Excelencias Turísticas del caribe y las Américas
The Mediterranean Soul
THE AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY OF VALENCIA PROMOTES TOURISMOPHILIA, A MODALITY BASED ON PLACING VISITORS AT THE CENTER OF THE OFFER, SPREADING THE SPIRIT OF TRUST, DETAIL AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE REGION
Open, welcoming and hospitable. This is the Valencian Community, made up of the provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia. An area of the Iberian Peninsula in which, throughout the year, a pleasant climate prevails and in which its inhabitants foster tourismophilia, a modality based on multiplying the values that can make the visitor fall head over heels in love with a destination.
Tourism is «linked» to the human condition, visitors are placed at the center of the offer and the spirit of trust and details is widespread. The success is noticeable, taking into account that this autonomous region of Spain welcomed a record high 9.2 million foreign tourists in 2018, up a solid 3.2% from 2017. A majority of these tourists came from other Spanish regions and from European nations.
In an exclusive conversation with Excelencias during the recently-concluded International Exhibition of Travel and Tourism of Moscow (MITT), José Manuel Gisbert, general director of Tourism of the Valencian Community, said that hospitality is hooked up with the Mediterranean character that defines the citizens of this part of Spain, people who understand and see tourism as a source of wealth, not only because it is a major economic powerhouse, but also for
positive numbers it puts on the board as far as emotions are concerned.
If it is a question of references. Gisbert mentions three travel destinations that cannot be ignored. «Denia is the Creative City of UNSECO Gastronomy and we are interested in spreading their work in the field of sustainable gastronomic tourism and as a channel to tout the Valencian Mediterranean culture. Also around Valencia is El Palmar, where the most exquisite patron surrenders to the tasty paella, a dish that tells us apart, but that we want to overcome with the Exquisito Mediterráneo brand, which brings together the values of the Mediterranean hospitality and its cuisine. Castellón is also inland, with traditional dishes and recipes in the purest style of our towns, and with much tourism potential to offer, which remain quite unknown until now».
Alicante has become the capital of Mediterranean cuisine and this is no doubt a strong toehold in the kind of tourism the Valencian Community offers because, according to Gisbert, a traveler eager to be trained in the culture of Mediterranean cuisine can arrive in here.
However, beyond the gastronomy, the Valencian Community is working painstakingly to link its three provinces with attractive travel sport destinations. In that sense golf stands out because the climate and the quality of the 22 golf courses in this territory contribute to that effort. They are determined -he says- to make the Community an international benchmark in golf travel.
Another additional value, from the perspective of cultural tourism, is Las Fallas or Fiestas del Fuego in honor of San Jose, held in March in a traditional way in Valencia and other cities. Its international repercussion is such that every year the number of travelers who come to join the celebrations is increasingly on the rise.
Viewed by many as just a wonderful land of sun and beach, in that area of 23, 255 square kilometers, where extensive coastal plains and mountainous areas combine, and an admirable natural, cultural and architectural heritage prevail, there is still so much more to discover.
Durante todo el año, en la Comunidad Valenciana predomina un clima agradable y sus habitantes fomentan la turismofilia, basada en multiplicar los valores que pueden enamorar al visitante All year round, the Community of Valencia is blessed with mild weather and its inhabitants cultivate tourismophilia, based on multiplying values visitors can fall head over heels in love with