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Castro Urdiales, July 5, 2025 – WAYS, the pioneering digital platform for regenerative tourism on the Camino de Santiago, officially presents the new Northern Coastal Way module within its WAYS Journeys app.

This launch represents a decisive step toward improving the pilgrim experience on one of the most spectacular and challenging routes of the Camino, while also boosting the local economy and cultural cohesion in the communities that travel it.

The project has had the strategic support of the Spanish Federation of Friends of the Camino de Santiago , as well as the active collaboration of the Association of Pilgrims for Cantabria and the Group of Associations of the Northern Routes , ensuring a shared vision and strong territorial roots.

WAYS had already demonstrated the potential of its application on the French Way, and is now scaling its technology to meet the specific needs of travelers on the Northern Coastal Way, integrating innovations such as:

• Advanced planning and navigation system with customizable routes, the ability to choose between alternatives and forks.
• Geolocalized and multilingual cultural content (Spanish, English, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian) to enrich the international traveler's experience.
• E-commerce platform for local products and experiences that connects pilgrims with producers and artisans from the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia.
• Blockchain-based Pilgrim Tokens , which are earned by walking and connecting with culture and communities and reward hospitality and sustainable practices.
• Crowdfunding of local projects , which allows pilgrims to directly support accessibility, heritage conservation, and living culture initiatives.
  

This launch also coincides with a symbolic year: the tenth anniversary of the declaration of the Northern Routes as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO , a milestone that reinforces the importance of preserving and revitalizing this historic and cultural route.

“The Northern Coastal Way is a cultural and natural gem that deserved a specific effort to digitize and promote it,” said María Parga , WAYS spokesperson. “With this module, we are not only making the route more accessible and contributing to its international promotion, but we are also demonstrating the scalability of WAYS to other Cultural Routes around the world.”

For his part, Valeriano Teja Oruña , president of the Northern Ways Associations Group , emphasized: “This new WAYS module helps us show the world the richness of our territories and ensure that pilgrims have an authentic, sustainable experience that is deeply connected to our communities.”

WAYS invites pilgrims, associations, and lovers of the Camino de Santiago to discover the new module by downloading the WAYS Journeys app and joining a conscious, inclusive, and regenerative tourism model.