Through Paideia Galiza, this network has participated in training and advisory actions of the Empleaverde Programme, in order to combine respect for the environment, quality in the tourist offer and improvement in the marketing of its products.

The director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Ana Leiva, visits today, in Galicia, one of the establishments adhered to the comprehensive network of tourist services Ruralover, which has participated in training and advisory actions of the FB Empleaverde Program, co-financed by the European Social Fund.

In a particularly valuable summer for the tourism industry in Spain and in a unique region such as the Galician coast, Ana Leiva has reiterated the willingness of the FB to continue promoting those economic activities that, such as ecotourism, generate employment and wealth, relying on unrestricted respect for the environment and enhancing the values of a natural heritage in a good state of conservation.

By the way, the network of services launched by Paideia Galiza integrates economic activities that are mainly carried out in the regions of Sar, Barbanza, Muros and Noia. In the creation of the network, the idea of promoting the labor insertion of women in these rural municipalities, in the surroundings of Santiago de Compostela, prevailed. Thus, and taking a further step towards sustainable growth, Ruralover joined the “Green Clover” project, an initiative of the Galician entity for the training of entrepreneurs and workers in the tourism sector on environmental issues, within the framework of the aforementioned Empleaverde Program and which also has the collaboration of the DELOA Local Development Association.

Combining respect for natural resources, quality in the offer of services and improvement in the marketing of tourist products (accommodation, transport, visits to fish markets, maritime routes and multi-adventure, among others) was the intention of the promoters of the project that has just completed its first stage with a satisfactory balance.

The project, which was aimed at managers of tourism companies and their workers to expand their training and improve the viability of their businesses in the primary sector and/or services, carried out an environmental training plan for workers and brought advice to companies, through a code of good practices in sustainability.

This has meant a reflection on the impact of economic activities on the environment and greater environmental awareness. Consequently, it is moving towards a higher quality offer and the implementation of alternative ways of professional development, enhancing the values of a new business model.

The “Green Clover” project has promoted, in the last two years, the adhesion of 16 new economic enterprises to this network that integrates the wills of the Administration, users and investors, and which currently has 23 active companies.