With the wonderful Canigó mountain in the background, Empúries nearby, and the sea before us, L'Escala is setting the course for respectful and sustainable tourism.
A Bronze Little Prince perched atop a stone wall observes one of the world's most beautiful bays, with his companion the fox nearby. Even the rose imagined by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry stretches towards the sea. We are at Passeig de Riells in L'Escala, a town with its roots proudly in the sea that is welcoming to travelers who come here.
L’Escala has been working alongside other towns in the Bay of Roses to promote sustainable and responsible tourism under the Quality Tourism and Responsible Tourism Guidelines that give both suggestions and demands. The town has great facilities, a vast cultural offering, and tidy landscapes with the sea always nearby. The guidelines also demand that visitors keep respect in mind and make their trips as sustainable as possible while enjoying the Planasses Natural Park’s dunes, pine forests, and cliffs, engaging in local commerce, and discovering the town's history and legends.
Did you know that the local Juhé bakery won the World's Best Xuixo pastry award? Or that the Salt Festival pays homage the town's fishermen and salt harvesters in September? Or that Caterina Albert, the illustrious writer behind the name Victor Català, was from L'Escala? Or that you can see the fish auction at the Maram Fish Interpretation Center?
This series of ten recommendations reinforces town planning that seeks to turn L'Escala into a sustainable destination to enjoy all year long. The town is working on recycling projects to eliminate plastics and visitors are invited to walk or pedal along the pedestrian trails and bike paths. The circular economy also supports local fishing and culinary traditions. Regarding environmental policy, the algae around la Roca del Cargol and the seagrass in Montgó Cove are being preserved, strong indicators of seawater quality. Children also participate in caring for the area by visiting nautical sites and discovering the town's parks.
Passion for dry stone walling and the seabed
L’Escala forms part of the Maritime Towns and Neighborhoods network and has attracted private initiatives that believe in education and sharing. This work is supported by the Center for L'Escala Studies, which explains the origin and uses of dry stone walling, declared a Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO. Another example is the professionals who turned the Anton, a 12-meter ship used during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, into an authentic nature classroom. By day it sails around the bay conducting an ambitious citizen science project: the pillars of marine biology and underwater archaeology are explained and its marine activities contribute to easing people’s footprint on the planet.
With so many people sharing their passion and enthusiasm with us, it's easy to be seduced and join in to care for what we have. "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important," said the fox to the Little Prince.
