The Provincial Council promotes an awareness campaign to promote the competitiveness of the Mozarabic Way as a tourist destination.

The Provincial Council of Cordoba has presented in Lucena an awareness and dynamization campaign to promote tourism competitiveness and heritage of the Mozarabic Way of St. James, which is being carried out within the project ‘Camino Vertical’, co-financed by the European Union under the Interreg Spain-Portugal program (POCTEP 2021-2027).

For the delegate of Finance and European Funds of the provincial institution, Ana Rosa Ruz, “this campaign includes a wide range of activities that aim to increase awareness of the Mozarabic Way of St. James and value the historical, cultural, natural, scenic and gastronomic heritage of the territory of Cordoba promoting its sustainable development and tourism”.

Until April activities are contemplated within this initiative that includes “routes through the stages of the Camino in the province to know the route, its main landmarks, its natural and intangible heritage; actions with schools and even an online training proposal with agents, companies, associations and groups of municipalities to establish joint strategies,” said Ruz.

The calendar of the campaign includes three activities in March: a collective memory action ‘The footprint of the Mozarabic Way’ in Hinojosa del Duque; a route in Baena, ‘What hides the Mozarabic Way’ to publicize the values and potential of this territory, and in Cabra, a promotional activity in the IV Subbetic Mozarabic Marathon 2026. In April, in Alcaracejos, a talk on ‘Health and Wellness’ and an event on the pilgrim’s rest will be held, and finally, an online conference on ‘Strategies of encounter on the Mozarabic Way’.

Within this campaign, a route along the stage of the Mozarabic Way from Córdoba to Cerro Muriano and the activities with the schools of Castro del Río ‘Follow the arrow’ and in Cabra, the scape city ‘El gajorro Mozárabe’ have already been developed.

The event was attended by the mayor of Lucena, Aurelio Fernandez, the vice president of the Association of Friends of the Mozarabic Way, Manuel Capote and the head of the Department of European Programs, Carlos Sarrasin, where they have assessed the opportunities and benefits of this European project for the province of Cordoba.

Project Cooperation Project TransfrontSpain-Portugal

The Provincial Council of Cordoba is one of the twelve partners participating in the project ‘Camino Vertical’ funded by Interreg, in the 4th call of the Operational Program for Cross-Border Cooperation Spain-Portugal (POCTEP), focused on the protection, development and promotion of tourism resources and heritage associated with the Jacobean Roads of the Iberian West, among which is the Mozarabic Way of St. James that passes through the province of Cordoba.

In addition to the provincial institution, the provincial councils of Badajoz, Cáceres, Cádiz, Huelva, Zamora, Ourense through Inorde, and Seville, with Prodetur, and the Junta de Extremadura are participating in this project on the Spanish side, while from Portugal the municipality of Barcelos, Turismo do Alentejo and the Entidade Regional de Turismo de Centro de Portugal are part of the initiative.

With a budget of more than 270,000 euros, the purpose of the project, among other actions, is to carry out a study of promotional needs, this campaign to stimulate and improve tourism competitiveness, and to update the contents of the provincial information media.