Santander será sede de ‘NatureWatch’ de ecoturismo
Santander will repeat this year as the venue for the national event specialized in ecotourism and nature observation ‘NatureWatch’, which will once again take place in the Cantabrian capital from May 8 to 10, focusing on the Northern Littoral area of the city and the Costa Quebrada Geopark.
This was announced by the mayor, Gema Igual, after recently meeting with Alfonso Polvorinos, one of the event organizers, coinciding with both of their presence at the International Tourism Fair FITUR.
During the meeting, which was also attended by the Tourism Councillor Fran Arias, the preparations for the event were discussed.
Igual emphasized the «intense» work carried out by the City Council to distribute tourist flow throughout the city and highlighted the importance that ecotourism represents in this strategy.
«It is a product that promotes the sustainability of the city, tourism, and the maintenance and creation of jobs associated with this activity,» she said.
Likewise, she pointed out that one of the objectives of municipal policies is to give visibility to «the distinction and uniqueness of the city», with assets such as the bay of Santander and Costa Quebrada.
This will be the second edition of the forum in Santander following the success of last year, and on this occasion, the sessions will acknowledge the deployment of actions in favor of consolidating ecotourism products in the city, especially in the Northern Littoral area, and in the Costa Quebrada Geopark, which will be ratified as a UNESCO Global Geopark this spring.
According to the City Council, in the coming weeks, the event website will be set up at the link, registrations will open, and a detailed program will be provided, including presentations and roundtable discussions related to management and best practices in other geoparks and ecotourism destinations, as well as experiences implemented in Santander.
Similar to last year, the goal is to showcase the Santander Northern Littoral territory and the entire Costa Quebrada Geopark, welcoming ecotourists who wish to explore our natural heritage and experiences linked to it, emphasizing the interpretation of the territory and its knowledge by local guides and companies.
‘NatureWatch’ 2025 will also focus on the lessons learned from other territories recognized as UNESCO Global Geoparks in Spain and their management teams and associated companies, in order to create networks for collaboration in ecotourism.
Additionally, these forums aim to establish themselves as spaces and moments of encounter between visitors from other destinations and professionals in the sector, serving as a boost to nature observation tourism, encouraging the establishment of solid foundations for regulation, entrepreneurship, and the development of natural spaces.
‘NatureWatch’ advocates for ecotourism as a catalyst for job creation and sustainable economic growth in natural areas, through environmentally friendly activities that contribute to heritage conservation, are essential for education, and promote the development of a responsible tourism model.
This event is funded through the Tourism Sustainability Plan of Santander ‘Northern Littoral-Costa Quebrada’, within its ‘Organization of ecotourism congresses and meetings’ action, with funding from the European Union-NextGenerationEU and PRTR.
