Around thirty international tour operators and media outlets are participating in three Famtrips organised by Fairway on three different Jacobean Routes. The main objective is to raise awareness of the places of interest, activities and experiences that visitors can find along the Portuguese Way, the English Way and the Vía de la Plata, which is being included in these initiatives promoted by the Camino de Santiago Forum for the first time.
The first group to start the activity was the one that travelled the Portuguese Route, leaving Porto on Wednesday. This activity, developed with the support of Porto e Norte Turismo and the Provincial Council of Pontevedra, included a tour of different sections of this Way and stops at key locations such as Braga, Ponte de Lima and Valença do Minho. After crossing the border, they visited Tui, A Guarda, Faro Silleiro, Oia, Baiona and Pontevedra. Today’s itinerary includes Caldas de Reis, Barro, Catoira, Valga – with a walking tour along a section of this Jacobean route – and Padrón, where they will discover the most iconic places.
With the support of the Provincial Council of A Coruña, the English Way Famtrip was launched, starting on Thursday in Cedeira, where they walked a short stretch of the San Andrés de Teixido Route. The itinerary also took them through the CIMIX in Narón, the city of Ferrol, the As Fragas do Eume Natural Park and the beautiful Monastery of Caaveiro and Betanzos. Today’s programme focuses on A Coruña, where they will take a guided tour of the city, the Estrella Galicia Museum and the Tower of Hercules, ending with a walk along a section of the English Way.
Yesterday, this group held a meeting with a delegation from the Provincial Council of A Coruña, led by the deputy delegate for the Ways of St James, Antonio Leira. The lunch was also attended by Manuel Oreiro, co-director of Fairway, as well as Bernardo Fernández, president of the English Way Association; María Luisa Rodríguez, president of the Fisterra-Muxía Way Association; and Lanzada Calatayud, coordinator of the Fisterra-Muxía Way. The participants had the opportunity to share their impressions of the English Route and their experiences on this Famtrip.
The third familiarisation trip through the region was carried out for the first time in Fairway’s history and showcased the Vía de la Plata route, in collaboration with INORDE. The group set off on Thursday from the municipality of Monterrei and then continued on to Verín. They took a stroll through the beautiful town of Allariz and visited the Santa Clara Museum of Sacred Art.
In the Augasantas area, the group walked a section of this route and ended the day with a visit to Celanova, the Monastery of San Salvador and the Chapel of San Miguel. The Famtrip ends today with a visit to Ourense, San Cristovo de Cea, O Carballiño and the Monastery of Oseira.
All those taking part in the Famtrips were very surprised by the rich natural, cultural and gastronomic heritage that pilgrims can find along the different routes. These were very positive experiences that they will pass on to their respective clienteles. It should be noted that these professionals are part of the group of Hosted Buyers from 18 countries who will participate in the Workshop on Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 November.
The participating international tour operators and media representatives will attend the opening day of Fairway tomorrow. The official opening of the event will take place at 12 noon at the Museum of the Cidade da Cultura.