SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, July 29 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Gothic Hall of the Roman Praetorium of Tarragona has hosted today Saturday the first constitutive assembly of mayors of the Group of World Heritage Cities (GCPH) after the local elections last May, in which the new Commission has been constituted Executive, chaired by the mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez.
The mayoress of Santiago and the mayors of Segovia, Tarragona and Salamanca also form part of the Executive Commission. In addition, according to the Statutes, the president of the Group will also chair the Tourism Commission. From this moment on, the mayoress of Santiago is first vice president and president of the Heritage Commission. The mayor of Segovia becomes second vice president and also president of the Education, Culture and Sports Commission. The mayors of Tarragona and Salamanca are members of the Executive Commission, but do not hold the presidency of the Commission.
The president of the Group and mayor of San Cristóbal de La Laguna highlighted “the importance of this group that represents the Spain brand and that this year celebrates its 30th anniversary, three decades of history of defending the world heritage of our country, and that is symbol of joint work in favor of citizenship and the national and international promotion of our destinations”.
In the first constitutive assembly, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez has handed over his insignia to the mayors of Baeza, Cáceres and Ibiza, the mayoress of Santiago and the councilors of Tarragona, Segovia and Toledo, whom he has congratulated as new members of the Group, highlighting “the value of their work, solidity, prestige and usefulness for the fifteen cities, after 30 years of work, as well as the philosophy of good understanding and concord that must continue to preside over the network, outside of any political ideology”.
The mayor of La Laguna highlighted, especially, that in the closing assembly of the previous legislature an exceptional balance was made in terms of institutional recognition, national and international projection, and that “we have the challenge over the next four years of maintaining and exceeding that list,” he added.
For his part, the host and mayor of Tarragona, Rubén Viñales, thanked the badge, welcomed the participants and pointed out that this year they are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Group, “a year of challenges for all the municipalities that we compose”. “The 15 towns have the responsibility of making our country’s rich heritage known to the world and this anniversary is one of those levers that drive us to do so,” he added.
PROGRAM OF ACTS.
This assembly has given impetus to the program of events for the Group’s 30th anniversary, with an agenda of events that will start in September in Ávila. The president of the GCPH has informed that different events will be organized for this reason and, in addition, a collection of fifteen special travel books will be published to celebrate the Group’s 30th anniversary.
The mayor of La Laguna also advanced that an extraordinary assembly will be held in Ávila in September and a meeting with the director general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, in autumn. Among other events, there will also be a photographic exhibition of the Heritage Cities at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, coinciding with that trip, and the ONCE 30th anniversary coupon will be presented for the draw on September 20.
The mayor stressed that, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Group and the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Heritage Night will be held on September 16, “the great cultural event in which our fifteen cities For the sixth consecutive year, the doors of its most emblematic treasures will open at night and will give life to its historic quarters, which will be filled with cultural activities”. This year, as a novelty, the representatives of the Heritage Cities of Mexico, Peru and Cuba are incorporated into the Heritage Scene Festival.
The new assembly has also boosted the international promotion calendar by attending the JATA fairs, in Osaka, from October 26 to 29, and the WTM, in London, from November 6 to 8. In addition, the Group will participate in conferences and workshops with tour operators in India (from October 4 to 6), Mexico (from December 10 to 13) and in the III Turespaña Convention (from October 23 to 25 in San Sebastián). There will also be international presentations, within the framework of the Tourism Operational Plan, in Milan, The Hague, the Nordic countries and the United States.
CHAMBER MUSIC CYCLE.
The events organized by the Group until the end of the year also include the X edition of the ‘Chamber Music in Heritage Cities’ Cycle, which will celebrate its extraordinary concert in November with the presence of Queen Sofía in La Laguna, as the venue of the current Presidency of the Group. This activity is carried out in collaboration with the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía (ESMRS). Starting in September, the organization of the cycle will be launched with the Artistic Direction of the School and the Culture Commission, selecting the participating groups and the heritage spaces.
It also highlights the I National Congress of Holy Week and World Heritage Cities. Promoted by the Group of World Heritage Cities of Spain and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, it will be held from October 27 to 29 in Úbeda and will be the first step for the creation of the National Association of Holy Week and Heritage Cities of Humanity.
The 2023 Heritage Cities Racing Circuit will also continue until the end of the year, an activity organized in collaboration with Viajes El Corte Inglés (main sponsor) and Paradores. The races that make up the Circuit take place throughout the year and take place totally or partially in the heritage area of each of the fifteen Spanish cities on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The president of the Group recalled that Dede is a unique circuit in Spain, highly valued by runners and runners, which benefits cities in their tourism field by mobilizing a large number of followers.
Luis Yeray Gutiérrez concluded by emphasizing “the joint work of the Group in favor of world heritage, an exceptional example in Spain of cooperation and collaboration between public administrations, organizations and private entities in favor of Spanish cultural heritage, which has an ambassador exceptional, which is His Majesty the King of Spain Felipe VI, who decisively supports our work by representing our cities the best summary of the history of Spain and the plurality of its culture and heritage”.
