For the third consecutive year, the Association for Environmental and Consumer Education (ADEAC) has awarded the Voramar Calalga trail the Blue Trail award, which recognises the recovery and enhancement of trails and itineraries throughout Spain, transformed into valuable resources for environmental interpretation and the enjoyment of nature. The councillor for Beaches and the Environment, Pere Moll, collected the award yesterday at a ceremony held in Las Rozas.
In 2024, 128 Blue Footpaths have been awarded, with 24 new footpaths being added to the network, which now has a length of almost 860 kilometres distributed in 21 provinces. The Asociación de Educación Ambiental y del Consumidor (Association for Environmental and Consumer Education), which develops programmes in Spain such as Blue Flag or Ecoescuelas, is the creator of this initiative to promote sustainable tourism and contribute to expanding the tourist offer of the municipalities by making their natural, cultural and historical heritage known. ADEAC's Blue Paths allow the conservation of already humanised environments and the interpretation of the natural and cultural heritage to be valued at the same time.
In order to obtain this distinction, criteria such as the layout and typology of the trails, the infrastructures and signposting, aspects linked to the environmental characterisation of the trails and their enhancement through environmental education activities are evaluated. In addition, aspects relating to public use and enjoyment, accessibility, user information on natural and cultural heritage and citizen participation are also taken into account.
Moll emphasised that this type of initiative encourages the de-seasonalisation of tourism and allows visitors to discover unique places, giving them the opportunity to connect with nature, thus promoting a healthy lifestyle. "The Voramar Calalga path is a path of great beauty that runs along cliffs parallel to the sea and distinctive features such as this allow it to be showcased," he said. And he added that: "the Department of the Environment, in collaboration with Tourism, intends to promote a new blue trail in the Quisi area, which will be called Senda Blava del Quisi".