In the Canary Islands, a destination that knows very well how to attract tourists, the big celebrations take place in the spring and summer months. All except the Almond Blossom Festival in Tejeda, in Gran Canaria. East town of only 1,865 inhabitants It is filled with rhythms and color every February, coinciding with the flowering of its almond trees, a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest that has been celebrated since 1970.
But the almond trees are just an excuse to talk to the traveler through the territory: a proclamation, a tasting of local products or the parrandas that take to the streets contribute greater authenticity to the proposal thanks to the neighborhood associations, the entrepreneur, the craftsman, the people of that town, yours, which has so much in its favor.
Bridgedey.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN SPAIN: RECOGNIZING THE BEAUTY OF A TERRITORY
The Asociation The most beautiful towns in Spain was born in 2011 as tool based on the French model 'Les Plus Beaux Villages de France' , focused on promoting, disseminating and preserving heritage in areas with less industrialization and population. Currently, the association adds 105 villages in their initiative, among them the mentioned example of Tejeda, but also many other localities that have listened to their heritage to lay new paths to the future.
There we have the dramatized parade, the juggling and poetry recitals of Grazalema, in Cadiz , followed by a photocall at the viewpoint of rocks while the candles illuminate the historic center. EITHER The romantic night , an event that takes place during the summer solstice and in a synchronized way with all the municipalities of the association and another 300 towns of France, Italy or Japan to celebrate a sentiment as universal as love through videos of couples dancing a waltz in the square of each town.
Grazalema, the perfect white town.
“Each place must attract the traveler from the authentic values of its municipality ”, they tell from The most beautiful towns in Spain to Condé Nast Traveler. “A people must look at its surroundings to know your strengths personalize the tourist offer and carry out studies of your data to adjust the proposals to tourism. It is important to analyze that value setting from the town hall."
Currently, requirements to join of The Most Beautiful Towns in Spain include, among others, a population of less than 15,000 inhabitants and a certain patrimony subject to an audit that assesses aspects such as the conservation or the group's quality charter.
DAVID MÁRMOL: THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING TO THE “TOWN CRAZY”
“This person is crazy” is a phrase that resonates behind the curtains and blinds of some towns when a enterprising person offers a different idea. As we have seen on many occasions, the ideas of an entrepreneur can provide a broader perspective of tourism experiences and learning ability in a remote village. But above all, it helps to pose questions to a potential destination.
Mas El Mir, Girona.
“What tourist capacity does the town have? From what basis do we start? Does the locality have experience, tourist records and companies? These are some of the many questions that must be taken into account from the point of view of supply”, he tells us the tourism consultant david marble . “Regarding the point of view of the demand , it is necessary to ask about the type of travelers who may be interested and, if we talk about rural tourism, about the tendencies that are identified with the ecotourism, agritourism, cultural or gastronomic tourism. All of this contributes to generating local wealth and maintaining life in the villages.”
For David, an example of this typology can be found in the potential of small towns with Michelin star restaurants like Garena, in Dima (Vizcaya); either Lera, in Castroverde de Campos (Zamora).
Luis Alberto Lera, from the Lera restaurant (Castroverde de Campos, Zamora).
David also mentions as an essential requirement value the role of technology in this projection through a website and a social media strategy: "technology is one of the keys to the viability of tourism projects , whether at an institutional or private level”, he adds. “The technological possibilities cover the entire chain of customer experience, from inspiration and trip planning to reservations, experiences and post-experiences.”
As an example, David points to the case of the Meson Despeñaperros in Santa Elena (Jaen) , a benchmark in digital transformation by generating 40% of bookings in 5 years and 60% of billing in the town. "And all this thanks to technology, but without forgetting the essence of people," he clarifies.
Shelter in Plaza Balmis, Alicante.
ULA: THE DISSEMINATION OF A HERITAGE THROUGH TOURIST GUIDES
Mª Eulalia Jiménez Noguera, better known among her travelers as wow , she has a group on Facebook called In Alicante there is nothing. Under this ironic name, Ula is in charge of challenge the visitor to show you that they can exist as many heritages as thematic routes when it comes to (re)discovering a destination. Reasons are never lacking: an old cistern, an Arab settlement or a route related to Civil War bomb shelters. Every place in the world has a story and needs professionals that they know how to transmit it.
“The tourist guide can be limited to being a mere transmitter of data, possibly extracted from a web page, or bet on becoming a mediator between the history of a place and the public ”, Ula tells Condé Nast Traveler. “In a tourist visit, the information, the date, the anecdote have to come to life, body. They have to be as tangible as the place where the tourist is at that moment. Achieving this type of "immersion" provides the visitor with an added value, the most important in the long term and n any such experience: creating memories.”
Crafts as a resource to attract the interest of travelers.
However, immersing the tourist in the heritage of a destination may be just the beginning. Tour guides not only spread the value of a territory , but become link to other typical services always, yes, that there is no economic interest involved (the typical commissions), as Ula points out: “ crafts and gastronomy are very important elements of any tourist destination and it is necessary that the guide knows how to guide the visitor, either on his own or by organizing workshops in collaboration with local artisans or tastings of typical products. In this way we get expand the range of collaborators to promote the local economy and, therefore, its brand”.
Ula moves around the Valencian Community and the Murcia Region offering visits of all kinds, although it stands out two recent examples of development, how to attract tourists: that of the towns of Orihuela (Alicante) whose city council decided to invest during the pandemic in its guides as guides for a limited tourism due to sanitary restrictions; and especially Sheet (Murcia) , the hometown of his mother.
Courtyard of the house of Miguel Hernández, in Orihuela.
“Beyond the natural landscapes, nature trails and visits to places like the Sima de la Higuera has been committed to maintaining the memory of such an important activity in the history of the region as it is olive cultivation and the processing of olives. In addition, they have added the enhancement of a historic mill, now converted into a small but very interesting museum with free access.”
Maybe the first step is look around us to discover that there is always an activity, a vessel, an entrepreneur, a crop, an almond tree to contemplate, to listen to. Only from then do we recognize the identity of a territory and can guide it towards its growth and, surely, to future bloom.