The Canary Islands win a prestigious award at the World Travel Market in London, Playa Blanca welcomes the contestants of Mister Spain 2009 and a new Cochineal Centre is planned for Guatiza. Catch up on all of the latest news from around the island.
Canaries Stand Out At Excel
The Canary Islands Tourist Board have picked up the award for best exhibition stand at the World Travel Market. Which is being staged at the Excel Centre in East London.
The Canary Islands stand – which has been created at a cost of close to half a million Euros and which is one of the largest at the event – has been voted the best at the exhibition.
It is the first time that the Canary Islands stand has achieved a first prize for this kind of presentation and Rita Martin, the Tourist Councillor for the islands considered the nomination as historic. ‘I’m delighted and inspired. This is a reflection of all the work that the Ministry has undertaken recently’ said Ms Martin, who collected the trophy on Tuesday.
The prize awarded by the organizers of the World Travel Market was judged on the basis of the ‘innovation, the application of new technologies and the cheerful nature of the staff on the stand’
According to the councilor the Canary Islands pavilion stands out with a ‘clear division of its products’ and because it is able to communicate to the public ‘the reality of the Archipelago’. “We have been able to communicate a new Canarian image and that we would like to share this feeling of good fortune with our visitors, because we are fortunate in the islands. We live with tourism and we are promoting ourselves directly to the public through the volunteers and also the professionals who work in the different Cabildos.”
The three main themes under which the islands have been promoted this year are that of family tourism, the volcanoes and nautical aspects of the archipelago.
“ We are in a market like the United Kingdom, where much is imagined about the archipelago. The Canary islands captures a large part of the English tourist market. 27% of the tourists visiting the islands come from here. The United Kingdom, along with Germany and the Scandinavian countries provide 83% of our tourists,” the councilor concluded.
Enjoy A Taste of Galicia
Explore two separate Spanish cultures and cuisines in one this month. By heading into the island capital of Arrecife. Where the islands first celebration of Galician culture and cuisine is taking place in the Parque Ramirez Cerda on the sea front until November 15th.
The event features traditional Galician folk music and dancing as well as free samples of Galician food and drink each night from 18.00 to 21.00.
Mister Spain Visits Playa Blanca
Tourists can enjoy viewing the best of Spain’s hunks in their trunks later this month. As the annual Mister Spain contest is being staged at the Princesa Yaiza Hotel in Playa Blanca from November 23rd to 29th.
British Tourism Falls Ahead Of Curve on Lanzarote
Lanzarote has experienced a larger than average fall in British tourist arrivals than other regions in Spain. According to figures recently released by the Oficina Española de Turismo (OET) in London. OET´s figures reveal that UK visitor numbers have fallen by 13% on average across Spain for the year to date. However the number of British tourists spending their holidays in Lanzarote has fallen by nearly 20% across the same period.
New Cochineal Centre Planned For Guatiza
Plans are progressing for the creation of a new centre dedicated to the cultivation of cochineal in Guatiza. Once the heart of the islands thriving cochineal industry. With a €400,000 budget made available for the project from the Annual State Budget application for 2010.
The creation of this new centre, the only one in Europe, will assist with the transformation of cochineal into a prestigious and high quality product for use in the food production, textile, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
It will also mean that the areas of Guatiza and Mala will once again see the productive cultivation of the cactus which is home to the cochineal beetle.
The creation of a new centre with high technological value was first mooted in 2006, when a grant of €500,000 was agreed by the Congress of Delegates. In 2007, €400,000 more was assigned to the project, although last year the grant of €500,000 was annulled in the annual budget applications.
