Spain Sustainable Tourism – The Parson’s Egg?
Monday, 17 Nov, 2009
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Juan Luis and Belem at Casa de Diaz
Good in parts …Or why the Camino de Santiago could deliver tourism benefits for another thousand years, even though sustainable tourism destination marketing, delivery and training is rubbish.
I met Dolores Ordonez earlier this year at the Gothenburg Tourism Symposium. She was so enthusiastic about sustainable tourism in Majorca (see www.travelmole.tv/watch_vdo.php), I followed up with an interview with Spanish General Director of Tourism, Antonio Bernabe Garcia. The ministry official confirmed that Spain had granted an extra 500m Euros for sustainable tourism development (see www.travelmole.tv/watch_vdo.php)
Why not find out for myself, I thought?
The world-famous Camino de Santiago en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_St._James#A_major_Christian_pilgrimage_route
is a gift from God for sustainable tourism in Spain. Nothing could be more sustainable or could deliver direct local benefits than a good pilgrimage, and the Camino is in the world’s top 10. Nowhere other than Jerusalem and Rome have more credibility in Christendom, and only the Hadj actually delivers more pilgrims. Routes of up to 1200km stretch out like a spider’s web from Santiago de Compostela bringing pilgrims and their spend in from all over Europe. From Poland to Portugal, they walk, bike, or drive to Santiago to get their Compostela (certificate of accomplishment). Hotels, shops, restaurants, guides benefit all along the routes and in Santiago itself.
Earliest records date the beginnings of the route to the 8th century, so that’s over 1,000 years of almost uninterrupted tourism. Although there have been times when the route has lost popularity now isn’t one of them. Last year, over 150,000 pilgrims were recorded. Next year is a year of Xacobeo SEEblog.xacobeo.es/about-xacobeo-2010/ (happens every time 25th July – St James Day – falls on a Sunday) so it’s a big festival year and a big increase again. Added to which the Vatican has announced its own programme of inclusive pilgrimages to Santiago. The future for the Camino could hardly be more rosy.
My first stop, naturally, the Spanish Tourist Office in London. Although the staff were charming, polite and very happy to try to get something organised, the words “Sustainable Tourism” simply produced a nice smile and no actual hard information.
Anyway, they did organise the trip with the Galician Tourist Board. Standard middle-aged fare was booked. Small hotels on a dinner bed and breakfast basis, bags moved from hotel to hotel every night. Not the heavy duty mass participant Camino, but one organised for a less demanding taster.
The hotel we booked for the first night in Madrid was excellent – Chic and Basic Mayerling (www.chicandbasic.com/eng/hotel-mayerling-madrid/) described it perfectly. By the time we got there, though, we were in desperate need of a large helping of hospitality – my companion had been pick-pocketed on the metro and had lost the lot. The hotel couldn’t have been more helpful, thoughtful and kind.
And the Madrid police were equally helpful. They rang within an hour to say that the (empty) purse had been found. All this meant we missed the train to Sarria, the starting point for our walk. Never mind, after some 51 telephone calls and a dozen pieces of misinformation, another route had been identified, phew.
Why so many calls and so much misinformation? Because, apparently there isn’t one Spanish tourism information point in the country’s capital city, but one for each autonomous community – over 16 of them! So, try organising a trip by rail from Madrid to Leon (Leon) and then by coach to Lugo (Galicia). Seems simple? 51 calls later not so simple.
Although the bus time information was incorrect, the arrival at Casa de Diaz (www.casadediaz.com) was as fortuitous and as hospitable as it could be. The hotel was fabulous, quirky and welcoming to the extreme with a meal being specially cooked for two at 11pm, with an accompanying commentary by Juan Luis Lopez Diaz – the owner, prompted by his chef, waitress, pa, chambermaid – Belem. See pic.
Hands-on hosting continued the following day with a Juan Luis & Belem personally escorted trip to Samos monastery (www.galiciaguide.com/Samos.html) with special VIP guiding from the busy, genial Nokia-toting Abbot, Father Jose Luis and his committed knowledgeable young assistant, Mar Vasquez.
We got all we needed to know about sustainable tourism, history, Benedictines and the Camino in an enthusiasm-packed hour. Samos is a major staging point on the pilgrimage, offering true hospitality, board and lodge to as many as want it (up to 200 a night in clean mixed dormitories). Efficiently, kindly and non-judgementally.
After lunch, the walk, stunning scenery, chestnut and mushroom laden woods, and the rain, started – to certainly the worst night stop on the route – O Foilebar. Place to dry wet clothes? No. Nice hot bath or shower? No. Good dinner? No. More depressing rain? Yes.
So, a sad, wet start to the day ensued and another long walk in the rain (it’s always long when it’s raining). To a superb Casa Rectoral (www.casa-rectoral-lestedo.com/) owned and run by vet Cesar Ouro and his wife Marisa who certainly knew their meat and greet! Thoughtfully-designed renovation, warm and comfortable with every attention to sustainability, best bathroom ever. Great dinner of local chicken, delicious rice, baked apple and lots of information, followed by the best breakfast of Iberico ham, pressed orange juice, local bread, jam and cheese, great coffee.
Long trog in more rain to a posh granite historic mansion with a massive stone staircase near Castanedo; Pazo de Sedor (www.pazodesedor.com/) – quality room, quality food, beautiful interior.
Another rainy walk to O Muino de Pena (www.omuinodepena.com) possibly the star of our Camino, Javier Rey had two distinct advantages, training in top hotels and good command of English. The quirky hotel is a watermill so can supply its own power and is very sustainably managed.
See interview Javier and his hotel: www.travelmole.tv/watch_vdo.php
The long walk to Santiago was well worth it. Magnificent city, (www.santiagoturismo.com/), fabulous Cathedral, superb hotel – Costa Vella (www.costavella.com/). AND the sun came out. It’s very infrequent that one stays in a truly remarkable hotel. If so this is it – listen to Jose Antonio Linares and see the future of tourism: www.travelmole.tv/watch_vdo.php
The Camino de Santiago is a truly enormous opportunity for Spain’s sustainable tourism. It offers the sort of tourism that is now much in demand. The pilgrimage can deliver health in many forms to its participants – spiritual, physical and mental included. It can change the way tourists look at their environmental, cultural and social background. Key issues are the blend of faiths (or none) using the trail, and cultural interaction for singles, couples and families of all ages and social classes, religions, complexions, countries and tongues. Even single women feel safe and protected.
And tourist trails and pilgrimages are established, and very sustainable, tourism concepts. At their best, they offer trail tourism providers a cohesive product, co-operative marketing, training and marketing development. They can increase duration of stay and spread tourism income. They can offer real rural economic development opportunities. Or not. Essentially it’s down to people, training and motivation.
The people and the product we met, saw and used were like the Parson’s Egg – good in parts, but when they were good they were very, very good.
The stars of the show were Juan Luis & Belem offering heartfelt hospitality, Fr Jose Luis and Mar Vasquez at Samos who offer the complete sustainable tourism package, and the small hoteliers delivering their dream for your consumption. In particular Jose Antonio Linares in Santiago who will go a very long way indeed.
All this is let down by training. For example – the fact is that it rains a lot in Galicia and people walk the trail. Why no drying facilities for wet clothes? These issues sort out the sheep from the lambs – in Santiago the CostaVella has its own umbrellas printed with its logo.
The more important negative is marketing. The trail we took ‘Bono Iacobus’ is managed by Turgalicia (www.turgalicia.es) and operated by Viajes Viloria, a big local agency. Who knows how they do their costings but from my investigations hotels get paid about 60-70 Euros/room a night and Viloria charge up to 800 Euros for two people for 5 nights. OK bags need to be transported, but nonetheless a 100% +mark up is hardly a good example of a private/public partnership. The Bono Iacobus would be infinitely better served by a co-operative of the participating hotels, they could certainly accumulate sufficient money and expertise to get their Bono directly marketed on the web. At all of the trail hotels, we were the only clients. Very sad.
Spain really needs to brush up its sustainable act. The country has a wonderful tourism product that can deliver great benefits to all. They certainly understand this at the top level of government and in big time mass tourism destinations. Spain is a tourism economy, after all – it should understand.
But sustainability has not yet become understood throughout the system, particularly at the destination marketing and the delivery level.
The Camino will carry on delivering its message and go from strength to strength, but so far the talk about ‘Green Spain’ refers to the colour of the countryside rather than the tourism economy.
Valere Tjolle
Valere
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