With the participation of companies and institutions from fifteen countries on four continents, the third edition of Fairway will be the most international of those celebrated so far, showing the interest that the pilgrimage from Santiago arouses beyond our borders. This was highlighted by the organizers in the presentation of this forum of the Camino in the presentation of the event, which will take place between February 10 and 12 in the Palacio de Congresos e Exposicións compostelano.

The presentation of Fairway III Forum Camino de Santiago, which took place in the Hostal dos Reis Católicos, was attended by Martiño Noriega, Mayor of Santiago; Marta Lois, Councilor for Tourism; Goretti Sanmartín, vice president of the Deputación da Coruña; Charo Calvo, communication manager of Zone 1 of Correos (sponsor of the event through elcaminoconcorreos.com); and the three co-directors of Fairway, Ana García (Trevisani), Manuel Oreiro (Viajes Viloria) and Tono Mugico (Mr. Turismo).

International Fair

In the opinion of the organizers, Fairway will be more than ever the meeting point of all those people and institutions linked to the Camino de Santiago. The fair, as pointed out by Ana García, "will grow by 20% compared to the last edition". The exhibitors, revealed, will be more than a hundred. "We want to highlight that among them we will have more than fifty Galician municipalities and six autonomous communities," he added.

In the international arena, the director of Trevisani also spoke about "the very important commitment of Portugal, with thirteen municipal chambers present" and the participation of foreign pilgrimage routes such as the Japanese one of Kumano Kodo (through Wakayama prefecture, twinned with Galicia) or the Italian one of San Francisco de Asís.

Companies from South Africa and Australia

Manuel Oreiro, meanwhile, stressed that Fairway continues to bet on the workshop as a successful format to facilitate work meetings between Hosted Buyers and all those professionals, companies and public bodies linked to any of the Ways of Santiago interested in making them known your products, destinations and services.

The Hosted Buyers, Manuel Oreiro explained, "are tour operators, issuing travel agencies, reservation centers and online agencies invited by the organization to participate in the workshop. These are companies that come to Fairway to meet other companies and resources and create professional links and business opportunities. "

In total, 35 Hosted Buyers will be cited at Fairway. "There will be companies from South Africa, Australia, France, Belgium and Mexico for the first time; that are added to companies from the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Italy or Portugal, countries that repeat, "said Oreiro.

Its interlocutors will be more than 120 organisms, both public and private: establishments dedicated to the hotel trade; travel agency; guide and excursion services, transport of people and backpacks and bicycle rental; warehouses; mobile application developers; public agencies and destinations represented by autonomous governments, mancomunidades, geodestinos and town halls.

"More than 1,400 work meetings are planned in the two days of the workshop, that is an increase of 35% compared to the second edition," he concluded.

Familiarization trips

Many of the tour operators registered in the workshop will also participate in three familiarization trips for the press organized by Fairway with the aim of making less traveled routes visible. On this occasion, Manuel Oreiro told, the Portuguese Way along the Coast, the Northern Way and the Fisterra-Muxia Way will be promoted.

"These press trips also gain a lot of weight with respect to past editions. Participate in what is perhaps the most important means of tourism in Africa, 'Traveler 24', from South Africa, and Brazilian media, such as Super Radio. Also will come journalists from 'National Geographic' Spain, 'Marie Claire', the magazine 'Viajar' or 'La Razón' ", said the director of Viloria.

 Fairway Invest

The business framework will be reinforced in this edition by an investment forum that, according to Tono Mugico, will support the last day of Fairway. Developed in collaboration with Keiretsu Forum, the largest network of private investors in the world, "includes a training program with titles as suggestive as' How much is a company worth if it invoices little ... or nothing? and financing tables with entities such as Enisa or Xesgalicia. "

The director of Mr. Tourism stressed the commitment to the development of this first Fairway Invest with a contest of ideas to which almost twenty projects have been presented "directly linked to the Camino or with a more tangential relationship but carried out by companies located in any of the points he goes through. " He revealed that his activity ranges from the exploitation of electric scooters on the pilgrimage routes to the city or people or the recycling of clothes. The winner of this contest, which will take five thousand euros, will be announced in Fairway on Tuesday, February 12.

Conferences, discussion tables and training program

Concerning the congress, Tono Mugico pointed out that it will consist of conferences and discussion tables. He stressed the "relevance of the speakers" and explained that the themes respond to the concerns raised in previous editions of Fairway.

He also said that the Fairway program is completed in this edition with a training cycle -Fairway Academy- that will take place on the day of Monday 11 and will be constituted by practical workshops, followed by conferences. "The speakers are referents at the state level in the disciplines they will deal with: digital marketing and online reputation," he said.

Activities for all ages

Finally, Tono Mugico made "an appeal to the participation of both residents and visitors" in the activities planned for the open day with which Fairway III Forum Camino de Santiago will open on Sunday, February 10. He highlighted the hiking trail I Camino - "that brings us closer to some of the most interesting and less known points of the city" _ and the proposal Gastroway, a buffet with a selection of recipes of the Jacobean routes. They will also be accompanied by the association Apaca, promoter of the canine credential, with an adoption space and tips for doing the Camino with dogs and there will also be escape room sessions, mindfulness workshops or playroom... With the exception of Gastroway, the activities are free until full capacity.