DOÑANA PARK
The Doñana Nature Park opens a new investigation, leisure and environmental education space at the end of April, which will be called the Parque Dunar. The project will take up 150 hectares, in an area where, a decade ago, a macro tourist urbanisation was planned, and is the last redoubt if sustainable development in Doñana, according to a statement from the Councillor for the Environment of the Junta de Andalucía, Fuensanta Coves. The park has two academic buildings for ecological research and a Museum of the Marine World. Also two thematic routes are being set up, between dunes, junipers and bushes. The project has seen an investment of 13.8 million €

THE AMERICAN TOURIST ROUTE
The Tourist Board of the Provincial government in Cádiz has edited a new tourist guide entitled 'Ruta Americana', which takes an evocative tour round the places which link Cádiz to the American continent, and the influences that this relation has left on Cádiz coasts. The route covers the architecture, gardens, everyday life, history and thoughts of the municipalities of Cádiz, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlucar de Barrameda. The main reference points are the palaces, ancestral homes, the old Cuba and Phillipines Customs House, the lookout towers and the convents. The route can be joined from any of the three towns named, as they all have their own attractions, according to the author of the guide, José Carlos García.

ANDALUCIA.ORG
The Andalucian tourism web page, Andalucia.org, promoted by council for Sport and Tourism, registered more than 9 million visits in the month of February. According to data from the Andalucian tourism department, the number of accesses in February was more than 2 million more than those in January and 4.5 million more than in December. The web, which offers all types of information on the tourist facilities in the Andalucía region, has received a total of 98 million visits since August 2000. The starting of an online campaign, the promotional kick-start of Fitur, and the new Flamenco Guide have contributed to the higher number of visits being seen at the page.

THE BERLIN TOURISM FAIR
The tourism sector to generate most interest in ITB, the Berlin Tourism Fair, has been the Sun and Beach, followed by Cultural, Golf and Nature. More than half of the 50,000 visitors to the Andalucian stand said the Sun and Beach tourism was the most attractive part of the region, according to the Tourism and Sport Councillor, Antonio Ortega. The balance from the Tourist Board on its participation in the German fair is very positive. Ortega forecasts an increase of up to 3 percent in German tourism, which would mean an increase of 30,000 visitors. The Germans are the people who most travel in the world, but the economic uncertainty and the fear of unemployment have put other needs ahead of tourism.

SANTA CATALINA CASTLE, JAÉN
A Tourist Information Centre for the city of Jaén is to be created in the Santa Catalina Castle. The Jaen city council have started work adapting the graphic museum in the castle during which the fortress will remain closed to the public until the end of April. Audiovisual media and the latest generation of techniques will be used in the reform as well as patrimonial objects and interactive elements with the idea of creating situations and atmosphere from the time. The project has been financed in equal halves by the City Council and the Tourism Council, and opens ups some previously closed areas of the fortress remembering the function which they had.

THE COSTA DEL SOL CABLE CAR OFFERS ITS VISITORS A DONKEY RIDE
Benalmádena is to have a new attraction which will allow visitors to see the best views of the Costa del Sol on the backs of some 30 donkeys. These animals belong to the three existing Spanish breeds and are a new and original tourist attraction in the area. The users of the Costa del Sol Cable Car can enjoy this once they have reached the top of the Calamorro mountain where the route starts. With this idea the Cable Car has contributed to the survival of a species in danger of extinction, given that in the last 40 years more than 1 million 100,000 donkeys have disappeared. The attraction will be free during the first weeks of April.

GRANADA CITY COUNCIL TO RESTORE SEVERAL MONUMENTS
Granada City Council has started a program to restore numerous monuments in the city. La Fuente de los Gigantones, La Fuente de los Leones and one of the pillars of the cathedral will get a new image. Among the main causes of the deterioration of the monuments is the excrement from the pigeons and environmental contamination, according to Sonia Manganell, the restorer-conservationist in charge of the plan. The work has been carried out with detailed scientific studies to determine the exact materials which the monuments are made of. With the restoration the conservation of the works has been sought, respecting the original monuments, and using materials which will remain stable over time.

SIGNS IN THE ANDALUCIAN NATURE PARKS
In December 1998 the Junta de Andalucía approved a plan to replace the old signs in the Andalucian Nature Parks with new clearer ones with a unified design. The installation of the signs has started this year and 45% of them in the 23 Nature parks protected in the Andalucian region have been changed, according to the General Secretary of Environmental Policy, Antonio Llaguno. The signs in the parks has often been confusing and obsolete, but now the new signs guide the visitor to the different services and activities, says Llaguno. The plan is expected to be completed in 2003 and has seen an investment of a total of 10 million € across Andalucía.