“Today’s show of private sector commitment to the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism from some of Spain’s most important tourism companies is an important step towards a more ethical tourism sector and one other businesses will surely follow,” said His Royal Highness Prince Felipe of Asturias, closing the Congress.

In signing their commitment, the companies pledge to uphold, promote, and implement the values of responsible and sustainable tourism development championed by the Code of Ethics. The Code, adopted in 1999 by the UNWTO General Assembly and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001, is a set of principles designed to guide the development of tourism in a way that maximizes the socio-economic benefits of the sector, while minimizing any negative impacts.

“If responsible tourism is to become a tangible reality in our world, it is essential that the private sector, like their counterparts in public institutions, embrace the principles of ethical, sustainable, and universally-accessible tourism,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai.

“Today, these companies have underscored their dedication to corporate social responsibility, to support the protection and empowerment of vulnerable groups, consumers, and humanity’s heritage; to champion gender equality, poverty reduction, accessibility, cultural and environmental sustainability; and to facilitate access to decent employment across the globe,” he added.

The majority of the companies also signed the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism, committing themselves to concrete measures to protect children. The Code was founded by ECPAT International, a global network for the elimination of child prostitution, child pornography, and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes, and is funded by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and supported by UNWTO.

The first International Congress on Ethics and Tourism brought together experts and high-profile public and private tourism stakeholders in panels on: the role of ethical frameworks in responsible tourism development, the promotion of equality and the fight against exploitation, poverty reduction, sustainable development, and corporate social responsibility.

Source: unwto.org

The week-long festival honors the city’s patron saints: San Luis Bertran and the Virgin de los Desamparados celebrating them with parades, concerts, cultural events and culinary competitions. But on Tuesday night the locals and visitors rev up for the next day’s tomato fight. The town holds a night-long fiesta with concerts and spinning DJ’s. The next morning breakfast pastries and sandwiches are handed out so that everyone is sure to have sustenance for the great battle, and locals douse attendees with cooling buckets of water.

The morning’s first attraction is the palo jabon – a tall pole slicked with soap which promises the reward of a whole jamon at the top, to the first to be able to scale the slippery pole. At 11 AM a water rocket is shot off and trucks release tons of tomatoes onto the street. The hurling of tomatoes begins. Participants are instructed to crush the tomatoes in their hands before lancing them through the air to reduce the impact of a successful hit. Everyone and everything is stained red as participants wade through a tide of tomato pulp. An hour later, another water rocket is shot off signaling the end of the tomato throwing. The tomato mush is hosed off the streets – leaving the cobblestones bleached and disinfected thanks to the acids of the tomatoes. Participants also get a rinse, having had a wonderful tomato skin treatment (reputed to be an astringent, which can shrink pores and treat sunburn.)

The Tomatina dates back to 1944 when a street fight erupted during one of the parades celebrating the town’s patron saints. During the street fight, tomatoes from a nearby vegetable stall were used as ammunition and the tradition began – at times prohibited by Buñol’s law enforcement – though now fully sponsored by the town government.

Aside from La Tomatina, Buñol is known as the Valencian Switzerland for its parks and gardens. The old city is built around a 13th century Arab castle. The surrounding area is ideal for hiking with beautiful rivers, waterfalls, caves and other interesting geological formations such as the natural bridge of Carcalín.

For further information about the Tomatina and for further information about the region of Valencia, contact your travel provider or go to Valencia Tourism Board.

http://www.latomatina.es/

The Canary Islands belong to the most attractive and popular destinations for European holidaymakers. Local resorts lure thousands of visitors and for many the islands represent the ideal of a peaceful, ‘lazy’ holiday.

Not many travelers realize that thanks to the volcanic origin of the archipelago, local terrain is a dream-come-true for hiking and walking enthusiasts. La Palma, a Spanish Island often called “La Isla Bonita” (the beautiful island) features a challenging terrain and local Ruta Del Volcanos offers a fantastic walk around the island volcanoes.

The wonderful natural setting offers unrivalled vistas and makes every walk a unique experience. La Palma features spectacular landscapes; the highest peak on the island, El Roque de los Muchachos (2426 m) often attracts many hikers. Local astronomical observatory lures many international visitors as well. Those who would find a climb to its peak too challenging may reach it by car most of the year.

The network of walking trails is well described in Walk! La Palma. One of the local highlights is the Los Tilos walk. It is rather challenging and leads through 13 tunnels, and many point out number 12, wet inside, resembles a power-shower. An absolute must for any hiking fan visiting La Palma is the famous Ruta del los Volcanos. It is a long distance path with fabulous views all round.

There are regular charter flights from many European countries as well as a reliable ferry connection to Tenerife.

tourism-review.com

Headliners for this year’s festival include: The Strokes, The Streets, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, Brandon Flowers, Mumford & Sons, Primal Scream, Julieta Venegas and Portishead.

Camping near the beach is considered an integral part of the FIB experience. And for about $12, campers and concert goers can ride the three routes of the FIB bus, between the camping grounds, concert enclosure and beach, for the duration of the festival.

Benicàssim is a 20-minute drive north of Castellón and one hour north of the city of Valencia. Known for its gently sloping fine sand beaches and the “Desert de les Palmes” natural park, it has been a popular summer resort since the 19th century. A stroll along the boardwalk reveals the “Las Villas” neighborhood with its row of majestic ocean view homes dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The “Desert de les Palmes” also boasts the ruins of an 11th century Moorish castle and a 17th century Carmelite monastery. Despite its name, the park is not a desert, but was thus named by the Carmelite monks indicating the area as a spiritual retreat. In fact, with the many plants from the park the monks produced a special liquor “Licor Carmelitano”, which is still made in Benicàssim from the monks’ recipe.

The 40,000 festival tickets which include free camping have been sold out. However, the VIP ticket (which includes camping) is still available for $484. It is also possible to purchase a VIP camping ticket in combination with other concert entrance tickets which grants access to “VillaCamp” – a privileged camping area right in front of the concert venues, just over 700 yards to the beach and with individual showers and restrooms. The VillaCamp ticket costs $113. Ticket combinations still available include the four-day concert pass for $181.50 and the single day ticket for $106. Ticketing, transportation, and logistical information can be found on the official website of the festival www.fiberfib.com/en

For further information about the region of Valencia, contact your travel provider or go to http://en.comunitatvalenciana.com/home/home-english/493

For the third year in a row, Palma de Majorca, Spain has held onto its number one position with most Brits taking car hire holidays in the capital during the winter months. Proving even further that the land of sun, sangria and salsa really is good enough for us Brits, the popular destinations of Malaga and Alicante managed to keep Spain in second and third place too when it came to the most visited resorts.

With the USA coming in as the second most visited country, it looks like we really were keen to get as far away from the snow and ice as possible! Long haul fly-drive destination Orlando in Florida made the top ten, showing that many of us seek out a Disney fix and some movie studio action to help beat the winter blues.

The birthplace of Aphrodite, Paphos in Cyprus, was bumped up to fourth position in the rankings proving its growing popularity with sun seekers, while Portuguese resorts remained near the bottom of the scale with Porto in ninth place.

Despite its romantic nature, one of the main losers in the winter holiday league is Casablanca in Morocco. The African city fell completely out of the top ten this year. But there was good news for the beautiful Caribbean island of Martinique, as it arrived into the rankings for the first time at number ten. Offering picture perfect beaches and coral reef barriers, a grey and damp UK was left miles away by many Brits.

“As the Met Office warned late last year that December was almost certainly the coldest since records began, many Brits took to the skies and flew off to sunnier climes” commented Anel Bruns, Product Manager at leading car rental comparison site carhiremarket.com. “As people will now be thinking about jetting off again for a summer getaway, booking your car hire early helps prevent disappointment. If you are a family or just a couple and you need a car that will transport you comfortably around, booking in good time will ensure a hassle free trip to your destination.”

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Chefs in restaurants throughout New York will prepare tantalizing cuisine nurturing a cooking style of complex flavors and mixed textures. Menus will include Navarran dishes such as, Warm Partridge & Jabugo Ham Salad, Artichokes fried with Tocino (Jabugo Ham fat), Piquillo red peppers stuffed with meat or fish, Pochas beans, roast suckling pig, sautéed wild Mushrooms and white asparagus, Lobster, Puff Pastry with Potato & Foie and Sweet Wine Sauce. Compliment these exciting flavors with a Navarrese wine, a region some say produce the best wineries in Spain. Choose a wine from one of the many Navarran vineyards to accompany an entrée, tapas or some fabulous Navarran cheese; a Roncal, or Idiazabal.

Participating restaurants in New York are found below or online at http://www.navarragastronomy.com/restaurants.php

About Navarra:

The region of Navarra in the north of Spain borders the Basque Country, La Rioja, Aragon, and the Pyrenees which makes it a vital part of El Camino de Santiago, (Saint James Way). This ancient kingdom’s rich history leaves its legacy within medieval villages and festivals such as the famous San Fermin in Pamplona – nine days of bull running celebrated each July and immortalized by Hemingway in “The Sun Also Rises”.

Navarra’s unusual past and diverse topography has made it an attraction for “off the beaten” path travelers and food and wine aficionados. Graced with cool uplands and sun-drenched fertile valleys Navarra produces superb culinary products and wines of the highest quality. The old Kingdom of Navarra has preserved its royal nobility in rich tradition of food and wine.

The Kingdom of Navarra, Spain Visits US is sponsored by the Government of Navarra and the Navarra Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on restaurants included and events, will be posted on http://www.navarragastronomy.com

Hosting world class events has drawn international travelers’ attention. The waterfront was redesigned to host the America’s Cup, sailing’s most prestigious race, in 2007 and again in 2010. Every summer, the city stages a European Grand Prix with cars racing along the circuit that hugs the harbor and yacht marinas.

Valencia epitomizes the lure of Spain today – the wonderful blend of traditional and cutting edge. The city has a charming old quarter full of Gothic and Renaissance monuments like the late Gothic Silk Exchange, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Gothic-Romanesque-Baroque cathedral and a 15th century Gothic palace that houses government offices. The art nouveau mercado central is one of the best food markets in Europe. The older architecture is complemented by stunning contemporary structures. In 1998, native son Santiago Calatrava began creating his futuristic City of Arts and Sciences (www.cac.es) along the former Turia River bed. Visitors enter through the 60-foot-high Umbracle that shields a promenade of palms and tropical plants. The Hemispheric, a dramatic eye-shaped planetarium complete with IMAX theatre, is surrounded by a huge rectangle of turquoise water. The Oceanographic, Europe’s largest aquarium, is virtually an underwater city, while the Prince Felipe Museum of the Sciences features interactive displays. In 2005, another jewel in the crown – the spectacular Queen Sofía Palace of the Arts – opened with venues for opera, theatre, and dance with Lorin Maazel as Musical Director of the Orchestra of the Valencia Region and Zubin Mehta as Orchestra Director for the Annual Festival of the Mediterranean. Placido Domingo sang a program of zarzuela last month. In November 2009, the latest structure, the Agora debuted and hosted the Valencia Open tennis tournament.

Like the rest of Spain, the city’s reputation for exceptional cuisine – both traditional and modern – is well established. While Valencia is the birthplace of one of the country’s most hallowed dishes – paella – local chefs are making creative use of the area’s bountiful produce, and six restaurants have been awarded Michelin stars. The city takes its heritage seriously and celebrates one of Spain’s most colorful, vibrant and noisy festivals – Las Fallas.

For more information about the region of Valencia, contact your travel provider or go to http://en.comunitatvalenciana.com/home/home-english/493

Inaugurating the Palau’s new season will be a new co-production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida in cooperation with Convent Garden’s Royal Opera House and Oslo’s Den Norske Opera & Ballet conducted by Lorin Maazel, the Musical Director of the Orchestra of the Valencia Region with David McVicar as stage director. On November 21, Placido Domingo will sing a program of zarzuela, Spain’s popular musical theatre genre, with soprano Virginia Tola and Jesus Lopez Cobos conducting. Lorin Maazel will conduct a Christmas concert on December 22.

In May and June, the 4th Annual Festival of the Mediterranean, with Zubin Mehta as orchestra director, will present Puccini’s Tosca, Beethoven’s Fidelio and Mahler’s Symphony No. 3.

Set in 17 landscaped acres and surrounded by almost three acres of reflecting pools, the Palau de Les Arts resembles a gargantuan knight’s helmet. Architect and native son Santiago Calatrava designed the structure with two symmetrical cut-away shields – 3,000 tons of concrete – that “embrace” the exterior and are crowned by a sweeping 778-foot-long steel sheath, or “plume.” Trencadís, broken mosaic tile, decorates the outer shells, walls and pools. Four venues for opera, music, theatre and ballet – the main hall seats 1,400 – have the latest technology.

Created in 2006, the Orchestra of the Valencian Region is dedicated to uniting the region’s musical traditions with the international character of its state-of-the-art venue. Maestro Lorin Maazel is the permanent conductor and Zubin Mehta has been closely tied to the orchestra since its creation.

Other highlights for the 2010-2011 season include:

* Massenet’s Manon with Lorin Maazel conducting and stage direction by Vincent Paterson (December 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 28 & 30)

* Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin with musical director Omer Wellber and stage direction by Mariusz TreliÅ„ski (January 22, 25, 28, 30; February 8 & 11)

* Lorin Maazel’s 1984 with stage direction by Robert Lepage (February 23 & 26; March 1, 4 & 6)

* Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love with Omer Wellber as musical director and Damiano Michieletto as stage director (March 26, 29, 31; April 3, 5, 8, 10)

The Palau de Les Arts is part of the City of Arts & Sciences, a futuristic complex designed by Calatrava which boasts Europe’s largest aquarium, an interactive science museum and an advanced planetarium with an IMAX theatre.

Opera tickets range from about $20 to $188 (15-135 euros) and for Placido Domingo’s zarzuela concerts, the prices range from $73 to $125 (53-90 euros.) Tickets for the Christmas concert with Lorin Maazel are $53 to $62 (38-45 euros.)

For more information and to reserve seats, go to www.lesarts.com. And for more information about the region of Valencia, contact your travel provider or go to http://en.comunitatvalenciana.com/home/home-english/493

Long a popular golfing destination and site of numerous championships, with famous courses like La Sella, Valencia will host the Castelló Masters Costa Azahar – one of the tournaments on the PGA’s European tour – October 21 to 24 at the Mediterraneo Golf Club in the province of Castellon.

Expected to open this fall, La Galiana (www.lagalianagolf.com) is near the town of Alcira, south of the city of Valencia. The 18-hole, par-72 course enjoys a spectacular setting in a valley surrounded by pine and orange groves. More than 5,000 local species of plants and trees were used in the landscaping, and water consumption will be minimized through a sophisticated rainwater collection and drainage system. Designed by the Spanish firm Moon Masters, La Galiana will be open to non-members who can use the facilities. New golf schools are also planned for the area.

Opened in May, Font del Llop Golf Resort (www.fdlgolf.es) is a new 18-hole course located near the historic town of Monforte del Cid, in the Vinalopo valley, just minutes inland from Alicante. Designed by Blake Stirling and Marco Martín, the par-72 course blends naturally with its scenery and has great views of the surrounding mountains. Recalling some of the best Scottish and American courses, the layout of Font del Llop’s fairways – around a small river connecting five lakes -make for a technical game that challenges players to use all golf clubs.

Las Colinas Golf & Country Club (www.aworldapart.es) opened in June and is located in Dehesa de Campoamor, south of Torrevieja in the province of Alicante. Designed by Cabell B. Robinson, the 18-hole championship course has been carved out of a spectacular gorge and has breathtaking panoramic views of the nearby coastline and a nature reserve. Managed by Troon Golf, the par-71 course offers a great variety of short and long holes, with five unique par 3′s presenting an array of challenges of varying length and topography. Key features of this course’s design are water hazards and dramatic bunkering.

On October 21, golf greats like Paul Casey, Michael Jonzen, Henrik Stenson and Camilo Villegas, as well as Spanish champions like García (whose father is the pro and who won the first masters here in 2008) along with José María Olazábal, José Manuel Lara and Álvaro Quirós will compete at the Castelló Masters Costa Azahar. Designed by Ramon Espinosa in 1978, the par-72 course is at the Mediterraneo Golf Club is in the province of Castellon. (www.castellomasters.com and www.ccmediterraneo.com)

For more information about the region of Valencia, contact your travel provider or go to http://en.comunitatvalenciana.com/home/home-english/493.

The play, declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001, is performed by amateur soloists and a children’s choir. The scenography is truly impressive, with the church’s dome completely covered with a painted canvas representing the heavens and the use of spectacular aerial stage devices (some dating from the 16th century) to carry the actors. The work dates from the end of the 14th or the beginning of the 15th century, though it quite probably had antecedents earlier in the Middle Ages.

On August 14 and 15 entrance to the performance is free, although spaces are usually in great demand. Alternatively, visitors can get a ticket to watch the general rehearsals on August 11, 12 and 13 for about $9, or 7 euros.) This year, as with all even numbered years there is an extraordinary performance, which this year will take place from October 29 to 1 November 1.

Just 20 minutes from Alicante airport, the city of Elche is renowned for its exotic palm grove, also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Elche also has a rich archaeological heritage, as it was here that the enigmatic Lady of Elche Iberian stone bust, dating from the 4th century BC (now in the Prado Museum in Madrid) was found. Visitors can enjoy the city’s museums and historic buildings, as well as five and a half miles of white sandy beaches nearby.

For more information about the region of Valencia, contact your travel provider or go to www.comunitatvalenciana.com