The Councilor for Culture of the City Council of Tomelloso, Inés Losa, has today reported on the status of the process for the declaration of the Pilgrimage in honor of the Virgin of the Vines as a National Tourist Interest Festival, a long-awaited aspiration for the city that the current government team is promoting with rigor and commitment.
«Although we are immersed in the great days of Holy Week, and the most important thing now is to participate and celebrate the Passion of the Lord, we cannot overlook that another essential moment for Tomelloso is approaching: our Pilgrimage in honor of the Virgin of the Vines,» Losa pointed out. «Aware of this, and following the will of our mayor, Javier Navarro, the government team has been working responsibly and diligently in recent months so that this festival, so ours, so lively and so deeply rooted, can be recognized for what it already is in the hearts of our people, a National Tourist Interest Festival.»
The councilor explained that the City Council is strictly following the Order that regulates the declaration of national and international tourist interest festivals, a regulation that was not followed by the previous government team. In compliance with this order, an explanatory memorandum has been prepared by the University of Castilla-La Mancha, which details the origin, history, and antiquity of the pilgrimage, celebrated continuously since 1944. This document highlights the cultural nature of the festival, its significance in the locality, and its tourist appeal, emphasizing the uniqueness, originality, and diversity of the events that make it up.
Website and national media
Among the actions taken, Losa highlighted the launch of a dissemination plan that includes a website, which is almost finalized and will be presented in the coming days. «We want this website to be a true gateway to our pilgrimage: an informative space about the festival and the program of activities, but also a showcase of the tourist and cultural resources that Tomelloso offers in service to this celebration,» she stated. The website will prominently feature all the entities involved in the pilgrimage, especially the Virgin of the Vines Brotherhood.
The plan also includes a specific communication line in national media, both through organic publications and through advertising actions, including articles and advertorials. Additionally, a press trip to the 2025 Pilgrimage is planned, gathering journalists specializing in tourism, travel, culture, and traditions, so they can deeply understand the pilgrimage and convey its value to a wide audience.
Commission
To coordinate all this work, the City Council has established a Commission for the Declaration of the Pilgrimage as a National Tourist Interest Festival, composed of municipal representatives, the Virgin of the Vines Brotherhood, cart associations, and folk groups. This commission represents the shared commitment to preserve and project a tradition that is a symbol of unity, identity, and pride for Tomelloso.
«We encourage all the entities and individuals who participate and bring the pilgrimage to life to engage in this process. Because together, we can place it where it deserves to be: as a national reference. Because there is no more powerful amplifier than a town that believes in its own. Because this pilgrimage is not explained: it is felt, it is walked, it is shared. And because in Tomelloso, when we go hand in hand, there is no goal that we cannot achieve. Because this pilgrimage is part of who we are. It is living memory, it is prayer and celebration, it is a carriage of history and a heart of promise. And if today we ask for it to be recognized as a National Tourist Interest Festival, it is not out of vanity, but out of love: love for a tradition that beats strongly every April, that unites generations under the same sky, and that carries the name of Tomelloso wherever it is sung and remembered. Thank you for accompanying us. Thank you for believing. And thank you, above all, for feeling,» the councilor concluded.