Rediscovering the Holy LandThe signing of the agreement took place at the Spanish Embassy at Headquarters in the Italian capital. José Luis Montesino-Espartero, Director of Institutional Business at Banco Sabadell, highlighted in his speech "the commitment of Banco Sabadell with this segment through facts, highlighting several pioneering projects in Spain such as the digitization of the Church through digital almoners, the launching together with the Francisco de Vitoria University of the first specialized financial course for religious entities and the Third Sector and now this latest agreement with El Corte Inglés travel. All this promoted from the direction of Religious Institutions and the Third Sector".
Precisely Rome and Vatican City, with the Pope, canonizations and places as attractive as the Sistine Chapel, without forgetting the World Youth Days or World Meetings of the Family; the Holy Land (Jerusalem); Marian pilgrimage centers such as Lourdes (France), Mexico City (Virgin of Guadalupe), or Fatima (Portugal); Santiago de Compostela and its Camino de Santiago, and so many Spanish destinations; or to mention some non-Catholic ones, Varanasi (India), or Mecca (Saudi Arabia), are points of great attraction in the world, which are gaining new prominence in these times.
Economic boost to tourism
Santiago Portas, director of the IIRR and Third Sector Segment at Banco de Sabadell and promoter of the project, said at the event: "this agreement that we have formalized with Viajes el Corte Ingles to facilitate the reactivation of travel to religious destinations is aimed at our customers, particularly dioceses, orders and congregations, their works and communities. All of them will be able to benefit from excellent conditions from one of the largest operators with the best service to travelers in Spain. We also hope that this reactivation will be an economic boost for foreign and domestic tourism, thus helping to recover normality and the pre-pandemic transit in a strategic sector for our country".
El Corte Inglés travel experience
"For us it is a great honor to collaborate with the realization of this event, contributing our experience in the world of travel, disseminating and making known to our travelers and pilgrims the important Cultural and Religious Heritage through our routes," said Juan José Legarreta, general manager of corporate travel and MICE of Viajes El Corte Inglés.
"As experts in the organization and creation of trips adapted to each segment, we offer personalized accompaniment to respond to the needs of any ecclesial reality of schools, congregations and parishes, as well as in their most relevant events, from a World Youth Day to a canonization," added Juan José Legarreta.
"Viajes El Corte Inglés has a division in this area with a team of experts who work every day to design specialized routes that combine culture, history and the extensive wealth of monuments in places of worship," the executive added. "It was the official agency for the World Youth Days in 2011 in Madrid and has been present in the organization of numerous diocesan pilgrimages, world meetings of families and canonizations, to bring culture and religious heritage to our pilgrims".
In addition, the group has organized large meetings in collaboration with the Spanish Episcopal Conference and dioceses, actively participating in the dissemination of Jubilee Years that enhance the historical wealth and the Cultural and Religious Heritage. It is also important to highlight its work accompanying the different volunteers of the different Lourdes Hospitallers in Spain.
Preferential conditions for Sabadell customers
The agreement makes available to "Banco de Sabadell customers preferential conditions and services for travel to religious destinations and pilgrimages through Viajes el Corte Inglés, one of the most important operators in our country. Banco de Sabadell is the fourth largest Spanish financial group and one of the financial institutions with the greatest presence in these groups," stressed its executives. "It also has an extensive range of products and services that is complemented by other non-financial and value-added products and services for its customers, an offer built on a close relationship and listening to their needs, attending to them in an "artisanal" way with the intention of continuing to strengthen long-term relationships with a group that highly values these initiatives".
Rediscovering the Holy Land
