What will be the Post Coronavirus scenario? Is there a return to “what was before”? We could have learned something with everything that happened, and that from now on we give the environment a break and the local an opportunity. We could even choose to consume consciously, and calculate the impact of our movements on the environment.
And why not organize in order to consume in solidarity, not thinking about individual interest but the community interest ?
All this, which may sound distant and utopian to us, is the DNA of some tourism projects in Catalonia, such as the Els Caus de Mura Hostel (Barcelona). This establishment, 50 km from the Catalan capital, was born with the idea of converting the old colonies house of Mura into a hostel.
« We wanted to build a project that would move away from the guidelines and interests of the capitalist economy, privileging the human. We wanted a hostel that would be a meeting and dialogue space for the construction of a conscious society », summarizes Ferran Martínez, cooperative member of Els Caus, Sustainable Tourism and SCCL cooperative.
This philosophy permeates every detail of the project: “We cook with love, we break the boundaries between server and served, and we stay out of the large global marketing networks that monopolize much of the market“, explains Martínez. Something similar explains David Coloma, manager of Cuina Volcánica, a group that brings together eight restaurants in La Garrotxa and is now 25 years old.
The idea came from the establishments themselves: « The restaurants wanted to join forces to represent, defend and promote the territory through the stove, preparing their dishes with local and local products. At that time French cuisine was in vogue and it seemed that what we had nearby was worthless. But an initiative arose that valued the work of the small producer and the quality of their products. Restaurant menus became a mirror of traditional and contemporary recipes. »
To continue talking about proximity tourism, the first thing we should do is define « nearby », provincial tourism What distance determines it?
Jordi Blanch, consultant in tourism strategy and marketing and director of Comunicatur.info, notes that there is no correct answer.
“The strategies of proximity tourism are specified based on the radius of action of the entity and / or company that develop them.” What does tend to be a common feature is “prioritize the emotional bond with the territory, stressing that moving within an area generates wealth that will be beneficial to residents.”
The key for Blanch is that “it is necessary to penetrate the collective subconscious that moving to spend the night, visit and enjoy the attractions of a nearby destination is one more extension of the daily routine of the citizen”. And he points out: « The less tourists we feel in nearby destinations, the more linked we will be to a territory and the more natural our relationship with it will be. This is the great challenge of proximity tourism ».
So, are you convinced and tempted to change your consumption habits?
How and what are the reasons?
Leave your comments and opinions because we are interested in your opinion!
Source : article Lavanguardia, https://www.lavanguardia.com/
