ANDALUCIA TOURISM NEWS – NOVEMBER 21 2002

PICASSO BOOK IN LONDON
The regional tourism board have sponsored a book on the life and work of Picasso, at the international tourism fair in London - The World Travel Market. A school in Notting Hill is one of those to take part in the Turismo Andaluz programme, intended to promote the name of the genius painter and, above all, his links to Málaga. Marcelina Méndez-Trelles – Director of tourism promotion and development said: "We have seen that he is already well known in the schools, but he is not related directly with Andalucía, and this is the objective we have, bearing in mind that we shall soon have the Picasso museum in Málaga, which we believe will be one of the most important cultural attractions for tourists in Andalucía." As many as 15,000 books are being sent to the education centres. They have the form of a story and the children can colour them in. Turismo Andaluz now plans to take this idea to schools in other European capitals. The World Travel Market took place between November 11 and 14 in London. The number of British tourists to arrive in Andalucía during the first nine months of this year increased by more than 8%. At the end of the year it is almost certain that the four million visitors level seen in 2001 will be beaten. The maintenance of good value is one of the areas being closely watched. Price and quality are important, but for the British it is the sun which is important. That's why the Andalucian climate has been the main attraction for the four million tourists who visited Andalucía last year.

WINE FROM OFFICIALLY CONTROLLED AREAS
A total of 150 national, European, North American, Australian and Latin American bodegas or wine producers have taken part in the third Denominación de Origen Wine Fair, held between November 15 and 19 in the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones in Torremolinos, Málaga. The fair has seen a 40% increase in the number of participating bodegas, and a 20% increase in the number of total exhibitors. More than 30 controlling councils from official wine producing areas have taken part in the event, together with the main wine brands. The fair also held discussions and tastings for professionals. The event wants to be declared as an official fair in Andalucía for its next edition in 2003, given that it has become one of the most important in the wine sector. Among the new events in this third edition, the sponsorship of a working day for professionals on Wine and it's match with food, sponsored by Turismo Andaluz is of note.

SEVILLE AND HUELVA FILM FESTIVALS
The cities of Seville and Huelva have been locations for a few days where some of the most outstanding directors from international film-making have met up. In Seville, the second edition of the Festival of Film and Sport has projected 30 films, sports displays, exhibitions and meetings with the most interesting Spanish producers of the moment. The film 'Cyclomanía' from the director Simo Hallnen, obtained the Golden Giraldillo for the best film. The prize for the best documental went to 'Football Iranian Style' from the director Bahari, while the Golden Giradillo for the best short went to 'Squash' from Lionel Balllu. In Huelva the 28th edition of the Latin American Film Festival, projected 100 films, among which 12 were being shown for the first time as part of the official section, together with a selection of works from the Argentine director Adolfo Aristarain. The Franco-Brazilian film 'Madame Satá' achieved the distinction of three prizes – best film, best actor and best photography. The director of the film 'Uma vida Em Segredo' Suzana Amaral, picked up the Colón de Oro for the best direector and best actress, presented by Aitana Sánchez Gijón. The prize of the public for the best film went to the Spanish film 'Una Pasión Singular' from Antonio Gonzalo.

THE ROMAN THEATRE IN CÓRDOBA
The Roman Theatre – This is the exhibition which can be visited until January in the Delegación de Cultura building in Córdoba. The show is a result of the excavations carried out on the site of the Archaeological Museum of the city, which have resulted in the discovery and study of the Roman Theatre in Córdoba. The exhibition takes a trip through the history of theatres in the Roman Empire in general and Hispania and Córdoba in particular. The pieces on display belong to the Archaeological Museum – one of the few in the world which have an archaeological site underneath it. We can also see unique and singular pieces from houses situated in this area which, 2000 years ago was occupied by a grand Roman theatre. The display also shows us who it was and how they went to the theatre in Córdoba, as well as the shows they saw.

TURISMO ANDLUZ WEB VISITS
The Turismo Andaluz website – www.andalucia.org - from the promotional body of the regional tourism and sports council, has seen more than 72 million visits so far this year, with January, February and March being most popular. Meanwhile the Thematic Flamenco Guide, which brings together all the content linked to flamenco and intends to promote this art as a tourist attraction, has registered nearly a million and half accesses since it was put online in January this year. As far as brochure requests are concerned, the data shows that 4,000 were made on the website during September this year, of which nearly 1,800 were from outside Spain. With respect to the tourism reservations centre which operates in Andalucía with suppliers and tourist establishments, and which endorse any service offered in any of the eight Andalucian provinces, the value of the reserves made during September reached nearly 34,000€.

CHANGES IN ALHAMBRA OPENING HOURS
The managing company of the Alhambra and the Generalife, in Granada, have changed the opening hours of the monument for the winter season which continues until February. During this time you can visit the monument any day of the week from 0830 until 1800. The ticket types on offer during the winter are the general ticket, the night time ticket, and the gardens ticket which offers a new route for people who have already visited the monument or perhaps for those who only want to enjoy the plants and landscapes of the Alhambra. The general ticket is made up of the visit to the Nazrid Palaces and the Generalife Gardens and is sold either for the morning or afternoon. The night ticket which only includes the visit to the Nazrid Palaces on Fridays and Saturdays can be obtained between 1930 and 2000 at the ticket office at the entrance to the Alhambra complex.

MÁLAGA BELFAST AIR ROUTE
Golf Tourists are one of the main targets of the new airline which will link Málaga and Belfast every Friday and which has been established thanks to an agreement between the tour operator Servitour and the company Futura. This new flight is the first to link both cities during the winter season, with the intention of continuing the service after this season. The Costa del Sol tourist board has underlined the importance of this new flight in bringing the Irish public to the 55 golf courses in the area. The board has noted that the Costa del Sol registers more than a million tee-offs on its golf courses which are used by800,000 players, of which 80% are foreigners.

CAVA FROM THE ALMERIA ALPUJARRA
Vines and the production of wine has become a good source of income for areas such as the Almería Alpujarra. One of the villages of this district, Laujar de Andarax, has already achieved the distinction of having it own official local wine production area. It's wine growers have now started moving into Cava – a champagne like sparkling wine. During this month of November the Viña de Laujar bodega will label 7,000 bottles of the sparkling wine, which has been rescued 200 years after it was last produced. The Alpujarra Cava will on the market at the start of December, and will represent the start of the expansion of the wine industry in Almería, where there are already four bodegas of recognised prestige, three of them located in the Alpujarra.