The ten public entities from the regions of the countries that make up the European Atlantic Area (Ireland, France, Portugal and Spain) that have joined forces to create the new European sustainable tourism project, POST, have kicked off this initiative with a first working meeting held in the city of Ourense, in Galicia. At this meeting, the partners of the project funded by the Interreg Atlantic Area programme focused on identifying and developing new strategic concepts of sustainable tourism to favour territorial cohesion and promote the creation of new tourism products. The aim is to counteract the negative consequences of mass tourism and promote sustainable practices and experiences, redirecting tourist flows to different areas of the territory. The meeting was chaired by the president of INORDE and provincial deputy, Rosendo Fernández, and by the general secretary of the Eixo Atlántico, Xoán Vázquez Mao; since these two entities are the ones that lead and promote the project. The link between the municipal entities and universities of the Northern Region of Portugal, the Community of Galicia in Spain, Aquitaine, Brittany and Normandy in France and the South of Ireland is that they represent regions with a tertiary economy, with a special importance for tourism, and with great heritage and natural appeal.

Polycentric tourism

The POST project identifies and develops the concepts of signature tourism and polycentric tourism, with the aim of generating excellent tourism products that have the capacity to capture a booming tourist market and, in addition, redistribute the influx and expenditure of tourists among many more towns, boosting consumption and benefits for local entities. The initiative, co-financed by Interreg Atlantic Area, generated interest in the tourism department of the European Commission. Therefore, the institution has already declared that it will monitor the evolution of the project, which implies that its progress is likely to inspire future European policies on tourism.

A project funded by European funds

POST has a total budget of €1,547,964.45 to develop its actions over four years, with 75% co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund, through the Interreg Atlantic Area programme. The Atlantic Area programme promotes the development of coastal regions and their area of ​​influence, boosting territorial cohesion. As explained at the meeting, tourism has the capacity to transform the resources of the territory and promote sustainable economic activity, while avoiding pressure on the territory and the deterioration of heritage.

Comunicación INORDE