With around fifteen ecotourism proposals from companies accredited with the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (CETS) such as balloon flights, "Night critters", "Moonlight night in the beech grove" or "Romanesque hermitages of the Garrotxa"; and eleven accommodations also accredited with the CETS, from hotels to rural tourism establishments through campsites, apartments and treehouses, La Garrotxa is present on the new Soy Ecoturista platform. To this offer, more proposals and also catering establishments will soon be added, also entirely from companies accredited with the CETS.

Under the motto "Conservo i Protegeixo", the new website is an invitation to move from purpose to action, from passivity to activism. And it is that, according to Ana Llano, president of the Ecotourism Association in Spain, "Conserving and Protecting is much more than a claim. It is what activates the Soy Ecoturista brand and puts into practice the purpose not only of the association but also of the user. A purpose that is none other than maintaining and improving our magnificent protected spaces and the quality of life of their inhabitants, who are their true guardians".

Thus, the new website is characterized by the use of a new story, differentiating and at the same time unifying the commitment that Soy Ecoturista has to society and the planet and, for this reason, the protagonist is content that calls to action and to activism, but without losing the emotion and soul that drives the brand. This results in carefully curated content where the ecotourist discovers how they can be part of this transformation when they plan a getaway with companies that look after the protection of the environment. The companies and producers of tourist services affiliated to Soy Ecoturista, in turn, see that they have a voice and that they are the main link between the environment and the ecotourist, and in their hands is the power to transmit the passion to the traveler .

Fresher and more intuitive, and with a very neat and attractive image, the new website includes content of a more institutional nature to publicize the work of the Ecotourism Association in Spain, the main projects in which it is immersed, as well as the tourism associations, managers of protected areas, public administrations and private companies that make it up. In addition, it maintains other inspirational and awareness-raising content aimed especially at ecotourists, such as the Soy Ecoturista blog and podcast series.

But, without a doubt, the great novelty of the new website are the Ecotourism Experiences in protected spaces of the Spanish state that can be contracted through the web platform. www.soyecoturista.com offers information on protected areas and how to visit them, you can plan your trip to enjoy nature and book accommodation, activities and various services directly with local hosts, without commissions and without intermediaries. In this way, one more step is taken to bring authentic ecotourism closer to the traveler, who has the security of contracting their trip with certified companies affiliated to Soy Ecoturista, with the peace of mind of knowing that they are committed companies and with which they will receive the best service.

In this sense, Amanda Guzmán, manager of the Ecotourism Association in Spain, adds that "we are facing a version 1.0, in which we have concrete experiences with more than 150 products in ten emblematic ecotourism destinations attached to I am an Ecotourist, in 9 autonomous communities. These destinations are the Sobrarbe-Pyrenees Geopark (Aragon), the Mariñas Coruñesas Biosphere Reserve (Galicia), La Garrotxa (Catalonia), the Las Loras Geopark (Castile and Leon), Sierra Espuña (Murcia), Sierra Nevada (Andalusia) , La Gomera (Canary Islands), and two destinations in the Basque Country, the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve and the Basque Coast Geopark. The ecotourist will find suggestions on what to do on their visit to these destinations, as well as a wide range of accommodation and activities provided by committed local hosts. But that doesn't stop there, as the aim is to gradually incorporate the rest of the 42 destinations and more than 800 companies that are currently members of Soy Ecoturista". The aim is to make significant progress in 2024 thanks to the project, and to end 2025 with a thousand guaranteed ecotourism products in protected areas.

Undoubtedly, an interesting challenge in which destinations, their hosts and eco-tourists travel in the same direction to conserve and protect the natural environment. This new marketing platform aims to be the benchmark for booking authentic ecotourism experiences with guarantees, while helping to preserve the natural and cultural values of the environment.

The project has been created thanks to the project "Sustainability and digitalization of the network of Ecotourism experiences in Spain", financed by the Next Generation European Funds through the Experiencias Turismo España program of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, and developed by the Association of Ecotourism at state level, in which Turisme Garrotxa participates as a partner along with six other destinations. The project has made it possible to design a new web portal to promote and promote ecotourism, a growing market segment that bets on authenticity, quality, preservation of the environment and connection with the local population.

About the Ecotourism Association in Spain

The Ecotourism Association in Spain (AEE) is a non-profit association created in 2010 to promote sustainable tourism in protected areas and mainly composed of tourism business associations located in natural areas, natural area management entities , public administrations involved in the tourist management of these spaces, innovation entities (universities, foundations), tourist and technology innovation companies, and tourist companies committed to local conservation and development. Turisme Garrotxa led the presidency of the association from 2014 to 2016.

The AEE is the managing entity of the Ecotourism Club in Spain, one of the tourist product clubs supported by the State Secretariat for Tourism since 2010. It is a pioneering initiative that offers ecotourism experiences in protected natural spaces, guaranteeing to the visitor his contribution to local development and to the conservation of biodiversity. It currently groups 42 destinations and nearly 800 companies that, under the Soy Ecoturista brand, assume a commitment to sustainable development.


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