On 1 August, the Clustertur_GNP project was presented at the Museo do Mar de Galicia, a cross-border cluster that unites the Euroregion of Galicia and northern Portugal with the aim of strengthening tourism and increasing its impact on international markets.

This project has a budget of around 700,000 euros and involves Turismo de Galicia, the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Galicia-North Portugal and Turismo do Porto e Norte de Portugal.

Among the main missions of the cluster will be the creation of a cross-border strategy focused on tourism with a view to 2030 and the identification of products, resources and actors to help consolidate a tourism brand for this Euroregion. In addition, the cluster will emphasise sustainable tourism and the promotion of common resources such as food and wine.

This initiative will focus on the role of the Way of St. James in this area and, more specifically, the Portuguese Way. Its intention is to vindicate the role of this route, which was the second busiest after the French Way in 2023. It will also emphasise the figure of the pilgrim, who contributes significantly to the local economy of the places through which it passes.

As for the companies of the Euroregion, the cluster will create a network in which they can collaborate and generate joint marketing activities in different national and international markets.

During the presentation of this project, it was stressed that Portugal is the main source of tourists to Galicia, with more than 624,000 overnight stays in 2023, representing 20% of the international total. Not only that, since the pilgrims coming from the Portuguese country add, so far in 2024, 12,300, placing it as the fourth issuing country of walkers behind the United States, Germany and Italy.

The Clustertur_GNP project represents a significant step towards the international promotion of the tourism product of Galicia and northern Portugal to contribute to its growth and worldwide recognition.