A project to promote local brands, stores and products in the Basque Country
Responsible tourism is, by now, a pretty wide-spread concept – maybe not necessarily in practice, but governments, the tourism industry and even individuals are increasingly aware of the importance of sustainable and responsible tourism.
On the other hand, responsible consumerism is also a concept that is gaining ground – again, we may still have a ways to go in practice, but in theory, the idea is out there.
Well now, the Department of Tourism, Trade and Consumer Affairs of the Basque Government has fused these two concepts and developed a Responsible Shopping Tourism project. Presented during Tourism Week in July 2019, this project was recently the subject of a memorandum signed by the department and the World Tourist Organization. According to Minister Sonia Pérez Ezquerra, this is a “pioneer program that links the potential of local Basque commerce to a sustainable tourism development,” adapting the traditional concept of shopping tourism to the need to manage tourist destinations responsibly.
The project will have various stages, but for now, the Basque Department of Tourism, Trade and Consumer Affairs has identified agents in the Basque fashion sector, retail, gastro retail, and the sector of artisanship, as well as unique products to be offered in promoted touristic circuits.
Read the sourced Spanish-language article here.