HIGHLIGHTS
Food, wine and the Basque provincial capitals are the top attractions that captivated tourists from all over the world throughout 2015. Well-heeled holidaymakers like the Basque Country, whether they are from the USA, France, Holland, Denmark, China, Chile or Poland. This is the case of the extensive report entitled Ongi Etorri, published in the American magazine Caviar Affair, aimed at the “luxury” segment and, in its own words, seeking “the world’s most sublime experiences” for its “opulent” readers. The report describes an extensive tour, from Getaria to Bilbao, taking in San Sebastián, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Rioja Alavesa. The author, Peter Sukonik, focuses on haute cuisine and pintxos, as well as emphasising the hospitality of the Basque people. But the Basque Country is an attractive destination for many other publications of all kinds, from those specialising in travel or food and drink to newspapers and fashion and luxury magazines, and including corporate publications by international airlines. “From pintxos to Michelin stars” was the title used in KCK magazine in Holland, while the Mexican Moiré proposed the Basque Country as a “luxury wine holiday destination in Europe”. The Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet focused its report on Bilbao. Our French neighbours at Sud Ouest published a special issue entitled 1001 facets of Vitoria-Gasteiz, while the reporter Olga Isakova, in the Russian edition of Cosmopolitan, recommended, “tasting the finest wine” and “sunbathing on the beaches of San Sebastián”. Cara, the magazine of the Irish airline Aer Lingus, highlighted the contrast between the “urban bustle of Bilbao and the peace of the wine region”.
