What does Alicante lack in city tourism to compete with Spain’s big cities like Madrid, Seville or Barcelona?
The growth of cities and the interest of tourists in learning how to live in these places have given a strong impetus to urban tourism. This is not only a segment that attracts affordable travelers to Alicante, it has also become a driving force for our city to evolve towards a smarter, sustainable and inclusive model. We have great offers in gastronomy, hospitality and hospitality, museums, well-known traditional festivals and good transport systems, but architecture, heritage preservation, urban regeneration, integration areas, cultural events, meetings… are the things that attract foreign travelers, especially young people. Leisure activities have also become a part of tourist pleasure. More and more people travel for concerts, fairs and gastronomic tourism. Music festivals are a gateway to city tourism in Alicante. Another important sector we should continue to work on is “shopping” and more specifically the luxury sector.
Alicante has made a firm commitment to cruise tourism. What attractions are missing to consolidate this market?
Keep negotiating with shipping companies so that we become a real port of departure. Currently, only about 350/400 people take cruises leaving Alicante and to nearby populated areas. Therefore, they do not spend the night in the city and do not consume. We need product development in the city: the complementary offer. It is also an investment suitable for the needs of the moment in adequate port facilities. The current Passenger Terminal is poor and lacks quality services for the tourist passing through it. We need the Port Authority and Alicante City Council to be conscious of this type of tourism, especially the maintenance, cleaning and maintenance of the Port Authority up to the city limit.
Is Alicante a tourist city?
Definitely yes. We have to maintain a very intense line of work so that our most direct competitors do not get ahead in national and international positioning or quality. And this happens by already having a tourism plan that includes sustainability measures and improvement in service delivery. The data supports my statement: the leisure mobility study based on the location of mobile phones by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) reveals that 1,243,149 people from Alicante, the rest of Spain, participated last August. even surpassing Madrid with 1,099,907 tourists. Cádiz was very close at 1,093,511 and the influx into Malaga was also very high at 1,003,005. They were the only four provinces with more than a million vacationers during the month, with Alicante in first place.
Does Old Town need to improve its offering?
Yes, in particular, I believe a global design of the public space is necessary. We have to come to a consensus that the nightlife offering is not a neighborhood cohesiveness issue or just a pretense of attracting a “night party” clientele. With the urban and architectural restructuring carried out in recent years, better quality gastronomy and trade spaces have been established and this requires the completion of the entire area of the Old Town by adding to the existing ones. In a residential area for walking and pedestrian pleasure like very few people in Spain.
Many homes in the Old Town in the area known as the Barrio hang posters that read “We want to sleep” on their balconies. Does this attract tourists?
We must work so that urban areas do not become niches only for tourism or nightlife. City-centre dwellings must stay and be well-maintained, or we will have urban centers with no personality or local presence.
Alicante City and Beach. Another thing?
Rich urban and architectural heritage with high historical and artistic value, a consolidated image as a sun and beach destination, certain tourist products such as gastronomy, sports, cruises… Excellent by road, train (high speed and medium distance) from Alicante link), international airport and cruise terminal, a wide range of services and equipment that increase the attractiveness of Alicante and promote tourist activity and employment, financing for tourism sustainability plans, Board of Trustees assistance to the sector through subsidies, agreements, inclusion actions in the field of tourism etc. Yes, you should always desire much more.