CaixaBank

The awards celebrate this year a special edition that recognizes the best social and innovative initiatives that the sector has launched during 2020 to adapt to the crisis derived from COVID-19

The Galician Tourism Cluster has been the winner in the “Institutional” category of the regional phase of the third edition of the CaixaBank Hotels & Tourism awards, which this year they celebrate and recognize the best social and innovative initiatives that the sector has launched during 2020 to adapt to the crisis derived from COVID-19.

After analyzing the characteristics of the different projects and initiatives presented, three companies or entities from the tourism and hotel sector were selected from the four communities that comprise the North Territorial Directorate of CaixaBank: Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country. These three finalists have launched over the last few months the best initiatives in the categories that comprise the awards: “Social”, “Innovation” and “Institutional”.

The Galician Tourism Cluster has been recognized within this last category thanks to the initiatives promoted in defense of the interests and needs of its group. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the management of sanitary restrictions forced the cluster to undertake an active campaign in which it mediated and coordinated, together with the Galician administrations, various proposals to reactivate tourism activity.

The other winners were the Gran Hotel Lakua de Vitoria in the “Social” category and the Hotel Palacio de Avilés in the “Innovation” section.

The president of the Galicia Tourism Cluster, Cesáreo Pardal, thanked this recognition, “especially because it comes at a difficult time for a sector that has required many sacrifices.” Cesáreo Pardal pointed out that, despite the drastic declines in activity caused by the pandemic, the Cluster “has worked tirelessly in the search for solutions.” In this sense, he recalled the launch of initiatives such as Tourism 100 x100, to make consulting services available to the sector to face the situation created by the pandemic. He also cited the tourist vouchers We are in Galicia that the Xunta de Galicia launched at the initiative of the Cluster. He also referred to the role of intermediation of the Cluster before the Administrations for the achievement of compensation for the dismissals and decreases of activity. Finally, he pointed out that work has also been done to identify the new scenarios and in the preparation of the post-covid recovery, with actions such as the preparation of the Galicia Safe Destination Master Plan, together with the Xunta de Galicia and Galician universities.