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Españolita

Located in the centre of Spain’s gastronomic and cultural heritage, Españolita offers immersive experiences that honour the best of Spanish artistry, cuisine and culture while bridging the gap between tradition and modernity. What began as a simple desire to spread Spanish culture abroad has evolved into a ground-breaking initiative that strengthens relationships between tourists, artisans and cultural custodians.

Carmen Ruiz de Huidobro was born and raised in Madrid. After completing an international business degree, she studied at the Parsons School of Design in New York. Over the years, Carmen Ruiz de Huidobro has worked as an assistant to the art director and as a set designer for films, music videos and commercials. After settling in Los Angeles in 2008, her travelling experiences and starting a family left her yearning for a closer connection to her heritage and creating a platform for her vision. With Españolita, she expresses a unique sense of “Spanishness” through food, artisans and soulful places, inviting others on their own journeys of discovery.

In 2012, after spending over six years in the United States, Carmen began sharing Spanish culture through food. With market stalls in Los Angeles, she attracted a loyal clientele who craved authentic gazpacho, jamón, manchego and paella. As her passion grew, she shared her travels and stories online, inspiring friends and followers who yearned to experience Spain first-hand. In 2017, this enthusiasm was released in the form of retreats that offer visitors a deep insight into the culinary and artisanal traditions of Spain.

These Mediterranean retreats offer curated itineraries that weave together Spain’s diverse cultural landscape. Most guests come from the United States to explore the country beyond its tourist facade. Through strategic collaborations with boutique hotels, cultural institutions and local experts, Españolita puts together exclusive experiences that highlight the country’s vibrant heritage. Working with historians, landowners, farmers and artisans whom it describes as “guardians of heritage” the initiative seeks to contribute to a sustainable and regenerative tourism model that benefits the environment, the economy and society.

Españolita is now evolving into what its founder calls a “laboratory for heritage”, a think tank and creative workshop dedicated to rediscovering primitive craftsmanship and culinary techniques. This transformation represents a deeper commitment to cultural preservation, prioritising education and artistic exploration over conventional hospitality.

The project has always been rooted in local collaboration. Seeking out and promoting regenerative initiatives is at the heart of Españolita’s mission to ensure that the voices and traditions of small artisans and farmers receive the recognition they deserve. By telling their stories and integrating them into unique travel experiences, Españolita fosters an exchange that benefits both the traveller and the local community.

Tourism in Spain has long been dominated by mass, seasonal models that often overlook the richness of the country’s cultural fabric. Españolita stands in contrast to this, advocating a regenerative approach that not only preserves but also revitalises traditional knowledge and skills. The retreat is a reminder of the importance of preserving ancestral techniques to ensure that future generations can continue to learn from the past.

A pivotal moment for Españolita came in 2017 with the launch of the first retreat. Seeing guests immerse themselves in the experience and forge deep connections with the culture and people confirmed the vision of transformative travel. This week-long trip proved that immersive experiences can not only change the traveller’s perspective, but also have a meaningful, positive impact on local communities.

Reflecting on the challenges of regenerative tourism, the founder acknowledges that it remains a niche market, particularly in Spain, where decades of standardised mass tourism have left a lasting mark. Nevertheless, she is not discouraged. The more she travels and learns, the more convinced she becomes of humanity’s shared creative heritage, a common thread that links past and present and offers a way forward in an age of rapid technological change and alienation.

When asked for advice, her answer is simple yet profound: “Dale! Poco a poco.” Passion and patience are the keys to meaningful and lasting change.

When Españolita looks to the future, her message is clear: sustainability is no longer enough. The only way forward is through regenerative tourism: tourism that restores, teaches and honours the cultural and natural richness of the places we visit.

The ENFORCE journey ended with its final Transnational Project Meeting in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, hosted by the Agricultural University of Plovdiv. The meeting marked the official wrap-up of our partnership’s three-year collaboration.

As part of our regenerative experience, partners explored Plovdiv’s local heritage through a curated wine and cheese tasting, an authentic celebration of place, tradition, and community. A walking tour through the city’s historical heart connected us to its stories and landscapes.

The meeting also served as a moment for reflection and planning. Partners reviewed all project outcomes, evaluated the impact of our activities, and laid out concrete steps for post-project sustainability.

Just after our in-person meeting, we hosted the ENFORCE International Online Conference: an open event that brought together tourism professionals, educators, and policy-makers across Europe. 

While this is our final TPM, the ENFORCE spirit lives on in the stories we’ve shared, the tools we’ve created, and the communities we’ve helped connect. Thank you to all who’ve joined us on this regenerative journey!

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The Enforce project partners met in the Slovenian city of Ljubljana on 30 and 31 May. Hosted by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (CCIS), the meeting was carefully organised and offered participants a mix of business talks and leisure activities.

Two regenerative experiences were at the centre of the meeting. These immersive sessions allowed partners to recharge their creative batteries and better connect with the city. You can find the two experiences on the map!

The next steps centred around the next steps of the project, which equipped the team and partners with the necessary tools to continue working on Enforce. The Enforce journey continues and the partners are determined to deliver results of the highest quality.

Project partners met in Aveiro on the 14th and 15th of September 2023. It was the perfect opportunity to visit the destination with regenerative glasses on, to understand its many assets but also some of the challenges the destination is facing. Face to face project meetings always provide the partners with the unique opportunity to learn about the work of the hosting partner and get valuable insights about the destination. In this case partners were hosted by the dedicated team of management and tourism professionals of the University of Aveiro who shared a wealth of insights about a city that was new to many of the participants.

The Enforce project is well on track when it comes to the project work plan, which means that after having completed the Best Practice collection of innovative examples about storytelling for regeneration and also the Storyteller’s Guide, partners used the meeting to discuss the development of the Enforce Training Programme.

For the next few months partners will be working on developing the content in line with guidelines provided by the University of Usak, our project partner from Turkey.
The course should be available for piloting in January/February 2024 and will also be available in the partner languages once all translations are finalised.

The ENFORCE team met in the beautiful city of Luxembourg for its kick-off meeting. It took place at the premises of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg (also known as CCIL), which opened its doors to warmly welcome all partners.

The team was aware of the importance of this first meeting and approached it with the same enthusiasm, as it plays an important role in building strong bonds that will contribute to the success of the entire cooperation. With the common goal of building a solid foundation, the participants discussed in depth the first steps required for the project ENFORCE.

During this visit, the project objectives were discussed in depth to ensure that each partner has a comprehensive understanding of the overarching goals. The outcome of the kick-off meeting was extremely satisfying for all partners and generated enthusiasm among the team. It was a success and left everyone inspired and energised.

The journey of ENFORCE has officially begun and with the collective expertise of the committed partners, there is no doubt that it will thrive and achieve remarkable results.

Enforce

“The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein”

Project N: 2022-1-LU01-KA220-VET-000089887

© 2025 Enforce Project

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