Basquetour’s main objectives are to deseasonalize and decongest tourism, that is to say, to expand it throughout the year and throughout the territory. They also want to commit themselves to attracting international visitors.
AAE | EITB media
Tourism is having a great moment in Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. The number of visitors coming to our country started to increase after the coronavirus pandemic and continues the same trend. The latest official data is from July. In the In the first seven months of the year we received 2.5 million travelers11.3% more than in the same period of the previous year.
However, this increase is is “moderate”, emphasizes Daniel Solana, director of Basquetour. According to him, there is still room to grow, but ‘not to grow for the sake of growing, in any way whatsoever’. The entity that promotes tourism in Euskadi is committed to: “sustainable, with ethical and responsible values” tourism.
In this sense, one of Basquetour’s objectives is seasonal reduction, said Solana. They try to attract tourists all year round, not so much in the summer. This work is paying off first: although we have had many visitors in the summer, they have been fewer than last year and the growth of tourism has been more noticeable during the spring months.
Another objective is the decongestion, especially from the capitals and some points on the Basque coast. The intention of the institution is that tourists also visit the inner corners. Solana believes that “we have sufficient supply for this” based on “wine tourism, ecotourism, gastronomy…”.
In fact, the arrival of tourists to the inland valleys and towns is more noticeable this year than in previous years. For example, at the Tolosa tourist office, this increase was especially noticeable between May and July, in the words of the manager, Olatz Ilarregi.
Many of the visitors who come to Tolosaldea stay overnight in the valley. However, the majority come to spend the day on an excursion. A lot of of them, especially foreigners, They come to Tolosa, attracted by its gastronomy: to eat at their grills and restaurants, visit the chocolate museum or see the fairs they organize throughout the year. But there are also people who get to know their roots, the house of their ancestors, or make a special purchase.
Origin
Currently, the majority of tourists we welcome to Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa come from Spain. However, the number of foreigners has increased significantly in recent months 19% from January to July. France is the main market for foreigners (10% of tourists) with increasing numbers of tourists coming from Germany (3.7%), the United States (4.10%), the United Kingdom (3.6%) and Asia to land.
According to the director of Basquetour, the tourism of foreigners is “quality tourism”, because of the expenditure they make on gastronomy and shopping. For this reason, a special effort is being made to attract them and for this purpose special campaigns are being carried out in Korea, China and Latin America.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
