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Sara Baras to close the Feria Internacional
de Turismo on the Día de Andalucía
The Andalusian
pavilion will have an exposition about flamenco
Silvia Calado Olivo
Andalusia is placing its bets on flamenco as the
region's tourist attraction for visitors throughout the world. And good evidence
of this is the importance the Consejería de Turismo (tourism council) of
the Junta de Andalucía is giving to the arte jondo at the pavilion it will
occupy at the Feria Internacional de Turismo (Fitur) scheduled to be held from
January 30th to February 3rd, 2002 in Madrid. Not only will the dancer from Cádiz,
Sara Baras - official image for Turismo Andaluz' promotional enterprise - close
the fair with a performance on the January 31, Día de Andalucía,
but the stand will feature a museum display about flamenco as well.
"Andalusia will not carry out any promotional
campaign that is not backed up by flamenco". With this firm declaration José
Hurtado, tourism counselor for the Junta de Andalucía, leaves no doubt
about the role that the arte jondo will assume from now on as the region's letter
of presentation in the global arena. This determination is about to materialize
shortly at the Feria Internacional de Turismo (Fitur) in Madrid.
On the one hand dancer Sara Baras will be the icing on
the cake on January 31st, the day devoted to Andalusia, with her performance in
the pavilion's central plaza. The participation of the artist from Cádiz
in this event forms a part of her duties as touristic image for the region, a
'post' which has already taken her to the latest World Trade Market in London
accompanying the promotional enterprise Turismo Andaluz. Hurtado maintains that
Sara Baras reflects "a modern image based on tradition", a message which
the region hopes to send out to the world.
Sara Baras
Another way in which Andalusia supports its Fitur
promotion is with a museum exhibition about flamenco, within a series of four
expositions related to the history and culture of Andalusia which includes 'Andaluces
universales' [Andalusians of the world], 'El caballo andaluz' [Andalusian horses]
and 'Fiestas y tradiciones' [celebrations and traditions].
United States
The strategy launched by Turismo Andaluz in the American
market where it has budgeted 18 million Euros for this year's promotion, has one
of its main pillars in the USA Flamenco Festival. The Andalusian promotional enterprise
is sponsoring the festival which, organized by the World Music Institute and Miguel
Marín Productions, will travel to New York, Washington, Boston, Austin,
Albuquerque and Hartford with flamenco artists like Antonio Canales, Vicente Amigo,
María Pagés, Eva Yerbabuena, El Güito, Manuela Carrasco and
Israel Galván.
The Tourism Council will take advantage of the performances
which will take place between January 25th and February 10th, 2002 to contact
tourist agencies in the United States. Other initiatives will also be added such
as the start-up of the Guía Telemática del Flamenco within the offical
Andalusian portal, and the creation of a central contracting agency for flamenco
tourism aimed at travel agencies, which will open in Seville next October during
the second Feria Mundial de Flamenco.
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