ANDALUCIA TOURISM NEWS – DECEMBER 12 2002

MORE TOURISTS ON THE COSTA DEL SOL
More than six and a half million tourists visited the Costa del Sol during the year 2002, a figure which is one per cent higher than last year. 38% of the tourists who came to Andalucía spent a night in the city of Málaga. The data, provided by the Regional Tourism Council, is very positive, above all when the crisis affecting tourism is taken into account. It could be said that tourism on the Costa del Sol has gained in fidelity. This is why the Andalucian parliament intends to work in markets which are already consolidated, such as the UK and Germany, as well as developing Golf tourism – a sector which brings important economic benefits. The average spend by tourists on the Costa del Sol has also increased, by 2% with respect to last year. The opening up of other markets is also very important, and that is why fairs are being organised in countries such as the Check Republic or Hungary.

TREN DEL CONDADO 2002
The Condado Tourist Train is operating again. For the third consecutive year this train will, until next May, carry out weekend trips between Madrid and the locality of Vilches in Jaén, with the idea of promoting this district of Jaén province as part of the Leader programme for the promotion of rural tourism. From Vilches the travellers are driven to a stud farm for fighting bulls, where experts will explain the relationship between nature and bullfighting. Countryside cuisine, practice bullfighting with young bulls, flamenco fiestas and visits to olive oil factories, farms and pottery workshops complete a gastronomic and tourist weekend which can be enjoyed for just 162 € for adults and 108 € for children. The Condado Train is an initiative set up by Spanish railways RENFE, in collaboration with the Association for Rural Development in the Condado district of Jáen, the Junta de Andalucía and the provincial council.

REAAE JEREZ PUBLIC FOUNDATION
The managing board of the Andalucian Royal School of Equestrian Art in Jerez de la Frontera, in Cádiz province, has approved the conversion of this institution into a public foundation, the statutes of which will now have to be ratified by the Governing Council of the Junta de Andalucía. This conversion means, according to the Tourism Department under which the Royal School depends, that it will have a defined juridical personality and will be able to benefit from the tax breaks offered to a foundation. The Jerez School of Equestrian Art will start an information and promotion campaign to broadcast its new image to all the Andalucian people. The campaign will serve to promote the school as a tourist attraction and destination in Andalucía linked to the equestrian world, one of the most important in the region, but above all also as a training centre for equestrian art.

GUIDE TO DOÑANA
Natural and cultural heritage. Activities close to nature, history and gastronomy. These are some of the sections which make up the guide 'Fiestas, cultura y patrimonio de la Comarca de Doñana' in Huelva, which has been presented by the Doñana 21 Foundation and the Regional Environmental Council. A complete guide for visitors to this district of Huelva province, where we can find information from ecological values of the district, to a calendar of the fiestas of the 14 villages which make it up. In its 200 pages its author, Mari Carmen Castrillo, has intended to offer a panorama where environmental, cultural, historic and economic values come together for a visit to the district of Doñana. The 2,000 copies of this guide will be distributed by the local councils of the district and at different points of sale.

ROMERÍA VIRGEN DE JEVA 2002
December 25 is a very special date for the residents of Antequera in the province of Málaga. As well as being Christmas Day, the inhabitants of this town will get up anxious to witness the Romeria de la Virgen de Jeva pilgrimage – a fiesta declared to the of National Tourist Interest in Andalucía. In the morning the verdiales dance groups called pandas will start to visit the nearby farms and when they hear the bells of the hermitage they all have to start the walk towards it. Traditionally 100 metres away from the hermitage the so called 'choque' of the pandas takes place when all the groups play together while they await the start of the mass. At noon the Virgen de Jeva is taken in procession and the competition of coplillas or verses dedicated to the patron of the village takes place. A fiesta which both visitors and locals of Antequera live with a special devotion and joy and on a day as singular as is Christmas Day.

GRANDA COASTLINE LOOKOUT TOWERS
The province of Granada has 41 Alcazabas or lookout towers along its coastline, the majority of them constructed during the time of Muslim domination. The Granada provincial government has the intention of restoring them to make them a tourist attraction. One of them – the fort at Castell de Ferro, from the Nazrid time, constructed at the end of the 12th century or start of the 13th, can be found on a promontory which dominates for several kilometres around. It's expected to be restored at the end of next March. Given the difficult terrain access by air will be used in the work. The restoration of the Castell de Ferro fort is also included as part of the project Metáforo, inside the European program Cultura 2000. These projects have recently been discussed in the first debate days on the restoration of the Mediterranean which have been held in Granada. The objective is to recover the heritage of the military architecture distributed along the coastline and convert it into a tourist attraction.

MIGAS IN TORROX 2002
Migas are one of the most typical dishes of the Andalucian gastronomy. Made with bread or flour they are present n many of the fiestas and celebrations of the region. In the Málaga province village of Torrox a day is dedicated to the dish every year. The Sunday before Christmas, this year December 22, locals and visitors to this village of the Axarquía celebrate a fiesta where Migas are the star of the show. Some 50 people are given the job of preparing them, mixing 2,000 kilos of flour with 200 of garlic and upto 600 litres of olive oil. The dish can be accompanied with olives, spring onions, radish and grapes. A fiesta which attracts thousands of visitors each year who, as well as the migas, enjoy the verdiales – the typical song and dance of the district, making the day one of the most important, popular and tasty fiestas in the province of Málaga.

JAÉN IN SONG
Some of the best flamenco singers are currently meeting in several villages of Jáen province as part of the cycle called 'A la verde oliva' which offers a wide range of this art until January 18. Fernando Contreras 'El Cali', Mónica Mata and Mariano Morillas, are some of the artists who will perform in the Jáen province towns and villages of Linares, Baeza, La Carolina, Mancha Real and Jódar. This flamenco cycle, organised by the Provincial Federation of Flamenco Peñas or clubs, and sponsored by the Junta de Andalucía, also includes the celebration of conferences on January 10th and 11th in the Jáen Peña Flamenca and the Peña Cabrerillo in Linares on 'Illanda y Rafael Romero'. A chance to listen to good flamenco song which fans of the art can enjoy until January.