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January 2010 Newsletter News, events and updates from the For further information please contact the press department at the Spanish Tourist Office Tel: 020 7317 2040 Email: press.london@tourspain.es Or alternatively, visit the Spanish Tourist Office website at www.spain.info/uk |
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| New Hotels and Developments | ||
Hesperia Lanzarote Hesperia Lanzarote is a new five star hotel on a seafront location in Lanzarote. It is positioned next to the exclusive Puerto Calero yacht harbour, a prestigious and ‘gastronomic’ area of the island. The hotel features over 300 rooms and suites along with 4 swimming pools, 9 meeting rooms and 4 restaurants – including fine dining at the sea-fronted La Caleta. It’s also the first hotel in Lanzarote with hotel-wide free WiFi. |
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Paradores in Spain showcase a ‘hotel museum’ As part of the development and promotion of Paradores in Spain, Santo Estevo, a former 10th century monastery in Orense, will be the first hotel ‘museum’ in Spain. Tours will enable visitors to learn about the history, art and legend of the monastery and its surrounds. It will incorporate 77 rooms. |
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The Iberostar Grand Hotel Salomé, Tenerife A new 5 star boutique hotel is about to open in Costa Adeje, Tenerife – The Grand Hotel Salome. Positioned between the stunning beaches of Duque and Fañabe, it lies just 25 metres from the sea. |
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Las Casas de la Judería, Córdoba City Córdoba city will see a new 5 star hotel for 2010. As part of the Casa y Palacios de Espania chain, Las Casas de la Judería’s design will be in-keeping with the city’s famous architecture and cultural heritage. |
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Casa Olea – boutique B & B in Andalucía Casa Olea is a traditional Andalucian cortijo (farmhouse) with a touch of luxury: under-floor heating, super-king sized beds, Egyptian cotton bedding, and swimming pool. It features 6 double bedrooms with luxury bathrooms and a log fire in the lounge. Surrounded by nature - from eagles to olive groves - it also offers a range of fully-researched, self-guide walking and mountain bike routes (including mountain bike hire). Families and groups have the option of renting the entire house with full catering if required. |
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5 star luxury for Málaga City Vincci Seleccion Posada del Patio will be the first 5 star hotel in Málaga city. Its opening is planned for March 2010, marking further investment in environmentally sound tourism projects. The hotel utilises two formerly derelict buildings –one of which is a former hotel. Vincci Seleccion Posada del Patio has 101 rooms and suites; a library; meeting space with capacity for 300 guests; and a swimming pool. It will be the third Vincci hotel in the province and marks further investment in Malaga where hotel beds have increased from 3,766 in 2003 to 6,712 in 2008. |
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| Hotel News | ||
Hotel Botánico honoured by ITR Hotel Botánico in Tenerife is one of the first hotels to be honoured by the Institute for Responsible Tourism (ITR) with the International Award for Sustainable Tourism for its responsible management based on the criteria of the United Nations Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council. Hotel Botánico is located in Puerto de la Cruz at the foot of Tenerife´s Mount Teide, one of the most characterful and fertile areas of the island, defined by great local culture and an impressive subtropical landscape. The hotel has been part of the Loro Parque Group since 1995, after which it was completely redesigned and renovated. |
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| Since 1998 it’s been a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and is currently the only official 5-star “Grand Luxe” hotel on the Canary Islands. Hotel Botánico has also been highly commended for its level of improvement achieved in the field of sustainability. | ||
Hotel Ferraro Located between the mountains of the Sierra de Mariola and owned by tennis player Juan Carlos Ferraro, the award-winning Hotel Ferraro has been upgraded to become a Relais Chateaux hotel. This 19th century farm has been converted into an elegant haven of peace. Each room has its own Jacuzzi and terrace. The innovative treatments in the spa and the pool with its azure blue reflections are the ideal setting to unwind in a tranquil atmosphere. Tennis enthusiasts will appreciate the lessons given by the personal trainers of Juan Carlos - a golden opportunity to improve your game. In the gourmet restaurant, avant-garde cuisine and a selection of more than 400 wines from all over the world are guarantee a voyage for all the senses. |
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More acclaim for Aire Bardenas A Navarre boutique hotel has won"The Best Small Hotel 2009 Award" from Miami’s Travel + Leisure magazine – as well as The Times declaring that "The future begins in Aire Bardenas”. This is a truly spectacular Spanish retreat, located in the middle of a wheat field next to the Bardenas Navarre Natural Park and just 3 km from Old Town Tudela. Aire Bardenas’ architecture and design (with glass, steel and wood cubes) has become a real talking point, winning 13 awards since its opening. |
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Barcelo chain success 3 hotels in the Barcelo chain have been voted by Conde Nast Traveller as among the best of Spain: Barcelo Asia Gardens (Alicante) won Best Resort and Best Spa Barcelo Sancti Petri (Cádiz) won Best Out of City Resort Barcelo la Bobadilla (Granada) also won Best Out of City Resort |
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Responsible tourism distinction for Sol Melia The Sol Melia chain of hotels and resorts has received a distinction from the UNESCO endorsed Responsible Tourism Institute. It has been awarded with the Best Hotel company in the biosphere award and this is the first time the award has been given to a group as opposed to individual hotel. It took more than 13 months for the Responsible Tourism Institute to check the credentials within The Sol Melia group (which encompasses over 100 brands). Sol Melia was awarded in all 3 cultural, social and environmental categories. The Responsible Tourism Institute is an independent group first created in 1995 and is a member of World Tourism Organisation. It has awarded more than 100 hotels in America and Europe. |
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| Airline updates | ||
Easyjet new routes Easyjet are offering 36 new routes for 2010 – many to Spain from the North of England. Destinations include Barcelona, Palma and Tenerife. Bristol to Tenerife launches March 2010. Doncaster to Barcelona and Palma launches April 2010. |
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Spanair Spanair, the second largest airline in Spain, is set to consolidate and move its operations from Palma de Mallorca to Barcelona. |
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Jet2.com new routes Jet2.com, has launched the first phase of its winter 2010/2011 schedule, with flights to Lanzarote and Tenerife now on sale. Routes now available include Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle to Lanzarote and Belfast, Blackpool, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle to Tenerife. The launch underlines Jet2.com’s commitment to its newest base, East Midlands Airport, with summer 2010 flights departing in May 2009. |
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Thomson to the Pyrenees Thomson Airways plan on a new flight route from Gatwick to Huesca Pyrenees - starting December 27 2009. Flights are expected to start from €194 + taxes. |
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And finally ... Carlos Muñoz, ex CEO of Vueling, is creating a similar new airline with the same team of entrepreneurs. |
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| News from Regions | ||
| Malaga | ||
Port Authority of Málaga The second phase of Málaga’s eastern passenger terminal started on November 20 2009, earlier than planned due to a significant increase in cruise traffic at the Port of Málaga. |
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| The whole project has seen a total investment of €15million and is expected to be ready by early 2011. |  |
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| It will then operate as two independent terminals. The existing terminal will receive passengers from the Southern berth. The second phase will receive passengers from the North. This will therefore facilitate two cruise ships operating at the same time. | ||
| The Port of Málaga is expecting to show an increase of around 40% of total cruise passengers in 2009 compared with 2008. A number of high profile vessels positioned their cruise ships at the Port of Málaga in 2009: ‘Navigator of the Seas’, ‘Grand Voyager’ and ‘Zenith’ all started and ended their itineraries at the port this autumn. | ||
AVE high speed trains 2009 saw the introduction of the AVE high-speed train which has reduced the journey time between Málaga and Madrid to just two and a half hours. |
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Cultural tourism in Málaga: Art Natura Málaga - set to entice the British family market Cultural tourism in Málaga is set to increase with the advent of an impressive new leisure complex by Autumn 2010. Art Natura Málaga (presented at WTM in London, Nov 09) will be unique in combining science, art, and gastronomy – as well as other events. |
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Art Natura Málaga is centrally located in the city, just ten minutes from Málaga International airport and five minutes from the high-speed AVE train station. It will encompass a number of museums, collections, activities and facilities – and is set to be one of a kind in the world. Its flagship attraction will be The Royal Collections – housing the largest collection of coloured stones in the world. In addition visitors will be offered gemstone workshops and craftsmen will who cut gemstones to fit pieces of jewelry. In addition the museum will contain two science museums: The Museum of Earth Sciences and The Museum of Life Sciences, both with highly original content including theme areas and state of the art technology. |
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| Art Natura Málaga will offer champagne and wine tastings; a number of restaurants and bars; educational facilities for children; ‘Babyland’ – a supervised creche; and incentive activities for corporate trips from the UK. It is hoped that Art Natura Málaga will attract both city break tourists as well as families staying on the Costa Del Sol. | ||
| Offers and info are online at www.art-natura.es | ||
| VALENCIA | ||
Valencia to host IGTM2010 Valencia will host next year’s edition of the International Golf Travel Market (IGTM), from 15-18 November 2010. More than 1400 people attended this year’s IGTM in Malaga. Next year’s event is expected to bring together over 450 golf tourism suppliers, with 300 high quality qualified tour operators and 140 international specialist media. |
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Time in Valencia The Valencia Region Tourist Board has created a new Inland Accommodation Club - Temps (meaning ‘time’ in Valencian). Temps will regulate and promote their country cottages, apartments, small hotels and B&Bs. |
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| The new guide features 36 country hotels and B&Bs along with 41 companies offering self-catering cottages and apartments, with details of prices, capacity and facilities in each one, plus contact details for reservations. The guide can be downloaded from the Valencia Region Tourist Board website: | ||
| www.comunitatvalenciana.com | ||
| CATALONIA | ||
Conferencing in PortAventura Costa Daurada’s PortAventura (which celebrates its 15th anniversary next year) is opening a new convention centre that will accomodate up to 4000 delegates. |
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| PortAventura is currently home to 4 hotels, 3 golf courses, 1 theme park, 1 water park, a beach club and 50 restaurants. The design of the new conferencing facilities incorporates plenty of light, open space, outside terraces and sea views. PortAventura is 1 hr from Barcelona International airport and train station | ||
| www.portaventura-be.com | ||
| The Balearics | ||
Disabled access improved A new Foundation – Handisport – aims to promote and facilitate tourism for disabled people in Majorca. It will integrate abled and less abled bodies through sporting events and tourism. Sports offered for disabled tourists include sailing; water-ski; diving; golf; hiking; and 4x4 routes. |
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| The new electric 4x4 vehicles used (funded by the Balearics and Calvia local governments) are called SuperFours and are 100% environmentally friendly. Very few have been produced and most others in the world are privately owned. www.handisportmallorca.org | ||
| The Canaries | ||
New cycle path A 205 km cycle path in Lanzarote will circumnavigate the island and is part of Spain’s ongoing ‘green’ commitment. Aimed at mountain bikers, with 6 different proficiency levels, maps are downloadable from www.lanzaroteapedales.com The project has been endorsed by Olympic cyclist Iñaki Lejarreta who co-operated with the plans and design. |
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Diving in Lanzarote The Archipielago Chinijo Dive Centre is the only dive centre located in the Marine Reserve, north of Lanzarote. It offers various different aquatic activities including scuba diving and jet skiing. |
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| Madrid |  |
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| From January 20-24 2010 Madrid will be the world’s travel and tourism capital city with the 30th annual FITUR conference for professionals in the trade. | ||
| Andalucia | ||
Nights visits to Cordoba’s Cathedral-Mosque Amongst the thousands of participating companies and exhibitors at FITUR 2010 will be Cordoba’s outstanding new tourist attraction: night visits to its Cathedral-Mosque. The night tour will include a ten-minute audiovisual presentation in the Orange Tree Courtyard with information on the building’s background and architecture. The initiative has been in development for the last 6 years. |
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A new look at impressionism... From 14 January – 22 April 2010 Fundación Mapfre in Madrid, will present a major art exhibition, including more than ninety impressionist paintings from the Musée D’Orsay in Paris. The exhibition will include celebrated works by the great artists of Impressionism - Manet, Monet, Degas, Cézanne and more - and will present a new way of looking at Impressionism by studying the full artistic spectrum of its period, something that has never before been attempted in an exhibition. Admission free. |
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| Alcante | ||
| In 2010 the Spanish region of Murcia will be presenting “La Manga’s Tourist Competitivity Plan”, designed to promote the nautical tourism in the region. | ||
| www.no-typical.tv is another tourist project; this is the first on-line television in the world, giving a new platform to tourist destinations and activities in the area. | ||
| Ryanair, Easyjet, Monarch and BMI Baby are amongst carriers who fly to San Javier Airport. | ||
Caravaca de la Cruz The city of Caravaca de la Cruz celebrates its jubilee year in 2010 with the town set to become a focal point for over 1 million pilgrims. Caravaca de la Cruz is considered to be the 5th Holy City in the world. The city will put on a host of activities and events across the year – and once again will be welcoming youth channel MTV for a music concert which will form an alternative more contemporary celebration of Caravaca Jubilar. Caravaca de la Cruz celebrates its jubilee every seven years, and its first (in 2003) was attended by the then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. |
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| Monfrague and Picos de Europa , two of Spain’s national parks, are to be extended in a €800,000 project. The new land in Monfrague is deemed to have extensive ecological value. A new €350,000 information centre in León’s Picos de Europa is also being built. |  |
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| Basque Country |  |
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| The Basque city of Vitoria is known for its natural parkland and greenery and til mid 2010 is offering free guided visits to the its environmental studies centre. It also aims to encourage visitors to utilise the circuit of green ‘paths’ around the city, blending rural and urban tourism. | ||
| Canaries | ||
| Gran Canaria is fast establishing itself as one of Europe’s leading wellness and medical tourism destinations. The Gran Canaria Spa, Wellness & Health Association has brought together a number of preeminent spas as well as medical and recuperation facilities to offer bespoke wellness and medical package holidays for UK travellers. | ||
| Famed for its healthy microclimate (averaging year round 24 degree temperatures) and its purifying natural mineral waters and indigenous Aloe Vera, Gran Canaria is offering the ‘perfect location’ in which to recuperate and rejuvenate. | ||
| The island prides itself on the quality of its medical staff, the fact that hospital superbugs (and waiting lists) are virtually non-existent and that treatment costs are up to 40% less expensive than UK and other European destinations. | ||
| The GCSW&H Association have selected thirteen of the best spa hotels within reach of a number of hospitals and clinics. | ||
| For further information on the Gran Canaria Spa, Wellness & Health Association, to view the hotels and medical facilities and to book a medical tourism holiday in Gran Canaria visit www.grancanariawellness.com t: +34 928 367 508 |
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| Navarra | ||
| Navarre society of the sixteenth and seventeenth century was characterized by cultural and political differences and a firm belief in myths and legends along with ancient wisdom that women used the power of nature to cure disease. With this in mind, a set of Witchcraft Tours are coming to the region for 2010, tracking the mountains and caves from Sangüesa and Lumbier to Améscoa, Viana and Bargota where legend has it that ‘witches’ both lived and were persecuted. | ||
| Other routes available in the area include the Ernest Hemingway and Carlist routes. www.turismo.navarra.es |
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| Xacabeo 2010 | ||
The Way of St James or St. James' Way is the traditional pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia where legend has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. This pilgrimage only takes place on a Holy Year. The Camino de Santiago begins and crosses Europe across 2010 and will be one of the biggest religious spectacles of the year, seeing millions of pilgrims, journeying to this historic city. Xacobeo 2010 does not take a seasonal approach, but is based on activities lasting throughout the year, from January to December. Xacobeo will be making its presence felt every month of the year. Much of the content of the Xacobeo 2010 is exclusive, original and has been created specifically for the event. |
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| Events in Spain | ||
The Guggenheim Museum Frank Lloyd Wright Exhibition An exhibition dedicated to Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the great masters of 20th century architecture, has opened and is running until 14 February at The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The exhibition features over 80 projects including private commissions, public buildings, and theatres. It also includes over 200 original drawings and photographs as well as books, journals and correspondence, video and digital animation. |
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| More information can be found at http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es | ||
Flamenco classes Learning to dance with castanets and knowing how to clap in a fiesta are just a two of the many skills which can be learnt from February 27th to March 13th 2010 at the annual Festival de Jerez – which even includes workshops for kids at its Flamenco Nursery. |
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Grand Prix of Europe: Formule 1 June 25-27th: This meeting point is next to the circuit. Formula 1 lovers will be able to make use of more than 5,000 square metres devoted to Grand Prix activities. www.valenciastreetcircuit.com |
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33rd America’s Cup The America’s Cup is the most prestigious sailing regatta – due in Valencia from February 8th http://www.americascup.com/es/ Great weather conditions in Valencia will mean its perfectly positioned for the event... |
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The 2010 Gran Canaria Marathon On January 24th 2010 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria will be enjoying mild temperatures, enabling athletes to participate in the 42,195 metre maratón through the city. Find out more at www.grancanariamaraton.com |
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Madrid’s New Horse Show A new and high profile horse show comes to Madrid’s IFEMA venue from 26-28 March 2010. Famous riders and names from the sports world will attend as well as the internationally acclaimed La Real Escuela Andaluza Del Arte Ecuestre de Jerez equestrian school. The horse show is expected to attract 7,500 visitors each night with a €60 entrance fee. |
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Bonfires of San Juan June 17-24th: Monuments, mascletaes, castles and barracas are the stars of the Hogueras de San Juan bonfire festival. This, Alicante’s most international fiesta, is essentially one huge street festival. www.hogueras.org |
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FIB Heineken 2010 (International Festival of Benicassim) July 15-18th: FIB Heineken invites you to several days of free camping right next to this renowned festival venue. www.fiberfib.com |
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The Elche Mystery Play August 14-15th: A lyrical drama dating from the Middle Ages, is the city’s most deeply-rooted cultural symbol. In 2001, UNESCO declared it a Masterpiece of World Oral and Intangible Heritage. www.misteridelx.com |
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La Tomatina of Buñol August 24th: Every year, thousands of people flock to Buñol for one of the most internationally renowned festivals in the world: La Tomatina. http://www.latomatina.es/ |
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Infinita GAY WEEK 2010 One of the largest gay festivals in Europe comes to Gran Canaria in November 2010. Updates will appear on the website: www.infinitamentegay.com |
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New boat tours of Palencia A new boat has been bought for the Castilla Canal which will provide on-water tours for visitors to the region. www.canaldecastilla.org |
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| Gastronomy News | ||
Chef Nacho Manzano’s Casa Marcial has become the first Asturian restaurant to receive 2 Michelin stars – joining eleven others across Spain. The restaurant has been open since 1993 and received its first star 6 years later. Manzano was applauded for his innovative and ‘inventive’ cuisine. Five others in the area have 1 star and Asturias is now set to become another popular gastronome destination in Spain. |
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| 3 Michelin stars for Joan Roca
Chef Joan Roca from El Celler de Can Roca in Gerona has received another michelin star Roca founded rstaurant in 1986 with his brothers and is now the seventh Spanish chef with 3 michelin stars. He won his second star in 2001 Lasarte in Barcelona, La terraza del Casino in Madrid, and Les Cols in Olot now have 2 michelin stars and over 10 restaurants have gained their first star. |
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New hotel restaurants 2 new hotel restaurants opened Nov 2009: Bravo in the minimalist Hotel W (chef: Carles Abellan) and Moments in The Mandarin Oriental (chef: Raul Balam) – with a modern take on traditional cuisine and culture. |
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