The Soutomaior Castle obtain the certificate Jardín Histórico Observer®, which recognises it as a science tourism destination
The Soutomaior Castle is the first garden in Spain to be certified as a Jardín Histórico Observer®, which recognises it as a science tourism destination. During the award ceremony, the Pesident of the Deputación de Pontevedra, Carmela Silva, accompanied by the mayor of the village of Soutomaior, Agustín Reguera, expressed her satisfaction for "being part of the Observer® destinations for science tourism, because we live in a province which has many attractions to be part of this type of tourism".
Silva referred to the decisive role that science could play, "and especially at this moment". She added that in other parts of the world, such as in France or the United States, science tourism "is having an enormous relevance".
This garden is a wonderful natural space, a pride for the province, for Galicia and for Spain, because there are not many like it and it has all the qualities to meet the rigorous criteria and be part of science tourism", Silva highlighted. The President also said that, from now on, many activities related to science tourism will be launched so as to "turn the Castle into a benchmark". On his part, the mayor of Soutomaior was also proud to receive "such an important distinction for the Castle, the second distinction after the award of International Excellence.
To obtain the accreditation, the Castle underwent an audit including 197 valuation measures, obtaining "an excellent score", according to the Director of Observer®, Maite Vence. This certificate recognises the importance that this castle has had throughout its history and for carrying out science tourism and popularization activities in the fields of botany and history. Thus, the dissemination and marketing activities organised by the Castle, its collaboration with research organizations such as the Estación Fitopatolóxica Areeiro and its biosafety protocols against COVID-19 (in which the Castle obtained a score of 10 out of 10) were highly valued.
Now that the certificate has been obtained, the Soutomaior Castle will keep on trying to improve its positioning as a science tourism destination by organising a training activity for guides, which will take place on the 5th October and with the development of specific contents in the next few months, thus betting on sustainable and innovative tourism. Detailed information about the Castle, aimed at science dissemination, is now available on the website https://www.observersciencetourism.com/es/
Press trip on science tourism
Today, a press trip for journalists who are exploring the province of Pontevedra as a destination for science tourism was also held at Soutomaior Castle. Representatives of El Viajero de El País, National Geographic, GCiencia and the magazine Quo visited the historical building and its garden. The President, Carmela Silva, said that they will undoubtedly "fall in love with this place, where every stone, tree or path remind us of the best of humankind, which has been well represented in this place since the 12th century".
