ANDALUCIA TOURISM NEWS – DECEMBER 5 2002

SICAB 2002
The city of Sevilla has been the stage for the most important date in Spain in the world of horses. The International Horse Event SICAB, has displayed in its 12th edition, all that's related to this passionate world and the pure breed stud industry. 163 stables took part in the Seville congress and exhibition hall, bringing with them more than 1000 stallions and mares to the delight of fans and the curious. The show, which was open until Sunday December 8 took over 70,000 m2 of the exhibition centre, and offered displays on Doma Vaquera and classic dressage, as well as morphology competitions and horse spectacles aimed at the larger public.

INLAND TOURISM PRIORITY
The Junta de Andalucía regional government will give priority to the tourist accommodation in inland Andalucía as opposed to second homes, according to a non legally binding proposal unanimously approved by the Culture, Tourism and Sports commission of the Andalucian parliament. As part of this, studies will be carried out to determine the capacity for tourism in the districts and villages of Andalucía, and the growth of rural tourism in these areas, with special attention being given to protected natural spaces. The approved document picks up on the proposal to draw up an Integrated Plan to include the market for tourist accommodation, and those unoccupied houses found in the centres of towns and villages in the districts with development potential for rural tourism.

CITY OF MÁLAGA FILM FESTIVAL 2002
The Spanish Film Festival in Málaga intends, its sixth edition, to keep participation levels high in the feature film length section of the competition. The event, which will be held between April 25 and May 3 2003, will see posthumous homage paid to the film maker Juan Antonio Bardem, and will see the start of two new jury prizes in the shorts and documentaries sections, as well as for the best male and female roles in shorts. In addition to the fixed sections, prizes and cycles, the Malaga Spanish Film Festival will organise the new Market of European and Latin American Documentaries, as well as the feature film market. The poster for the event this year has been made by Antonio Arráiz, and shows a beach with a towel and sunglasses on the sand – it evokes several titles from the history of film.

INTERNATIONAL OLIVE OIL BOARD
The Olive Oil Futures Market in Jaén has been presented in a meeting of the International Olive Oil Board which has just been held in the south of Italy. A project which has been strongly supported by the Junta de Andalucía and which allow for the commercialisation of olive oil from its world capital in Jáen. Official documents indicated that nine of every ten litres of olive oil are produced in the European Union, with Andalucía in general and Jaén in particular at the top. This year's event has therefore had a great importance for Andalucía because, as well as the presentation of the futures market, the Assembly of the Olive Oil Board has approved new promotional campaigns for olive oil, with the objective of increasing worldwide consumption. Special attention will be given to the United States using videos in air travel campaigns and olive oil will be given away with on-flight catering. Other countries such as Japan, Canada, China, Australia and Mexico are also part of the olive oil promotion campaign. Andalucía is one the world's main producers.

FITSOL
The main attraction for tourists on the Costa del Sol is, without doubt, its splendid beaches and climate where the sun is the protagonist for the larger part of the year. An unbeatable place for the celebration, for the first time in Europe, of a tourism fair dedicated exclusively to the product of the sun and the beach. The fair, which will be held in Torremolinos, the heart of the Costa del Sol, between December 12 and 15, and was established with the objective of becoming the main reference for this type of tourism at an international level. Tour operators, hotel chains, airlines, travel agents, will all have a specific forum for the development and commercialisation of a wide range of items and offers which are closely linked to the beach and sun sector of tourism.

MANZANILLA MUSEUM
The province of Cádiz is well known for its endless beaches, its beautiful horses and, above all, for its splendid wines of all types, which make this district one of the most famous in the world of wines. One of these wines is the Manzanilla, a sherry type wine, from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a place which now has its own Museum dedicated to these wines and set up by the Barbadillo bodega wine cellars. The museum has been opened in an 18th century house, next to the Santigado castle. In it we can see the ancient utensils used for the making of manzanilla, as well as a video which shows us in images all the details of the production of the wine. A museum which we must visit if we go to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a village on the Cádiz coastline where we will find many other attractions.

GRANADA HONEY
Honey from Granada has become the second in Spain to be granted its own official production area, after that from la Alcarria. It's excellent qualities have led to this recognition, which also represents a guarantee of undoubted quality for its export. The climate of the province and its vegetation favour the production of a type of honey which is unique and comes from the district of the Granada coastline – one of the richest areas for hives. More than 300 bee keepers in Granada can now work to the standards which will be controlled by a regulating council which will check on the quality of the production and help in the search to increase its commercialisation. One of the most popular and appreciated honeys made in the province is Rosemary honey. Local beekeepers are happy for the declaration of the Granada honey official area as they consider that it will increase the quality of the product.

ALMERÍA CRAFTWORK CENTRE
Among the many attractions to be found in the province of Almería are its craftworks. Now we have the opportunity of contemplating the work carried out by craft experts in a new Municipal Centre of Craftworks which has just opened its doors in La Rambla in the city of Almería. A chance to discover the work of these people who work with their hands on the most varied of objects, and a chance to buy them. The Almería Craftswomen Association intends to make this centre an attraction for tourists, where they can see live demonstrations on how things are made. We can find a wide variety of items here, such as hand painted handkerchiefs, figures, jewels, and dolls houses – all hand made. The Almeria Municipal Craftwork Centre will open both mornings and afternoons.