New promotional materials have been presented for the Plazaola Greenway, a benchmark route for hiking and cycle touring in the Basque Country

• The Greenways form part of the Basque Country's tourism model, which promotes deseasonalisation, the movement of flows through less touristy areas, the diversity of the offer and responsible tourism
• The presentation took place at the Andoain interpretation centre, where the Greenway guide and new audiovisual materials were presented

The Minister of Tourism, Trade and Consumer Affairs, Javier Hurtado, and the Mayoress Maider Lainez, presented the new promotional materials for the Plazaola Greenway today in Andoain. For the Minister, these infrastructures, and the practice of cycle tourism, are priority axes in the Basque Country's sustainable tourism model because they promote deseasonalisation, the activity of flows through less touristy areas, the diversity of the offer and responsible tourism. The Greenways also contribute to raising awareness of our industrial heritage, which has shaped the Basque Country we know today. The development of the railways was a necessary element for the industrialisation of the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

The Plazaola Greenway runs through some of the most beautiful spots in the Basque Country and has many cultural resources to visit such as the Topic Museum, the Sagardoetxea and the Chillidaleku Museum. The route can be travelled at any time of the year and the commitment of the Department of Tourism, Trade and Consumer Affairs is to continue its development, promoting it and reinforcing the collaboration and joint work network.

The Department of Tourism, Trade and Consumer Affairs has thanked the Department of Mobility of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the counties of Donostialdea, Tolosaldea and the City Council of Andoain, as well as the Tourism Consortium of Plazaola for their joint work in the development of this greenway.

The actions planned as part of the Basque Country's cycle tourism strategy include the Greenways Conference, the offer of road tourism routes known as “Euskadi cycling”, co-marketing actions and the creation of the Euskadi Bike Country club. In addition, professional workshops are being organised to help tourism companies to focus on the cycle tourism product. On the 13^th and 14^th, specific workshops will be held for accommodation service companies and tourism service companies. Companies will be able to put themselves in the shoes of people who travel by bicycle and work on questions such as: what they need and how to adapt their services or how the cycle tourism market is structured and what the main marketing channels are.

The Mayoress Maider Lainez highlighted the fact that “the City Council of Andoain has been making a clear and decisive commitment for years to a resource such as the Plazaola Greenway, which is part of the life of all the people of Andoain, as it favours both pedestrian and cycling mobility and leisure, as it is the main axis of communication that links us with the Leitzaran Valley.”

That’s why, "at the City Council, we have promoted nature tourism, touching on its main segments: ecotourism, hiking and creating attractive resources around this backbone that is the Plazaola greenway. A clear example is this very building, the Leitzaran-Leitzaran Bisitarien Etxea Visitor Centre, a point of reference for any visitor or tourist who comes to Andoain and wants information or to carry out an active nature tourism activity on the greenway and in the Leitzaran Valley,” reported Lainez.

The mayoress stressed that “together with the promotion of sustainable tourism, we have carried out numerous programmes in the field of employment and training (bricklaying, construction, forestry maintenance or active tourism, among others), aimed at the long-term unemployed or young unemployed people.”

Finally, “we should point out that the Plazaola greenway is a fundamental element to promote nature tourism as an instrument of diversification of the local economy and that, at the same time, it serves to project an image of an Andoain that is committed to sustainable development,” concluded Lainez.