The city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, hosts the different components of the Cultural Routes Programme in Spain to reflect on communication strategies, visibility, and enhancing the value of the Programme
On April 2 and 3, 2025, the fourth edition of the Meeting of Managers of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in Spain took place in the town of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife. In previous editions, the work had focused on the consolidation and strengthening of the Cultural Routes Programme, as well as promoting citizen participation, local development, and the preservation of cultural heritage. However, this edition focused on communication: the need to make the Programme more visible and clearly convey its objectives, activities, projects, and so on, as well as the creation of shared strategies in this area.
Organised by the Subdirectorate for the Management and Coordination of Cultural Assets of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, the event brought together a total of 27 Cultural Routes with partners in Spain, with the aim of analysing, discussing, and providing guidance on the feasibility, communication dimension, and various tools available to those responsible for managing the different Cultural Routes.
The opening speech, delivered by Sergio Ortega Muñoz, Head of the Department for Heritage Protection and European Programmes at the Ministry of Culture, provided an overview of the current state of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in Spain. On this occasion, a warm welcome was extended to the newest route with partners in Spain: Aromas Itinerarium Salutis (AIS), the European Route of Historic Pharmacies and Medicinal Gardens, represented by Cristina Expósito de Vicente, Technical Secretary of the Route.
The congress included training sessions led by experts in the field, addressing key strategies for communicating cultural projects and using social media as effective channels for disseminating information. All of this was designed to foster knowledge updates and the exchange of good practices. Additionally, several sessions showcased specific case studies related to the communication practices of some Cultural Routes. However, the core of the programme was the working groups and round tables, conceived as spaces for collective reflection and professional exchange, where participants, divided into various groups, tackled the main theme of the meeting in a hands-on way.
In this context and looking toward collaboration with other Cultural Routes, Cristina Expósito de Vicente presented — and invited the other Programme managers to join — the initiative promoted by Aromas Itinerarium Salutis (AIS): the fourth edition of the activity in honour of International Museum Day. In 2025, this initiative took the form of a workshop dedicated to the role of pharmacy museums and new ways of storytelling through social media.
The two days of the meeting and working sessions also included cultural visits, enriching the formative and institutional experience of the event. Among the highlights were a visit to the Teide National Park and a guided tasting of locally sourced Canarian cheeses. Unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions, the planned visit to the Anaga Rural Park (a Biosphere Reserve) had to be cancelled, although alternative activities were offered to maintain the integrity of the programme.
The meeting concluded with a positive assessment from all participants, who highlighted the value of the collaborative working spaces, the quality of the technical contributions, and a strong desire to continue working in a network. All of this reinforces a collective commitment to sustainable development, cultural heritage preservation, citizen participation, and the innovative management of Cultural Routes.