Challenge passed with flying colors. The 280 Spanish mountain towns included in the Association of Mountain Towns (esMontañas), which a month ago challenged the British Museum to surpass it in visits under penalty of ending up becoming a “museum object” if they did not succeed, have since added 401,857 visits, 61,000 more than initially planned.
“We are surprised and delighted with the response that citizens have given to the challenge, thanks to which we have managed to inject life into municipalities that need people for their pre-existence and that treasure a wonderful environment and heritage,” the association stated. announce the results this Friday.
This initiative, with which the populations sought to gain visibility, saw the light of day a month ago on International Mountain Day. The association took advantage of that date to launch on video its original challenge to the British gallery, which it intended to surpass in the number of visits (340,000 the previous year) during the next 30 days. If they did not succeed, they assured the director of the London gallery, the third most visited in the world, that he could turn them into “museum objects.”
To celebrate its success, esMontañas has once again sent a humorous letter to the director of the British institution, Mark Jones, in which they inform him of the results and express their “relief” for having overcome the challenge.
“It is not only a relief to think that none of our towns will join the wonderful collection held by the British Museum,” they explain. “What makes us happiest is having verified that we are one of the favorite destinations of many people, who have stopped by here to enjoy our hospitality,” they add.
With the voice and image of the first mayor of Montán (Castellón), Sergio Fornas, the platform also extends a formal invitation to you to learn first-hand about the heritage, cultural and gastronomic charms of these enclaves.
“You are invited to visit us. “I assure you that you will love our towns,” says the mayor, who does not hesitate to end with “you look at it, but you don't touch it,” another reference (in the first video there was already one) to the vast collection that it has. the British gallery with pieces from different countries that are now demanding them.
Beyond the anecdote, esMontañas highlights the “spectacular” response from the public, reflected in an average increase in visits to mountain towns of over 20% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Among the most successful cases, the group cites municipalities such as Tejada (Gran Canaria), which has added more than 60,000 visitors; Morella (Castellón), with more than 8,000; Puebla de Sanabria (Zamora), with about 6,200; or Olocau (Valencia), with 1,375 visitors.
The esMontañas association, based in Boltaña (Huesca), was created in 2013 to promote legislative initiatives and other actions to improve the lives of those who live in mountain areas, stop depopulation and generate economic and social development.
According to what they say, for the challenge, the methodology used by the towns to count visits was reinforced, both in municipalities with tourist offices, and with the enabling of passage counters in statistical reference towns such as those indicated.
