Quite a lot has been written about tourism during the last few weeks as the battles amongst the Costa Blanca’s holiday spots begin in earnest in their attempts to attract both national and international tourists during the upcoming holiday seasons.
Most of the work for the summer has already been done but looking beyond that both Torrevieja and Orihuela were hosts last weekend to a group of 30 tour agents belonging to the International Association of Golf Tour Operators.
Made up of more than 2,400 members from 93 countries, as the name suggests, the association specialises in golf tourism, through tournament organizers, travel agencies, accommodation providers and the media.
In Torrevieja on Saturday they were met by the Councillor for Tourism, Fanny Serrano, who was accompanied by the Provincial Tourism Deputy, Eduardo Dolon.
After a brief on Torrevieja and it’s facilities Serrano, took the party on a boat trip along the torrevejense coast “during which they could see the proximity of Torrevieja to the golf courses of Orihuela and discover the multiple possibilities that the municipality has to offer complementary to the golf”.
The councillor said that “initiatives like this are aimed at promoting the city’s tourism, as Torrevieja is a tourist destination located in a privileged area, because of its proximity to the 8 golf courses in the south of the province of Alicante.”
The following day the group made the short journey to Orihuela, the reference city for five championship courses, where they were met by the Councillor for Tourism, Sofía Álvarez,
The party toured the main streets of Orihuela as they enjoyed a walk along the Calle Mayor, while visiting the exterior of the Cathedral, where the singers of the Passion entertained them with their traditional singing.
They were then taken to the Palace Hotel Tudemir, where they sampled a number of local delicacies as they met the managers and directors of a number of local golf courses.
Álvarez said that “with this type of initiative we can make sure that Orihuela is firmly placed on the map of golf worldwide, as the sport is complemented by many additional opportunities.”
The following day the Councillor presented a municipal campaign carried out under the slogan “Discover”, as she announced the sites of 15 bus shelters displaying images and publicity about many different tourist products.
She explained that gastronomy is reflected by a still life of paella and products from the garden while the city is depicted by the cloister of the Cathedral. It also includes the Holy Week and Moors and Christians, as well as the golf and the beaches.
Álvarez also said that in this special year in which Orihuela commemorates the 75th anniversary of Miguel Hernández’s death “his poems are also part of the visual composition as is his house museum.”
