Oñati is a historic and monumental village that offers visitors a wide variety of cultural and natural attractions. Oñati is located in the southwest of the province of Guipúzcoa, in the Basque Country in Spain.
The village is surrounded by mountains and valleys and belongs to the Alto Deba, a region with a strong cultural and linguistic identity. Around 65% of the population is Basque-speaking and in some municipalities, the use of Basque exceeds 90%. Alto Deba is also a region with a rich gastronomy, based on local products such as Idiazabal cheese, talo, cider, and txakoli.
Oñati has developed a sustainable and inclusive tourism model and is committed to development based on the integration, experience, and cooperation of all tourism agents. It has placed the value of its cultural and natural heritage on the Basque Country’s tourism scene and has created responsible and committed tourism products capable of attracting a tourist profile that seeks authenticity and sustainable experiences.
Another impressive site is the old quarter, where you can enjoy buildings such as the Sancti Spiritus University, the church of San Miguel, the monastery of Bidaurreta or the palaces of Antia, Madinabeitia and Baruekua. You can also admire the landscape of the Oñati Valley, surrounded by mountains and caves, and visit the famous sanctuary of Arantzazu, a jewel of contemporary art.
Oñati is an ideal tourist destination for lovers of history, art, gastronomy, and nature.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Smart Tourist Destination
Oñati together with the Community of Municipalities of Debagoiena is working on the implementation of the Smart Tourist Destination model developed by SEGITTUR (Spanish Ministry of Tourism), the aim of which is to become a Smart Tourist Destination.
A multidisciplinary working group has been set up, with the participation of agents from both the tourism and other sectors that have a direct impact on this sector, to work on five aspects: governance, innovation, technology, sustainability and accessibility.
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Support for Entrepreneurs
Oñati’s Strategic Subsidy Plan lists the subsidies it grants from its different areas, and tourism is among them.
On one hand, it provides grants for the promotion of new companies (with less than 10 workers) or to give continuity to an existing activity, which is very common in the tourism sector. On the other hand, the Council has a Socio-economics department where tourism and employment work together in advising SMEs, new businesses and/or socially vulnerable people, for their social integration, and to advocate for equal opportunities.
Turismo Oñati offers training courses and incorporates sustainability and innovation in tourism. The courses cover areas such as business models, sustainable cities, transforming ideas into innovation projects, transforming ideas into innovation projects, introducing to European R&D programs, etc.
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Governance and Sustainability
One of the pillars of the Oñati Tourism Sustainability Plan is to structure a roadmap for the tourism sector. Oñati is a clear example of self-sufficiency (water, electricity, telecommunications) and works on clean energy with the capacity to produce renewable energy for 77% of its local consumption. It has also created a local telecommunications operator to provide the town with digital infrastructure.
The Oñati Tourism Sustainability Plan 2021-2025 in its 5 axes includes programmes and actions for tourism planning and development; awareness-raising, rural area transport, park and ride facilities... All of them agreed with 60 participants from the sector and the local population.
Oñati is integrated into different Basquetour networks, gastronomic clubs, family tourism and accessible tourism. It also participates in collaborative actions: Oñati-Arrikrutz LURPEA Caves and the Association of Spanish Tourist Caves and in the Natura Network with the Aizkorri Natural Park and the Geoaizkorri geotourism project.
