Wednesday, 29 May 2013
A delegation of Japanese MPs visited San Sebastián attracted by the city’s tourist development to take a first-hand look at the tourist model responsible for placing us up there among the world’s best destinations.
The 15 councillors from the Shizuoka Prefecture (the equivalent to a local council) were welcomed by the Basque Minister of Tourism, Josu Ruiz at the Plenary Chamber in the City Hall. The councillor for tourism acted as MC for a reception at which the politicians from San Sebastián and Japan exchanged business cards.
Once the welcome formalities were over, the participants exchanged experiences and presented the Japanese delegation with the strategic keys to the city’s tourist model. The arrival of the Japanese politicians to San Sebastian is the result of rising interest in their country for the process of tourist development in the capital of Gipuzkoa thanks to which it is now a highly ranked international food destination that attracts tourists from all over the world.
The politicians too come from a tourist region: Shizuoka, a city not far from the capital of Japan that includes the fabulous Mount Fuji among its attractions. Their visit to San Sebastián is part of a trip to Europe including inspection visits to 4 cities that have experienced a strong rise in tourism in recent years: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastián.
Following the work session at the City Hall, focussed on learning the keys to sustainable development of the tourist model and the secrets of maturing as a culinary destination, the party rounded off its educational stopover with a tour of the Basque Culinary Center.
It’s not the first time that San Sebastián has hosted this type of municipal delegations interested in learning more about the city’s tourist model. Last year we welcomed a party of Colombian politicians to the capital and in the coming months we have closed two visits from institutional bodies in Italy and Sweden who wish to visit San Sebastián to obtain first-hand knowledge of the strategies that have earned us our position as a tourist reference.
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