The Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, has chaired the meeting of the Spanish Tourism Council (CONESTUR) held within the framework of the International Tourism Fair (Fitur), where she has detailed the roadmap for the elaboration of the Sustainable Tourism Strategy of Spain.
During her speech, the minister stressed that a participatory process is being launched in which the sector and the autonomous communities are involved. "This is a national agenda that will be agreed with all public and private actors to face the challenges of the tourism sector in the medium and long term, promoting the double green and digital transition and betting on social and territorial cohesion," he said.
For Maroto, "the tourism industry faces new challenges that require a new, updated vision adapted to the new formulas that allow our sector to increase its profitability, improve the quality of employment and maintain the position of world leadership", he concluded.
The Sustainable Tourism Strategy, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, has a broad consensus of the tourism ecosystem and its general objective is to guide the evolution of the Spanish tourism model towards the future, laying the foundations for the adaptation of the tourism model to sustained and sustainable growth based on the following principles: socio-economic growth; preservation of natural and cultural values; social benefit; participation and governance; permanent adaptation and leadership.
The work will be carried out until the approval of the Strategy in March 2022. Under the initiative of the Secretary of State for Tourism, the working groups will be coordinated with broad public and private participation within the Spanish Tourism Council for each one of the objectives.
Sustainability plans
During the meeting, the Minister of Tourism expressed her satisfaction with the success of the ordinary call for the Tourism Sustainability Plans for 2021. In total, 272 applications have been submitted, 118 more than the previous one, which shows, in the words of the Minister, "the enormous interest that these plans have aroused and how, from the cooperation between the administrations, these projects and their investment are being decisive in the consolidation of a sustainable and quality tourism model".
The deadline for submitting proposals for this second ordinary edition ended on May 14 and all the Autonomous Communities, Ceuta and Melilla, except Catalonia, have participated.
The Secretary of State for Tourism allocates 23 million euros to this edition, which, once again, will be co-financed by the Autonomous Communities and local entities whose projects are selected.
