of activities carried out during the last year. “There have been hundreds of meetings, participation in conferences, project support and participation in workshops, fairs and events of all kinds, thousands of hours and kilometers to continue betting on this entity, its consolidation and its future,” said the president of CTG, Francisco Gonzalez.