Ecuadornews: The subdelegate of the Government in Ourense, Emilio González, today stressed the extraordinary impulse of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to the modernization of the tourist destinations of the province through the projects of tourism sustainability: “It is the Government of Pedro Sánchez that promoted in the COVID crisis the figure of the Tourism Sustainability Plans and it is this Government that, with the collaboration of the other administrations, with the leadership of Minister Reyes Maroto, and with the historic opportunity of the Next Generation funds, is promoting it throughout the territory,” said the deputy delegate in Ourense during the territorial presentation of the Territorial Plan of Enogastronomy of Galicia.
Emilio González recalled that the common calls of the Tourist Sustainability Plan in Destination (PSTD) are annual and in the three editions already held five tourism sustainability plans were approved in Galicia to which the Government contributed 5.2 million euros. These common calls are added two on an extraordinary basis (2021 and 2022) and are financed with the Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. The extraordinary call for 2021 had as its thematic axis the Xacobeo and with the ERES they are to finance 13 actions of tourism sustainability in Galicia with 46 million euros of state investment.
This year 2022, the extraordinary call was resolved on December 14. In Galicia, this resolution adds 16 more actions to the previous list, with a government contribution of 34.5 million euros. The sum of the total contributions of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism results in 85.7 million euros of state funds in 34 destinations and promotes in Ourense “a new tourism model based on criteria of sustainability and quality at the highest international level,” said the subdelegate.
Today’s meeting was attended by the deputy delegate, the director Turismo de Galicia, Nava Castro; the delegate of the Xunta in Ourense, Gabriel Alén; the president of the Rural Development Group (GDR 12), Valdeorras, Mari Carmen González; the president of GDR 7, Ribeiro -Carballiño, Francisco José González; and the mayor of the City of O Carballiño, Francisco Fumega.
In this forum, the subdelegate reiterated the leading role of the local entities of Ourense in this area, they are already in charge of designing and executing most of the actions financed by the Government and that will “dynamize cities, towns and villages throughout Ourense”. In that sense, he valued that “co-governance and collaboration among all administrations is and will be vital for our province because of its uniqueness, potentiality and resources not only enogastronomical, but also patrimonial, natural and cultural.”
Details of the last call
In the extraordinary call of 2022 of the Tourist Sustainability Plans in Destination (PSTD) the province of Ourense benefits directly from three plans: “Ribeiro-O Carballiño“Valdeorras” (1.5M€), “Valdeorras, millenary wine route” (1.5M€) and “O Carballiño and the octopus gastronomy” (1M€). In addition, it is also favored by the actions of cohesion between destinations (ACD) that will be executed by the Xunta de Galicia in different locations of the community.
The execution corresponds, in the Sustainability Plans, to the local entities promoting each initiative, and in the Territorial Cohesion Actions, to the Xunta de Galicia. The Government transfers the entire budget to the Autonomous Government and this Administration is the one that, later, invests its projects to us and sends the amounts awarded to municipalities, communities, groupings or provincial deputies to develop their own.
The list of Tourist Sustainability Plans in Destination (PSTD) approved for Galicia in this call is:
- PSTD “Ribeiro-O Carballiño”. Promoted by the Ribeiro-O Carballiño Community. 1,500,000 euros. This plan has as its main objective a landscape restoration for the elimination of degraded points in places of tourist interest, with environmental management interventions in areas with flood risk. It also includes measures to improve the tourist promotion of this destination.
- PSTD “Valdeorras, millenary wine route”. Promoted by the municipalities of the Region. 1,500,000 euros. The aim is to improve the management of public use of natural spaces, with the creation of new equipment that will allow sustainable tourist use and the enhancement of the natural and cultural heritage of the region. It will intervene in Covas de Valdeorras, Pena Trevinca and in mobility between the main municipalities of the region.
- PSTD “O Carballiño and the gastronomy of the octopus”. Town Hall of O Carballiño. 1,000,000 euros. The plan focuses on the natural regeneration of the parks of the river environment and integration with the urban nucleus, as well as the rehabilitation of some infrastructure, and improvement of signage and lighting. All this thinking about an improvement of the tourist offer related to the gastronomy of the octopus.
These plans are added to 3 actions of cohesion between destinations (ACD) that will be executed by the Xunta de Galicia in different locations of the community.
- ACD “Charming accommodation in oogastronomical destinations of Galicia”. 5,500,000 euros. It focuses on the adaptation and beautification of wine tourism establishments and winery through actions of protection of tourist resources and adaptation to climate change, both of the tourist season and of the facilities and infrastructures of these establishments.
- ACD “Galicia Gastro Experience”. 3,550,000 euros. It revolves around the creation and adaptation of spaces for gastronomic laboratories, training in adaptation and reduction of climate change and organization of promotional and training days.
-ACD “A sustainable journey between vineyards: discover the 5 wine routes of Galicia by electric vehicle”. 5,850,000 euros. The performance revolves around the five wine routes of Galicia in an electric vehicle, and will launch actions related to the provision of equipment and repair stations for bicycles and electric skates and charging points. It will promote sustainable mobility with the landscape restoration of the areas where the surcharge points are created.