This is English press release from PSOE Xàbia on the Forum for Change talk "Tourism the New Challenges" April 2011
The socialist candidate for Mayor José Chulvi proposes a joint venture for the promotion of tourism in Xàbia.
The director general of Turespaña, Antoni Bernabé, supports the local PSOE’s plans to introduce new technologies to promote the Town.
The socialist candidate for Mayor of Xàbia Jose Chulvi has proposed creating a joint venture to promote local tourism as a step forward in the relationship between the Town Hall and the local business community of Xàbia. He also gave a firm commitment to new technologies and social networks to publicize the excellence of Xàbia’s tourism offering, through local foreign residents. In this respect he highlighted the potential of the 90 nationalities among the citizens of Xàbia
Chulvi put forward these proposals on Thursday evening April 7 at the Forum for Change Xàbia, where the guest speaker was Antoni Bernabe, managing director of Turespaña the state agency responsible for the overseas promotion of tourism in Spain.
On the occasion of this lecture, the Socialist Party advanced some of its proposals for improving tourism, to the audience of 200 who filled the conference room in the Xàbia Parador.
Antonio Miragall, a Xàbia businessman in the tourism sector and number three on the list of socialist candidates, stressed that quality services, and care for our environment, both in the town and the countryside are two pillars of the municipal tourism policy proposals.
He added that in this respect "the challenge is not to seek quality tourists, but to provide quality for the tourists, which would be for the benefit all citizens."
Antonio Bernabe for his part stressed the importance of adding value to the tourism offering by caring for the environment and trying not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Tourism in the coastal regions of Spain represents 85% of the country's tourism income. In this sense Xàbia, as a quality destination has to be able to integrate all its leisure facilities, cultural events, fiestas, gastronomy and sports to present a broad pallet of attractions.
He also stressed that in a society where people plan their own vacations and leisure time through the internet, the best means of promotion is the use of new technologies and the creation of referral networks, using the prestige of elite sportsmen and artists to promote their city and country through their favorite social networking sites or through promotional videos. This has been the most successful promotional method for Turespaña where great culinary chefs or members of Spain’s world cup winning champions’ team, recommend a visit to our country. Despite the current crisis, the tourism sector in Spain is making a very positive recovery, with good forecasts for the future and the creation of new jobs.
