The 10th Annual Meeting of the World Surf Cities Network (WSCN) took place on December 13 and 14, 2021, organized by the city of Miraflores (Peru), through its Prefecture and Department of Sports, and held in digital format via Zoom due to the international restrictions still in place.

The meeting was attended by 13 member cities, bringing together 30 representatives including mayors, municipal technicians and surfing agents, and marked an essential step in the implementation of the new WSCN Strategic Plan 2021–2024.

Cities Present

• Arica

• Donostia–San Sebastián

• Ericeira

• Gold Coast

• Huanchaco

• Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

• Miraflores

• Montañita & Salinas

• New Plymouth

• Santos

• Viana do Castelo

• Viña del Mar

The network also benefited from the technical coordination of Fomento de San Sebastián (Spain).

Meeting Objectives and Context

The main objective of the meeting was:

• To consolidate the new WSCN Strategic Plan, approved in 2020, through the creation and monitoring of Working Committees;

• To evaluate the actions developed during 2021 in the four fundamental areas of the network: Management, Economic Development, Environment, and Surf & Social;

• To present best practices and results from cities, focusing on the themes of sustainability, innovation, inclusion, and cooperation;

• Define the objectives and the next annual meeting (2022).

Management and Governance

The year 2021 marked the practical implementation of the network's new governance model, through the coordination of four Working Committees, led by different cities:

• Governance: Arica (Chile)

• Cities: Viana do Castelo (Portugal)

• Global Performance Index (GPI): Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain)

• Network Offer: Donostia–San Sebastián (Spain)

Eleven working sessions were held, with the active participation of Arica, Ericeira, Las Palmas, Miraflores, Salinas, San Sebastián, Viana do Castelo and Viña del Mar, which contributed to the development of the operational instruments of the new plan.

Marketing and Communication

• Launch of the new official WSCN website, with updated content, videos, projects, and city profiles.

• Publication of the first global newsletter, featuring news from the cities and disseminating best practices to local surfing communities.

• The WSCN image was promoted at multiple surfing events held in member cities.

Economic Development

Throughout 2021, several cities organized cooperation and economic promotion initiatives related to surfing:

• Arica (Chile): Active Tourism Business Meeting and International Congress on Tourism and Cultural Heritage, with participation from Mafra (Portugal).

• Miraflores (Peru): Organization of the Sport Summit, an international congress on sport and innovation, with delegations from Arica in attendance.

• Ericeira (Portugal): Organization of the Surfonomic Conferences, celebrating 10 years of the World Surfing Reserve, with debates on economics, tourism and sustainability.

• Surf Clube de Viana (Portugal): Received STOKE “Best Practice Level” certification, becoming the first sustainable surf school in Portugal.

• Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: Development of post-pandemic health protocols and common coastal signage for cities in the network.

Environment

• Ericeira: WSR+10 Project, with the goal of creating healthy and sustainable communities through surfing and outdoor activities.

• Las Palmas: Cooperation between the City Council and the Las Canteras surf schools to manage the shared use of the beach during the summer.

• San Sebastián: Launch of the Surf EcoInnovation competition, to promote sustainable materials and processes in the surf industry.

• Ericeira, Lacanau and Viana: Hosting of an international conference on surfing and sustainability, with the participation of 12 delegations.

Sports and Social

• Viana do Castelo: Organization of the Surfing Viana D'Agonia event, with 51 athletes in six categories, including adapted surfing.

• Lacanau (France): The See Surf association organized four surfing sessions for visually impaired people.

• Santos (Brazil): The public school Santos Radical Surf School celebrated its 30th anniversary, having already benefited more than 32,000 students, including people with disabilities.

• Arica: Undertook a Technology Tour to Las Palmas, for an exchange of knowledge about technologies applied to surfing and the management of international events.

Best Practices and Innovation

• Miraflores and El Salvador signed a cooperation agreement on surf tourism and the organization of international competitions.

• Fomento de San Sebastián held webinars for companies about sustainable materials for surfboards.

• Ericeira has made e-learning training available on sustainability and responsible surfing.

Upcoming Meetings

The following applications for future annual meetings were submitted and approved:

• 2022: Salt Flats (Ecuador)

• 2023: Viana do Castelo (Portugal)

• 2024: Arica (Chile)

Final Conclusions

The 2021 Digital Annual Meeting was considered a landmark strategic transition in WSCN's history.

The cities recognized the value of the new Strategic Plan as a common guide and committed to:

• To continue implementing the proposals from the Working Committees;

• Strengthen intermunicipal cooperation;

• Implement the Global Performance Index (GPI);

• To consolidate the network's identity and communication.

The meeting concluded with a message of optimism and unity, reaffirming the collective commitment to using surfing as an instrument for sustainable development, inclusion, and innovation.

Meeting Data

• Location: Miraflores, Peru (digital format)

• Dates: December 13–14, 2021

• Organized by: Miraflores City Council

• Presidency: Donostia–San Sebastián (Spain)

• Technical Secretariat: Development of San Sebastián

• Participating Cities: 13

• Central Theme: Implementation of the new WSCN Strategic Plan (2021–2024)

• Next Meeting: Salinas, Ecuador (2022)