In the framework of its agenda to promote the Atlantic Macro-region, the Chambers of Commerce of the Atlantic Arc held the conference Wine Tourism and Culture: the Atlantic Arc’s Differential Offer, which brought together at the Centro Botín in Santander wineries, agri-food companies, cultural managers and organizations, hospitality professionals, retailers, inbound agencies and tourism facilitators, as well as representatives from public administrations and the Chambers of Commerce.
The event aimed to highlight the steps the Chambers’ alliance is taking to create an Atlantic macro-region that helps address the challenges faced by the regions forming this territory, contributing to their economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable development, while also continuing to advance the action plan established around the Camino de Santiago as a distinctive unifying axis, with tourism, culture, and oenology as specific areas of action.
Before the start of the conference, a technical meeting was held between the Chambers and Interreg Sudoe, the European Union program supporting regional development funding and cohesion in the southwestern regions of Europe. This program collaborates with public and private entities to address transnational challenges such as climate change adaptation, social cohesion, and territorial balance.
The conference opened with a welcome from the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Cantabria, Tomás Dasgoas Rodríguez, who thanked attendees for their presence. The presentation also featured the Director-General for European Funds, Marta García Hospital; the Director of the Camino Lebaniego Foundation, Pilar Gómez Bahamonde; and the Executive Director of Centro Botín, Fátima Sánchez Santiago.
Next, the Head of Wine Partnerships & International Patronage at La Cité du Vin, Florence Maffrand, introduced this project of the Foundation for Wine Culture and Civilizations, based in Bordeaux. Using oenology and culture as its main attractions, it has become an international benchmark for wine tourism, with more than 400,000 visitors per year.
A round table followed: “Wine Tourism Experiences in the Atlantic Arc,” featuring prominent wine producers from various territories of the Atlantic Arc: Cristina Pérez, from Bodegas Marqués de Riscal (Basque Country); Enrique Pascual, president of the Ribera del Duero Designation of Origin (Castile and León); Julio Quiroga, from Bodega Lar de Ricobao (Galicia); and Miriam Pinto, from Bodega Sel D’Aiz (Cantabria). Participants shared their initiatives, needs, and development concerns to enrich winery experiences while strengthening their relationship with the cultural and artistic sector.
They also reflected on the “pairing” between wine tourism and culture, as well as on whether the audience for cultural tourism coincides with those interested in visiting wineries and learning about local wine culture—particularly in an Atlantic setting, where there may not be attractions such as sun and beach, but there is a strong cultural and heritage offering that appeals to a tourist profile with greater purchasing power and specific sensitivities and interests.
To conclude the event, attendees had the opportunity to exchange experiences during the networking aperitif held after the presentations and during the subsequent lunch.
About the Atlantic Arc Chambers
The Chambers of Commerce of Northern Portugal, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Burgos, Navarre, the Basque Country, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine signed in Bilbao, in June 2023, the Declaration of the Chambers of Commerce of the Atlantic Arc, with the aim of creating mechanisms for inter-chamber and inter-institutional cooperation to jointly address the economic, social, and environmental challenges faced by the regions that make up the Atlantic Arc. Since this first Conference, three more have been held—in Porto, Oviedo, and Vigo—which have advanced the identification of topics of common interest, the development of a strategic document, and the involvement of public administrations and other institutions in the project.
The strategic document establishes three priority areas of work, shared by all territories:
- Transport and Intermodality
- Promotion of the Atlantic rail corridor
- Support for the intermodality and connectivity of the Ports of the Atlantic Arc
- Hydrogen Corridor and Renewable Energies
- Development of the hydrogen corridor
- Offshore wind energy
- The Camino de Santiago as a unifying hallmark
- Wine tourism
- Leisure, nature, and wellness activities
The Chambers of the Atlantic Arc seek to generate synergies around these areas of work to transform the territory and make it more competitive, more sustainable, more dynamic, more open and connected, as well as more attractive and with a higher quality of life for its citizens.