Clúster Turismo de Galicia

They will receive the corresponding awards as National Ambassador, International Ambassador and Pioneers.

The Executive Council of the Galician Tourism Cluster and the Xunta de Galicia decided to grant the three honorary recognitions of the Galician Tourism Awards in its first edition to Luz Casal, who will receive the award as National Ambassador 2019; Hong-jo Chun, ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Spain, who will receive the International Ambassador award to his country; and the hoteliers Ramón and Francisco Vilas, recognized as Pioneers.

According to the decision, the singer Luz Casal represents the feeling of pride for the land which, together with her solid and recognized artistic career and the organization of the Festival of Light in Boimorto, makes her worthy of this award for her notable contribution to the dissemination of the brand Galicia throughout the country and the promotion of sustainable tourism, responsible and respectful of the environment and people.

Despite the more than 10,000 kilometres that separate Seoul from the Galician capital, Galicia has seen the number of South Koreans on the Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago grow from year to year, more than 5,000 last year, making our territory a highly recognised and valued tourist destination in the Republic of Korea. As ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Spain, Hong-jo Chun stands out for his contribution to the diffusion of Galicia as a tourist destination.

Finally, the organizers of these awards also want to recognize in this first edition of the awards the work that the Vilas family, and more specifically the brothers Moncho and Paco Vilas, did to consolidate the reputation of a restaurant, Casa Vilas, which became a reference in Galicia in the world and for more than a century, welcoming within its walls of Casa Vilas and Annex Vilas to the most prominent figures of Spanish and international society.

Figure of Jose María Mayer
These awards, a representation of the Ara Solis de Fisterra work of artisan Jose Maria Mayer Segade, and made with the collaboration of Artesanía de Galicia, will be delivered along with the other six correspondents to the categories Scenario, Avant-garde, Heritage, Promotion, Event and Sustainability, on 3 December in a ceremony to be held at the Teatro Rosalía de Castro in A Coruña.