The Basque Country launches its first virtual reality experience on its tourism portal

- This initiative has taken industrial tourism and turned it into an immersive experience

The three resources selected are 2 anchor points – in other words, 2 of the resources certified by the ERIH (European Route of Industrial Heritage) as of special interest – and the third is the Bizkaia Transporter Bridge, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

- Añana Salt Flats: The Salt Valley is one of Europe's most striking natural and cultural landscapes, dating back over 7,500 years of history; it is immersed in a restoration process and has been recognised on numerous occasions, including the ERIH anchor point certification in 2019.   The virtual reality experience plunges us into one of the oldest salt factories in the world and its restored sustainability. 

- Basque Railway Museum: You will discover the emotion of travelling on a real steam train as you learn about the history of railway transport over 150 years.  This unique museum has over sixty restored and functioning vehicles, including steam trains, tramways and trolleybuses, to experience the emotion of travelling on a genuine train from another era. 

- Bizkaia Transporter Bridge: Cross the Bilbao River Estuary at over 45 metres high on the world's first metal transporter bridge, located at the mouth of the River Ibaizabal and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Thanks to the virtual platform, users can be immersed in the most industrial Basque Country, visiting its most iconic aspects as if they were there.

Boosting industrial tourism is one of the strategic core areas of the Basque Government's Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Consumers to preserve our fundamental industrial legacy to understand today's Basque Country. Furthermore, it is a driving force to attract visitors and to bolster the sustainable tourism strategy, as it contributes to making tourism less dependent on seasonal factors, the distribution of visitor flows to areas with a lower tourist tradition, and local development.

For more information and access to experience: 

https://turismo.euskadi.eus/euskadi-virtual/

https://turismoa.euskadi.eus/euskadi-birtuala/