INTERREG-SUDOE Ultreia_sudoe Project: Activation of cultural and natural resources on the Camino de Santiago routes in Southwest Europe

The challenge of Ultreia_Sudoe is to boost inland tourism, revitalizing rural areas by showcasing their natural and cultural resources, especially agricultural and food traditions and crafts, linked to the Camino de Santiago (Camino de Santiago). The impact of Ultreia_Sudoe will be a more active rural territory, with greater potential to sustain the population and promote entrepreneurship in the tourism, creative production, and artisan sectors.

The beneficiaries:

• Local artisans and producers through the promotion of their product.
• Tourists and pilgrims will receive valuable information about local product and service offerings.
• Administrations and hotel businesses will have information on visitor numbers.

How will it be achieved?

Through local Hub pilots, geolocated databases, crowd management systems, and physical and virtual showcases, the approach focuses on multi-stakeholder collaboration in the Hubs, promoting the diversity of local production, the digital transformation of tourism management in the Community of Sight (CaS), and the pilgrim and tourist experience.

To develop a sustainable strategy for Southern European Sacred Places (SEPs), transnational cooperation with a long-term vision is essential among the entities that promote SEPs and represent key stakeholders. This strategy must prioritize the preservation of the values of authenticity and integrity recognized by UNESCO, avoiding homogenization and the industrialization of tourism, in order to offer an engaging experience for pilgrims and tourists. Innovation lies in combining multi-stakeholder transnational cooperation, leveraging local resources, and digitizing SEP pilgrimage and tourism.