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. In order to attract new visitors, the tourist organizations of each region are working to promote their cultural, natural, gastronomic and historical heritage. In addition to the destinations already visited, new places are now highlighted, especially those inland, less known by tourists. This is done by multiplying activities by developing different sports (mountain biking, hiking ...), cultural or gastronomic routes. Like Castilla y León, which in recent years has created several wine routes that go through little-known villages, discovering the traditional bodegas. In these green regions where nature has retained its rights, rural tourism has developed in recent years, attracting lovers of the mountains and the countryside. With nearly 20,000 places offered in rural tourism, Asturias claims to be a pioneer in this field in Spain, and wants to be the leader of the green destination in this country. Here, the promotion of tourism aims to redirect part of the tourists to inland destinations by highlighting the quality of its accommodation and its tables. The rise of the Camino del Norte in recent years is also seen as an asset in this region, as 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.
