03 de October de 2016
Teruel hosts the 4th LEADER experience exchange in the region
03.10.2016
The Local Action Group "Office for the Promotion and Development of Mining Basins Association" (OFYCUMI) hosted the LEADER Experience Exchange meeting in the region on September 27 and 28.
The " Mining Heritage and Industrial Archaeology " event offered the participating Local Action Groups (LAGs) several workshops to lay the groundwork for inter-territorial cooperation, with the goal of highlighting the mining and industrial remains of each territory as a new economic driver. The sessions took place in the Teruel municipalities of Aliaga, Escucha, Montalbán, and Utrillas, all within the Cuencas Mineras region.
The participants visited the Escucha Mining Museum, the Maestrazgo Geological Park and its interpretation center in Aliaga, as well as the Aliaga Thermal Power Plant, and took a night tour of the Ítaca Astronomical Observatory in Montalbán.
This GAL exchange brought together around twenty people, including representatives from the Regional Group for Sustainable Development of the Palentina Mountains; the Association of Industrial Tourism Operators (AOTI); the Association for the Development of the Upper Ebro River; the Association for the Comprehensive Development of the Bajo Martín Andorra Sierra de Arcos; the La Serena Rural Development Center; the Riaño Mountain Local Action Group; the Ribeira Sacra-Courel Rural Development Group; the Office for the Promotion and Development of the Cuencas Mineras Region; and the MAGRAMA's RRN Management Unit.
In the working sessions, the LAGs presented their group's characteristics and experiences, with presentations on their available resources and the financial situation of cooperation within their autonomous communities. The group activity consisted of developing SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analyses and the results of their respective LAGs.
The visit to the astronomical observatory raised interest in, among other topics, the process for obtaining Starlight Destination designation and the promotion of astrotourism as an endogenous development resource.
Following the presentation by Carlos Blázquez of the Association of Industrial Tourism Operators (AOTI), attendees inquired about this type of activity, asking the speaker for recommendations and advice on developing tourism products related to mining basins, industrial culture, and geological parks.
The sessions concluded with the formation of working groups and the definition of topics necessary for the design of a cooperation project, which will be presented with a detailed timeline.
The participants were accompanied by Sergio Uche , mayor of Aliaga, and Esperanza Muñoz, CEO of the Cuencas Mineras Region Tourism Department.