Tourism, an expected recovery
After suffering from the health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the provinces of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Castilla y León are redoubling their efforts to promote tourism in their regions. To attract new visitors, tourism organizations in each region are focusing on promoting their cultural, natural, gastronomic and historical heritage. In addition to the destinations already frequented, new places are now being highlighted, particularly those inland, less well known to tourists. This involves multiplying activities by developing various sporting (mountain biking, hiking, etc.), cultural and gastronomic itineraries. In recent years, Castilla y León, for example, has created several wine routes through little-known villages to discover traditional bodegas. In these green regions, where nature has preserved its rights, rural tourism has developed in recent years, attracting lovers of the mountains and the countryside. With over 20,000 places available for rural tourism, Asturias claims to be a pioneer in this field in Spain, and the country's leading green destination. Here, tourism promotion aims to redirect a proportion of tourists to inland destinations by highlighting the quality of its accommodation and dining. The rise of the Camino del norte in recent years is also seen as an asset in this region, as it is in Cantabria.
Job creation, a major challenge
With relatively high unemployment, especially in some of the interior provinces, these regions of northern Spain are on the verge of the third depopulation. Young people are leaving for the big cities or abroad to find a better life, with a stable job and a fixed salary. To give these emigrants the desire to return to their native lands and to give its current population the desire to stay, it will be essential for these regions to create jobs, while diversifying their economies. This obviously requires investment, particularly in local companies, so that they can compete with the large European and global groups. Or in sectors in the making such as innovation, sustainable development and new technologies, to ensure the future of its economy.
