Activities

The Galicia Tourism Cluster began its participation in FITUR with the presentation of this initiative, which was launched last July to bring together Galicia’s sustainable tourism offer.

This is the first presentation by the Cluster, which on Friday commemorates its 10th anniversary with another event at the Galicia stand at this 43rd edition of the Fair.

Madrid, 18 January 2023. The Galicia Destino Sostible Club already offers more than 150 products from the more than 70 companies that are members of the initiative, including accommodation, restaurants, travel agencies and complementary tourism providers. These figures were highlighted this morning in Madrid by both the president of the Galicia Tourism Cluster, Cesáreo Pardal, and the director of Galicia Tourism, Nava Castro, during the presentation of the Club at the 43rd edition of the International Tourism Fair FITUR.

The Product Club was launched last July, as part of the collaboration between the Cluster and the Galicia Tourism Agency, to promote sustainable tourism in the region and make the destination a benchmark in this field at national and international level. With the creation of the Club, a programme of 312,000 euros in aid was set up to compensate for the efforts made so far in this area and to encourage companies to create new sustainable tourism products.

The new Galicia Destino Sostible club was born with the vocation of acting as a hub that integrates the entire sustainable tourism offer of the autonomous community. Through its website www.galiciadestinosostible.com it connects tourists and companies, facilitating access to the entire sustainable tourism offer in Galicia and acting as a guarantee, not only of sustainability, but also of quality. On the portal you can find everything from routes by bicycle, boat or on foot, to packages that combine elements such as gastronomy, accommodation, enoculture, sport and adventure, as well as unique getaways and astro-tourism.

The president of the Galicia Tourism Cluster, Cesáreo Pardal, stressed during the presentation at FITUR that “we are laying the foundations to consolidate the image of Galicia as a tourist destination that works towards sustainability, where cooperation between the Administration and the sector translates into new forms of tourism that provide unique experiences and maintain our commitment and social responsibility to our land.

For her part, the director of Tourism of Galicia, Nava Castro, pointed out that “we live in a society that is increasingly aware of the environment, but also from an economic and social perspective”. And she added that “tourists looking for this type of committed tourism will choose us”.

The Product Club is still open to the incorporation of any Galician company belonging to the subsectors categorised as accommodation, restaurants, travel agencies and complementary tourism providers that meet the requirements. Companies that already have an official sustainability certification (S of the ICTE, Biosphere, Green Key, Eu Ecolabel, Green Globe21, Travellife, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Estrella Verde da Guía MICHELIN, etc.) or an environmental certification (ISO 14000, EMAS, etc.) can join the club directly, as these are considered qualifying requirements. Companies that do not have any of these certifications may also join the club as long as they comply with 100% of the mandatory requirements and at least 33% of those considered assessable.

Galicia Destino Sostible will help the Galician tourism sector to move towards a new tourism model more aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda and to value its commitment to Galicia, promoting the social and economic development of the region and respecting and encouraging the culture and tradition of the area and its people; its commitment to the environment, protecting the biodiversity of the territory, combating climate change and minimising the impact of its activity; and its commitment to good governance, adopting good practices that guarantee inclusion, transparency and competitiveness in companies.