A small town in a rural setting may not boast nearby architectural gems, great cultural shows or rave nights at bars that don’t close the front door until the early hours of the morning, but it’s within reach of the greatest resource on earth. planet: nature. Every year, thousands of tourists escape to rural hotels that allow them to forget about their daily obligations for a weekend.. This is where they can take advantage of the opportunity to embrace the most diverse ‘hobbies’. Payment is now possible kilometers long lavender rowswake up early follow the birds Found only in very special places, spend the night under the stars identifying them in the company or pick mushrooms In a place where you can taste the mycological later in a gastronomic day in Soria. Rural tourism expands its range of activities to attract visitors throughout the year and repurpose the resources of local communities.
Armed with binoculars, water bottles and bags full of snacks, more and more local and international tourists are encouraged to look for birds throughout Spain. Although this trend has become more known in recent years, Ornithological tourism dates back decades. The boom began to become evident in 2008, when the number of foreign tourists booking 10-day packages on weekends or in rural homes to spot certain species increased. At that time, the tourist profile consisted of men aged between 35-60, with high purchasing power, and middle-high education. Ten years later, according to surveys conducted by SEO/Birdlife, 15% more women are interested, whole families are coming and young people are also interested. In general, these more national visitors are looking for rural houses away from the urban environment for up to 50 euros per person per night. There are 598 Special Bird Protected Areas in Spain, with approximately 450 migratory and nomadic species. More than 28 million nature tourists who come to ‘bird watch’ have points marked in red on their maps: Monfragüe National Park (Cáceres), Gallocanta Lagoon (Aragon) or Ebro Delta Natural Park (Tarragona).
“The offer was designed based on the birds found in the area,” explains Cristina Sánchez, SEO/BirdLife tourism manager. Only a minority of visitors focus their holidays on searching for mountain birds such as bearded vultures or birds from steppe regions such as bustards. The rest You prefer to complement your visit with other activities such as hiking, local cultural routes or gastronomic experiences. In this way, tourism “benefits not only accommodation but also other sectors.” The outrage generated by this type of ecotourism has led to many municipalities joining in to make the most of it, without taking into account the characteristics of these visitors. Sánchez states: Programs must be well adapted For trips, the kitchen is operational almost all day. “The best time is from the moment the sun rises until 9-10 a.m. and in the afternoon until two hours before sunset,” he notes. They are also customers who appreciate paper brochures that provide detailed information before traveling but prevent being left without coverage in the middle of the mountain.
Lavenders for Instagram
If we talk about vast lavender fields, many will mentally be transported to French Provence, but the truth is that you can enjoy its scent and color in Spain as well. From them, Brihuega rises as major mauve destination from the country. The bloom of this plant attracts people from all over the world to the Lavender FestivalWhere tourists have the opportunity to photograph the fields on guided tours for their Instagram accounts. Known as the garden of Alcarria, this small area of Guadalajara competes with San Felices (Soria), Olite (Navarra) or Tiedra (Valladolid). “Every year the number of people doubles,” says Luz Ruiz, head of the country’s first Lavender Interpretive Center in Tiedra.
More than 3,000 people book guided tours It passes through his fields during summer bloom, but Ruiz assures there are tourists all year round. This family business started growing lavender 20 years ago, but guided tours only started in 2020. In addition to walking among lavender, the company has diversified its offer to complement the tourists’ experience with natural products made from this plant: soaps, crafts… and they even set up a ‘food truck’ Tasting dishes made with lavender. “This works for us and is something that helps the municipality with a population of less than 300,” he points out.
Under the stars
If you live in a city, opening the window and looking for stars in the sky is a complicated task. That’s why hundreds of people choose to book a night in parts of Spain where light pollution is low and population density is low, where it’s possible to look up at the constellations with your finger. “ overnight stays increased by 90 percent last year“, so expresses Antonia Varela, director of the Starlight Foundation, the institution that certifies areas with excellent sky quality and that represent an example of protection and protection. In Atlantic regions such as the Cíes Islands, the number of tourists has increased by up to 30,000. Where they complement their astrotourism experiences with others in the campsite “We offer personalized experiences by region,” Varela explains, such as geology with the sky, wine matched with the stars, navigation under the stars, village gastronomy or immersive audio experiences with biodiversity.
Astrotourism is the resource that rural municipalities have to stimulate an economy that cannot benefit from architecture or other tourist visits. Like other rural trends, these getaways can be adjusted seasonally and small regions earn up to 3 million euros per year. “It strengthens the local community and repurposes other resources the region has,” says Varela. The Starlight Foundation has certified 200 sites around the world, 70% of which are national, such as Gúdar Javalambre Region (Teruel), Aras de los Olmos (Valencia) or Teide National Park (Tenerife). “Spain has seen this as a very important opportunity and is exporting it to Latin American, India and African countries, among others,” he adds.
pick mushrooms
Many people who enjoy rural getaways grew up foraging for mushrooms in the forests near their homes and now cherish their memories in short stays that last no longer than the weekend. They so called Mycological tourists are generally nationalIn autumn, they go to the mountains and travel to rural areas to collect these mushrooms. soria This is the place for such escapadesWhere Mycological Tapa Week is celebrated every year in the second half of November and competes with other northern regions such as the Basque Country, Asturias, Aragon or Catalonia, determined by Soriano Hotel Apolonia. This establishment, which opened its doors in 2013, offers “mountain excursions” and “gastronomy experiences” as well as other activities that will enrich its customers’ visit.
In Castilla y León, Rabanales de Aliste (Zamora) is also prominent, with the Mycological Museum, the only interpretive center for mycological species; here he promotes mushrooms, as well as offering information on proper mushroom picking. Cooking courses applied to mycology, making jam and preserving these mushrooms. Sarrión, located in the heart of the Gúdar Javalambre Region (Teruel), is considered the capital of the black truffle due to the celebration of the international fair of this mushroom (Fitruf), and also attracts tourists who prefer to find ‘black gold’. mushrooms. In some parts of Spain the experience has been professionalized to the point of offering the entire route, from searching to tasting. This applies to the Yerri Valley in Navarra, where there is an extensive network of accommodation, guided tours and routes beyond the truffle such as the Alloz Reservoir.
Source: Informacion
James Sean is a writer for “Social Bites”. He covers a wide range of topics, bringing the latest news and developments to his readers. With a keen sense of what’s important and a passion for writing, James delivers unique and insightful articles that keep his readers informed and engaged.