On 21 February, all municipal staff were convened to be informed about the Municipal Tourism Sustainability Plan, which is being prepared with the aim of applying for the rounds of funding that will be announced for this type of project.
The session, which saw almost total participation from public employees and some others who, while belonging to joint municipalities (mancomunidades), also carry out tasks in the municipality, began with the Mayor’s statements about the importance of this plan as a continuation of all the work carried out within the framework of the Ecoparque de Trasmiera and in the planning area following the approval of the PGOU and its ratification by the courts of justice, which has created a framework of legal certainty that will make it possible to deploy with complete effectiveness the projects that the Plan, which will ultimately be approved, will include. The Mayor also commented that the participation of municipal staff was fundamental, to improve the final result of the current draft plan, and to work both on its submission to European funding schemes and on its subsequent management once those funding schemes are approved.
Next, the Director of Planning gave an introductory presentation in which he provided a brief overview of the structure and objectives of the Plan, entitled “Ecoparque 3.0-Territorio Vitamina”, and which has four lines of action:
The line of action in the area of the Green and sustainable transition includes environmental restoration activities, management of natural spaces, actions to implement the circular economy, and municipal commitment in the fight against climate change. The Ecoparque de Trasmiera, the first strategic plan focused on sustainability, already has 20 years of experience and requires new impetus and updating, with the construction of the Environmental and Social Centre as the new facility that will be used to train, raise awareness, innovate and manage the municipality’s cultural and natural heritage.
Secondly, the Energy efficiency line of action” proposes three areas for action, “an energy-efficient municipality” through the renewal of all public facilities with low-consumption systems, a “zero carbon footprint municipality” with various projects aimed at a determined roll-out of cycling and electric mobility, and finally “a healthy municipality” with the intention of building an environment that supports physical and mental health and its membership of the Healthy Cities Network.
The third Digital Transition line of action proposes the integration of new technologies to make it easier for visitors to access tourism services, better connectivity for residents and visitors, the implementation of an intelligent system to manage flows and crowd capacities, and the stimulation of the tourism sector so that local business owners move in the same direction of facilitating information, access and the contracting of services. All of this as a tool that facilitates and improves the tourism experience, but without abandoning the human approach and personalisation that has been worked on for years.
The last of the lines of action is “Competitiveness”, which includes projects aimed at the creation of facilities, beautifying our public-use spaces, and improving the range of offers and tourism products. We want to move towards a broad range of experiential offerings, and to generate a “VITAMINA” territory in which leisure, culture, nature and health enable the full recovery of people. The project “La Casa de Baños” stands out, using the medicinal mineral waters of Bocarrero, along with the R&D projects for reusing local waste such as algae or the shells of crustaceans. In addition to a set of projects that expand on the experiential and impact proposals, mechanisms for ongoing participation will also be put in place through the Tourism Sectoral Board for governance and public-private collaboration in implementing the projects.
Participation around the Tourism Sustainability Plan will continue throughout the month of March, during which all participants will receive the preliminary draft in pdf format and social participation channels will remain open to complete a process that is intended to achieve a high level of social consensus, as the Ecoparque de Trasmiera did at the time.