The Santa Barbara Mining Trail has received a highly prestigious recognition in the international hiking and slow tourism scene, winning the Global Choice Award from Komoot, the world's largest outdoor platform with approximately 50 million users. The award, which the Santa Barbara Mining Trail Foundation dedicated to the memory of Giampiero Pinna , founder and former president of the Trail, was presented to Andrea Tarozzi , director of the administrative area, and his colleague Roberto Rossi , Komoot campaign coordinator, during a ceremony held during the CMT in Stuttgart, the most important international trade fair dedicated to tourism, leisure, and the outdoors.
Awarded for the first time to a Camino, the Global Choice Award is the result of a global consultation held in December 2025, which saw the Santa Barbara Mining Trail emerge from six internationally renowned finalists: Tourspain, the Municipality of Genoa, Trans Canada Trail (Canada), GT 20 Bike (Corsica), and Sauerland-Höhenflug (Germany). A distinctive feature of the award is its strong participatory value: not a technical jury, but the Komoot community expressed their preference, recognizing the Santa Barbara Mining Trail as an authentic, engaging experience capable of narrating the region through the journey.
The award recognizes a unique project: a circular route of over 500 kilometers in southwestern Sardinia, which crosses landscapes of extraordinary variety between Sulcis Iglesiente, Arburese and Guspinese, touching abandoned mining villages, historic mines, ancient forests, silent countryside and coastal stretches of rare beauty. In the two-year period 2024-2025 the Path has
approximately 40,000 overnight stays were recorded, with a 30% increase in 2025 compared to 2024. The international presence is also constantly growing, particularly among tourists from Germany.
The Camino is complemented by the CMSB Cycle Path, which largely overlaps with the pedestrian route, and the " Sentieri del Carignano " project, which combines slow tourism, landscape, mining history, and ungrafted viticulture. This route goes beyond hiking, becoming a living narrative of community, work, and identity, making a concrete contribution to the revitalization of the region. It is part of a growing international interest in Sardinia, chosen as a " Top Destination 2026" by Lonely Planet.
In the official citation for the award, Komoot emphasizes how the Camino has won over the community thanks in part to its dedicated Collection, which faithfully reproduces the official route and provides practical tools for planning the trip, making the experience accessible, exciting, and truly usable.
The Santa Barbara Mining Trail Foundation is deeply satisfied, viewing the award as a collective and strategic achievement. Mauro Usai, President of the Santa Barbara Mining Trail Foundation, stated: "This award represents further affirmation of the Santa Barbara Mining Trail, but above all, it is recognition for the communities through which hikers and cyclists pass, who bring it to life every day with patient, shared work, and collaborative efforts. The Global Choice Award confirms the validity of our approach: offering slow, sustainable, and profound tourism, capable of combining walking, knowledge, and human connection. The Santa Barbara Mining Trail demonstrates that it is possible to showcase a destination in an authentic, credible, and contemporary way, even through digital marketing."
For its tenth anniversary, the Santa Barbara Mining Trail has chosen to transform the award into an opportunity for sharing, giving back to the true protagonists of this success: the hikers. To celebrate the Global Choice Award and thank the community that believed in the project, the CMSB Foundation is offering 2,000 nights at the symbolic cost of 10 euros in participating inns and accommodations along the trail. The initiative will be available during two ideal periods for experiencing the trail in a slow and authentic way— from February 10 to June 10 and from September 10 to December 10, 2026 —with vouchers available starting January 26 .
A concrete gesture that reflects the spirit of the Santa Barbara Mining Trail: a project born in the local area, growing thanks to the communities, and continuing to walk alongside people, transforming an international award into an open invitation to take up the journey.
