ANDALUCIA TOURISM NEWS – NOVEMBER 28 2002

SIERRA NEVADA 2002/2003 SEASON
The Sierra Nevada ski station in Granada has already opened its doors ahead of schedule. On November 25 the station opened up the pistes, thanks to the snow falls over previous days, and making the Sierra Nevada the first ski station to start the season in Spain. There are important changes this season. The amount of ski-able area is now 70 kms, five more than last year, five new ticket dispensing machines have been installed for the recharging or purchase of the forfeits and the pistes have new signposts, which will help the transit of the skiers between different areas. There are also two new chair lifts, and a new 800m2 sun terrace. The management of the ski station hope that more than a million people will visit the Sierra Nevada this season. So that everyone has the chance of enjoying these excellent facilities, group discounts will be offered to schools, senior citizens and the disabled.

OLYMPIC SAILING IN CÁDIZ 2003
More than 1,000 boats and 2,000 participants from across the world will meet in the World Olympic Sailing Championships which will be held in the waters of the Cádiz Bay between September 11 and 25 next year. The competition, organised by the Cádiz World Sailing Consortium and the Junta de Andalucia's public company 'Deporte Andaluz', is limited to the nine sailing classes from the programme of the Olympic Games to be held in Athens in 2004. The event will establish the definitive composition of the Olympic teams in the different classes from the countries which will take part in the Athens games, among them the Spanish Olympic team, and will thus bring the best sailors of the world to Cádiz. Three bases will be established for the competition – Cádiz itself, El Puerto de Santa Maria at the facilities at Puerto Sherry, which will also serve as an operations centre for the championships, and finally the sports marina at Rota.

ANDALUCIA IN THE CANADIAN MARKETPLACE
The regional government tourism and sports board is to reinforce the name of Andalucía in the Canadian marketplace, thanks to collaboration agreements reached between them and the Canadian tour operators Red Seal and Conquest. Both agreements allow them to offer the complete tourist offer of Andalucia to Canada, and are considered to be of great importance to the tourist board which has been working on the plan for the past few years. It also means an important marketing campaign, which includes advertising during all of 2003 in the most important newspapers in Canada. In addition the Andalucia brand will be included in the publications of both tour operators, and promotional events, based on the presentation of the Andalucian product to intermediaries, will see the organisation of workshops and farm trips. The total cost of each one of the campaigns will be 360,000 €, of which the regional tourism and sports board will pay 50% of each one.

VIRGEN DE LOS RONDELES 2002
The locality of Casarabonela, inland in Málaga province, celebrates its most picturesque and popular fiestas – declared to be of tourist interest in Andalucía - at this time each year. It's the fiesta of the Virgen de los Rondeles, - a celebration when, every December 12, the inhabitants of this village give their thanks to the Virgen de la Pastora by singing ancient carols and setting fires and candles on their balconies. Dusk sees the start of a tradition which dates back several centuries in time, when the then common millers of Casarabonela burnt the rondeles – or items made of Esparto grass impregnated with olive oil to give thanks to the Divina Pastora for the harvest. The night time procession goes through the streets of the village, illuminated by the light of the candles and rondeles which show the way to the church. An ancestral tradition which, for yet another year, will be lived to the full by all those who travel to Casarabonela on December 12.

ORTEGA IN THE 'ECONOMISTAS' MAGAZINE
Andalucian tourism still has a great capacity for expansion and therefore for the creation of wealth. That's the opinion of the Councillor from the regional government's councillor for Tourism and Sport, Antonio Ortega, in an interview published in the Málaga magazine 'Economistas' in its latest issue. Ortega claims that Andalucian tourism has done no more than just get underway and that upper limits have not been reached. He says it's fundamental that there is the best understanding between all the parties involved and that all the possibilities are grabbed to ensure the growth of the Andalucia tourist industry. 'What we do in the immediate future', said the councillor, 'will decide what chances we have at staying at the top of world tourism'. Referring to the slogan 'Andalucía – there's only one' Antonio Ortega said it would continue to be the centre of the promotional campaigns for the region, given that it achieved good results showing Andalucía as somewhere diverse and unique at once. A slogan which captures the idea that this region simultaneously brings together different and complementary attractions – sun and sand, nature, snow, cultural heritage and gastronomy.

CITY OF MÁLAGA REGATTA
The Málaga coastline will be the stage for the celebration of the second City of Málaga – Costa del Sol regatta next April. The President of the Junta de Andalucía, Manuel Chaves, who attended the presentation of the regatta, underlined the positive repercussions the event has for tourism in the area, such as an increase in visitors and income, and a possible effect on the extension of the sports ports and marinas and the number of their berths. The public company Turismo Andaluz, the Costa del Sol Tourism Board and the City Council, all sponsor this regatta which will be held between April 11 and 13 2003. There are 11 marinas on the Costa del Sol with more than 4,000 berths, registering an average occupancy of more than 70% and generating a financial turn over of some 70 million € a year.

GOLF FESTIVAL
More than 12,000 golf amateurs and professionals will take part in the second Golf Festival which will be held until January in the facilities of the Selected Hotels chain on the Costa del Sol. This hotel group has drawn up a complete programme of events during the festival with two objectives – To become an international golf centre, and to bring the playing of golf closer to all the visitors of the Costa del Sol. The event will be held in the two hotels which the chain has on the Costa del Sol – the Atalaya Park and the Don Miguel Golf, and also intends to collaborate with the promotion of Spanish culture to the tourists who come to the Málaga coastline each year. For that reason, in addition to the golf-related activities, there will be flamenco, gastronomy and art events. As a finishing touch to each day of the festival, the organisation will offer tasting evenings for food and drink with a Spanish origin. Selected Hotels is a worldwide association of four and five star hotels, specialised in the tourism sector for congresses, incentive and business travel.

ADM TRAINING COURSES
Andalucía Digital Multimedia, ADM, has presented its new programme of Audiovisual training courses for 2002-2003 at its headquarters in the Andalucía Technology Park. This new offer is supported by the prestige and technologically advanced and high level of audiovisual equipment at ADM, to which expert experience in training from M-Capital consultants is now added, to form the Centre for Audiovisual and Multimedia Training FAM. The ADM training programme for 2002-2003 also includes courses on Documentaries, Non-lineal editing, Digital journalism, Writing of audiovisual scripts, Fiction writing, Musical computing, and Sound technicians – all of which fulfil the needs of an ever growing sector in Andalucía.