The mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutierrezwill preside from January 1, 2023 the Group of World Heritage Cities. This was approved by the Assembly of Mayors and Mayoresses of the Group, held yesterday in Cáceres. La Laguna will therefore be responsible for presiding over the events to mark the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Group of Heritage Cities, which will take place next year.
Luis Yeray Gutiérrez assures that he assumes this task “with the commitment to continue working together for the defense of our heritage assets, and with the enormous responsibility and pride of representing the 15 Spanish cities that symbolize the best of our country, not only in matter of conservation of heritage and monumental wealth, but in quality of life, closeness, hospitality and commitment to culture”.
The mayor of La Laguna thanked the still president of the Group, the mayor of Salamanca, Carlos García Carbayo, for the work carried out to date, and endorsed his words, assuring that “the Group of World Heritage Cities of Spain is a example of unity, collaboration and coordination of actions. Regardless of the political color of our municipalities, we are moved by the shared objective of promoting our cities and disseminating our cultural and heritage values inside and outside of Spain”.
At the end of the Assembly, the next international promotion actions to be carried out by the Group in Asia and Latin America were announced. These include the promotion of Spanish cities in Japan and South Korea, two strategic markets for the Group. Likewise, a delegation from the Group will travel to Cuba, where a multilateral agreement will be signed between the Cuban, Mexican, Italian and Spanish heritage cities and a bilateral agreement between Spain and Cuba.
The international promotion actions will continue with new presentations in the national market, with the aim of continuing a line of work that, in the opinion of the Group’s chairman, “has had excellent results since 2022 has been the year of consolidation of the tourist recovery, with a record of tourist visits to our cities”.
In yesterday’s assembly of mayors, the presentation of the Group’s candidacy to form part of the Smart Platform for Tourist Destinations was also discussed. It is a project with an investment of 130 million euros, from European Funds, which includes the management of the complete traveler experience, allowing the participation of all the actors.
Heritage Award
The City Council of Cáceres has hosted the Assembly, which has been held after the delivery, last Friday night, of the 2022 Heritage Award to the gallery owner Helga Alvear. The 2022 Heritage Award is a great recognition of the gallery owner who has made Cáceres an international benchmark for avant-garde art, and to whom the Group thus recognizes her generosity.
Yesterday’s Assembly was the last of the year chaired by the Mayor of Salamanca, Carlos García Carbayo, who wished to “thank the mayors for their continued support, always eager to enrich this common work that we carry out with their contributions.” favor of our municipalities.
“The presidency of the Group of World Heritage Cities is an honor that is lived only every 15 years and I feel enormously fortunate to have had this unforgettable experience that I will always remember -he continued-. At all times I have felt very supported and I hope I have lived up to what this important responsibility demands, which as of January 1, 2023 will fall to the current vice president and mayor of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez. ”.
