The Aragonese food industry has launched a digital platform that brings together the main agro-food tourism proposals of the autonomous community. The project, funded by the European Union, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Government of Aragón, aims to combine Aragon’s food products with the regional tourist attractions into a single integrated offering.
Launch of the new agro-food tourism platform
The website www.aragonturismoagroalimentario.es is the result of collaboration between Food and Beverages of Aragón, the Federation of Agrarian Cooperatives of Aragón, and the Food Cluster of Aragón. The platform is framed within an Operational Group approved by the PEPAC 25-29.
In its first phase, the website includes 33 Aragonese companies distributed across 9 different routes throughout the autonomous community. An interactive map allows users to locate the companies close to major Aragonese towns to facilitate visit planning. It is expected that new agro-food companies will join in the coming weeks and that the available routes will be expanded.
Sectors represented in agro-food tourism
The wine sector has the largest representation, with wineries from all denominations of origin and protected geographical indications of Aragón. Companies involved include those producing Melocotón de Calanda, Aceite del Bajo Aragón, Ternasco de Aragón, food artisanry, C’alial foods, as well as firms from the meat, brewing, dairy, cheese, sweets, saffron, gourmet salt, and vegetable preserves sectors.
The proposed activities include visits to facilities, wine and oil tastings led by professionals, activities for schoolchildren, experiences related to food production such as the Pastry Museum, and landscape enjoyment activities like bathing in medicinal mineral waters from spring salt.
Technological innovation and project objectives
In addition to the website, the project includes collaboration with industry companies to advise on the definition and implementation of tourism activities. A later phase will involve the application of artificial intelligence tools with the guidance of Itainnova to obtain relevant information that assists companies in proposing new tourism activities at their facilities.
The project also plans to organize training and motivation seminars regarding tourism activities developed in other territories.
Economic impact of gastronomic tourism in Aragón
National gastronomic tourism: According to data from HOSTELTUR, spending on gastronomic tourism activities in Spain amounts to 22.7 billion euros, with over 16 million tourists engaging in some type of tourism activity related to gastronomy. The IV Report on Demand for Gastronomic Tourism in Spain (2022) reveals that 86% of Spanish travelers have taken at least one gastronomic trip in the last two years, and that gastronomic tourists spend 30% more on restaurants and gastronomic activities than regular tourists.
Aragonese food industry: This sector constitutes the second largest industry in Aragón, with a turnover of approximately 11 billion euros and exports exceeding 3.713 billion euros. In 2024, it generated direct employment for 20,500 workers according to social security affiliation data.
The initiative aims to offer a new way to discover Aragón through its agro-food production, using tourism as a vehicle to share truly flavorful foods from the Aragonese territory.
