Nicanor Sen endorses the enormous potential of Castile and Leon as a tourist destination and maintains that inland tourism is a fundamental pillar for the national strategy

• The Government delegate in Castilla y León visits the different exhibition stands of Castilla y León in FITUR and recalls that the Government is aware of the great potential of inland and rural tourism, with a clear commitment to its growth through seasonalization, professionalization and the generation of quality employment • “It is necessary that the Government and regional administration work hand in hand to maintain and strengthen the position of leadership of Castilla y León in inland tourism and continue to improve prospects”

January 25, 2024.- The Government delegate in Castilla y León, Nicanor Sen, has highlighted the Spanish Government's commitment to inland tourism and the importance of continuing to work for quality, sustainability and excellence in this strategic sector for the Community and for the Government's agenda.

It has done so within the framework of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR), the largest tourist showcase in the world, which is held in Madrid until January 27, and where Sen has made a tour of the various stands of Castilla y León, “a territory rich in tourist resources”.

An ideal place, he continued, “where to enjoy culture, history, gastronomy and nature at any time of the year”.

“For the Government of Spain tourism is not only synonymous with sun and beach, but is aware that there is enormous potential in inland tourism, a key sector in the economic development of Castilla y León,” said Sen, who has maintained that inland tourism is a “fundamental” pillar in the national tourism strategy.

In this regard, he recalled that the objective of the Ministry is to promote the growth of domestic tourism through the seasonalization of the offer, the generation of quality employment and the professionalization of the sector.

A commitment that he was able to confirm during his meeting with the Minister of Tourism, Jordi Hereu, and the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosana Morillo, in the framework of the celebration of the round table ‘Experiences Tourism of Spain’ in the tent of Turespaña.

This is demonstrated by the Tourism Sustainability Plans program that seeks to revitalize and organize interior tourist destinations in rural areas with cultural heritage or in protected areas, and which has mobilized in the last three years 123 million euros for the development of 50 projects in Castilla y León.

Sen also wanted to remember that at the Tourism Sector Conference last December, the allocation of 183 million euros of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan was agreed, of which more than 14 million have been allocated to Castilla y León for plans of social sustainability, energy efficiency and training in digital skills of the tourism sector.

WORK TOGETHER

In this regard, Sen has urged the regional administration to continue working together to, among all, “maintain and strengthen the leading position of Castilla y León in domestic tourism and improve prospects and figures, because it is a sector that has great capacity for growth”.

During his visit, the government delegate recalled that Castile and Leon is presented as a territory that combines the cultural and gastronomic attractiveness of its cities and its heritage with the multitude of natural resources of its rural environment, “which makes it a first-class interior destination, offering visitors a unique and unforgettable experience.”

At this point, he mentioned the network of 15 paradores deployed in Castilla y León, “buildings that breathe culture and that are one of the main cultural and historical claims of the Community”. Added to this is “the wide gastronomic and oenological offer, as well as its natural landscapes full of contrasts, which are enriched by a diverse and splendid rural environment”.

Especially important, said Sen, are those natural resources of the Community, “since it must be remembered that 26% of its surface has declarations of special protection and national and international recognition, with attractions such as the Picos de Europa, the first space declared National Park, or the ten Biosphere Reserves.

“Fitur is more than a tourism fair, it is a meeting point and a unique platform for the responsible promotion of our tourism resources and, here, Castilla y León will have a great opportunity to demonstrate its great potential,” concluded Sen.

VISITS

Throughout the day, the government delegate in Castilla y León plans to support the promotion of the tourist plan of León, Ávila or Palencia, among others, as well as the presentation of the candidacy of Burgos to the European City of Culture or the tasting promoted by Bodegas Matarromera, Food of Spain Award for Innovation 2023.

Likewise, Sen has visited and will visit different stands such as the Most Beautiful Towns in Spain, a distinction that has more than twenty locations in Castilla y León, as well as the different exhibitors of agencies of the General Administration of the State, such as Renfe, Adif, Paradores, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food or Turespaña.