VISITS TO GRANADA SCIENCE PARK
The Granada Science Park has consolidated its offer as one of the most important tourist attractions in our region. Since it’s opening and up to September 15, close to 1 million 900,000 people have enjoyed the displays of this theme museum. Although this science museum has marked educational character, the figures show its tourist potential. Two out of every three visitors are tourists.
Since its inauguration, the Science Park has added to the total tourism offer of Granada, and has acquired a singular success which has beaten initial expectations. The management of the park estimate that, with the future expansion, it will become the most important one in Andalucía and one of the most outstanding science museums in Europe.

ALMERIA TOURISM PROMOTION
Two years of work and a modest budget of 308 million pesetas have been dedicated by Almeria City Hall on stimulating the historical city centre.
Infrastructure, routes and guided visits, tourism promotion, training and information. Among the most interesting events has been the recovery of the Caños Arabes - the Arab piping and the area of the gypsy mesón at the foot of the Alcazaba.
From December a three year long strategic plan will operate for the city. One of its objectives is to recover the historical heritage. One example - the Casa del Jardinero, a small fort from 1621 is now abandoned and will become a tourist information centre. The illumination of the north side of the Alcazaba and a telemetric network of tourist information are also future projects.

JAEN NATURE PARK
The future Jaén Nature Park will be designed by the Arthur Andersen company, with the support of public administrations and social groups.

The tourism councillor, José Hurtado, said that a total of 11 companies had applied for the job which was awarded to Arthur Anderson at 60 million pesetas because, among other reasons, of their economic and financial contacts worldwide, which implies there will be future investments in this emblematic project for Jaén province.
Arthur Anderson has 6 months to carry out a viability study and find investors. The only requirement of the project is that it be based in Beas de Segura, in line with rural tourism based on sustainable development and that it be a single project, although it may have many facets such as leisure, educational or sporting.

ISLAMIC CULTURE DAYS
Almonaster la Real, in Huelva province, boasts a living Islamic presence, which we can see in the castle, mosque and the walls which surround it.
The locals and the visitors of the beautiful place in the Huelva sierra are to have the opportunity, before the end of the year, to visit the Islamic Culture Interpretation Centre which will collect details on the Arab influence in the Huelva Sierra. This village has been, for another year, the venue for the Second Islamic Culture Days which, under the title ‘ Almonaster la Real - Origin and Destiny of Cultures’, has intended to be a meeting point for harmony between the Christian, Sephardim and Islamic cultures.
Arab gastronomy and exhibitions were also part of this event which included ceramics and images of women of intellectual relevance in the Arab world.

EFFECT OF TERRORIST ATTACKS ON ANDALUCIAN TOURISM
Andalucía has seen less effect than other destinations of the fall in tourism seen worldwide following the terrorist attacks in the United States.
Up to now, Andalucian hoteliers have only noticed a sharp fall in North American tourism, but this represents only 2.5 per cent of the tourist which visit here. The uncertainty on how things will develop and the fear of flying after the attacks and the aeroplane accidents which followed the, could however set tourism back in future months. Even so, the tourism council which met a few days ago in Seville, hopes to maintain the forecasts of growth made for this year. To do so the tourism board are to spend 500 million pesetas in promoting the message that Andalucía is a safe destination. With this promotion the intention is to attract those European travellers who had planned to visit other Mediterranean countries such as Turkey or Egypt, where tourism has seen falls of up to 70%.

MONTILLA VITICULTURE FAIR
The Córdoba town of Montilla is to hold its first Viticulture Fair between October 25-27. It will bring together wine producers from across Andalucía with auxiliary companies from across Spain. Companies in wine producing, barrel making, vine harvesting, machinery, corks or glassware. Everything related to the industry will be present in this fair, held in one of the towns best known for its wines. The official classification of wines from Montilla-Moriles brings together several types of wine, such as young whites, fino, amontillado and oloroso sherry type wine and the Pedro Jiménez. These wines make up part of the valuable heritage of Córdoba and date back to the arrival of the first Mediterranean civilisations in Spain.
The Avenida de las Camachas fairground site in Montilla is the site where this first viticulture fair will be held.

VILLAGES OF MALAGA FAIR
The port of Málaga is preparing to host, for another year, the Villages Fair which will be held from October 31 to November 4. Five days in which we can travel the 100 municipalities of Málaga province enjoying the best from each one of them. From Nerja to Manilva, through the districts of the Axarquía, la Sierra de las Nieves and the beautiful villages of the Ronda Serranía. 100 villages which offer us handicrafts, music, gastronomy and many more tourism attractions. This 7th edition of the Villages of Málaga Fair, in which the provincial government plays an active part, will on this occasion also see the presence of companies from Slovenia and Italy which will admire the offers from the more than 100 local companies taking part.

OPENING OF THE DOÑA BLANCA SITE IN CÁDIZ
Visitors to El Puerto de Santa María in Cádiz, can now go to the Doña Blanca archaeological site which opened to the public a few days ago. With the opening of this site, you can now visit the so called three jewels of archaeology in Cádiz province - Doña Blanca, the town of Carteia in San Roque and Baelo-Claudia in Tarifa. The area is found to be in a good state of conservation, although only 5 percent of its 300 hectares total area has been excavated.
You can only arrive at the Doña Blanca site in a private car. It’s open to the public every day from 10am to 2pm and entrance is free.
The different areas are already explained with information panels, although a project is underway to train monitors who will guide visitors in future.