2018 | SAN SEBASTIÁN, SPAIN
The 7th Annual Meeting of the World Surf Cities Network (WSCN) took place on November 22nd and 23rd, 2018, at the Talen House Meeting Room in Donostia / San Sebastián (Spain).
The meeting was organized by Fomento de San Sebastián, the city's economic development agency, and brought together delegations from 12 member cities across four continents.
Cities Present
Participants:
Arica
Donostia / San Sebastián
Durban
Ericeira
Gold Coast
Huanchaco
Montañita
New Plymouth
Santos
Viana do Castelo
Viña del Mar
The cities of Newcastle and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria did not participate.
New Member Cities
During the meeting, the entry of Viña del Mar (Chile) as a new member city of the network was officially approved.
The candidacy was submitted by Jorge Oliva, president of the Viña Surf Club and executive member of the Chilean Surf Federation.
Viña del Mar stands out for its sporting and cultural history, and for its municipal commitment to the development of surfing as an economic and social tool.
Network Objectives and Structure
The meeting reaffirmed the principles and objectives of the WSCN, namely:
To promote surfing as an engine for the economic, social, and cultural development of cities;
To facilitate the sharing of best practices, research and innovation;
Strengthen cooperation between local surfing communities;
To create methods for evaluating the economic impact of surfing and to improve beach governance.
The network maintained its operational structure with four work areas:
Economic Development – San Sebastián
Environment – Ericeira
Social & Surf – Durban
Marketing – New Plymouth
Review of the 2017–2018 Annual Plan
During the sessions, progress made in the four work areas was evaluated, with particular emphasis on:
Creation of functional working groups, with annual action plans;
Greater political involvement — presence of 4 mayors and 2 city councilors;
International promotion of the WSCN brand and strengthening of internal communication;
Contacts with potential new cities, such as San Diego (USA), Huntington Beach (USA) and Fortaleza (Brazil).
Main Projects and Cooperation
Economic Development
Creation of local business cooperation coordinators in several cities (Arica, Durban, Montañita, New Plymouth, Viana do Castelo and San Sebastián).
First WSCN Business Meeting, with the participation of 20 companies from the surf and tourism sector.
Of particular note is the Lifesavers project, between Gold Coast (Australia) and Arica (Chile), which has trained more than 30 lifeguards.
Santos-Arica partnership for training in adapted surfing and accessibility.
Environment
Presentation of the application process for Ericeira to become a World Surfing Reserve (WSR) and the resulting economic and tourism impacts.
Discussion about coastal management models and regulation of surf schools in cities such as San Sebastián, Arica, and the Gold Coast.
Social & Surf
Presentation of the International Surf Exchange (Durban) project, focused on youth integration and personal development.
The “One Grain of Sand” (Montañita) initiative, focused on raising environmental awareness and promoting plastic recycling.
The Women's Surf Project in Huanchaco focuses on empowering women through surfing.
(drive photo gallery)
Elections and Upcoming Meetings
Candidates for the 2019 General Assembly: Santos (Brazil), with alternatives Ericeira (Portugal) and Durban (South Africa).
Preliminary candidacy for 2020 : Montañita (Ecuador).
Network Expansion
New potential cities for future membership were presented:
Lima / Miraflores (Peru)
Salt flats (Ecuador)
San Diego (USA)
Montevideo (Uruguay)
The common goal defined was to increase the number of member cities and improve integration mechanisms.
Final Conclusions
Unanimous approval of the creation of the WSCN Strategic Plan, led by John Nielsen (Gold Coast);
Strengthening cooperation between cities, with new exchange projects;
Commitment to reintegrate Newcastle and Las Palmas into the network's activities;
Confirmation of the viability of Lacanau's (France) candidacy as a future member city;
The importance of the political and institutional presence of local authorities at the WSCN was emphasized.
The meeting had 44 participants and included international conferences, technical visits, and business networking sessions, reinforcing the global and collaborative dimension of the network.
Meeting Data
Location: San Sebastián (Spain)
Dates: November 22–23, 2018
Presidency: Donostia / San Sebastián (Spain)
Technical Secretariat: Development of San Sebastián
New Member Cities: Viña del Mar (Chile)
Cities Represented: 12
Participants: 44
Central theme: Review of the 2017–2018 Annual Plan and creation of the WSCN Strategic Plan.