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Tag Archives: tourism

unsafe travel stickers

25 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by azahar in coronavirus, sevilla, spain, tourism, travel, welcome

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coronavirus, covid, spain, tourism, travel

unsafe
These two so-called “safe travel” stickers (apparently there are others) are being promoted by ICTE and WTTC but do little more then create a false sense of security. Anyone can get one of these online just by PROMISING to obey the protocols. No inspections, no control, no nuthin. Worse than useless, they are actually dangerous.

Since our borders were flung open again this past Monday, the very first day after our three-month lockdown, coronavirus infections have been on the rise throughout Spain.

What has really made me feel sick this past week is seeing people on Twitter discussing their summer holiday plans, saying shit like “let’s go to Spain or Italy, they have way fewer cases than we do!” as if… what?? Think about that for a minute. How is it okay for you to go somewhere without even considering the people who live where you are going? The people you are likely to end up infecting. And who the actual FUCK decides to go abroad on FUCKING HOLIDAY during a FUCKING GLOBAL PANDEMIC? The mind reels.

Just to be clear… I am far from anti-tourism. My entire business relies on tourists, and especially from the UK and US. But we have all seen the whole tourism thing spiralling out of control over the past few years so maybe this had to happen. Problem is that people keep refusing to believe things can’t just go back to the way they used to be. Well, they can’t and they won’t. Because they never should have been that way. So deal.

tourist ghetto

17 Wednesday Jun 2020

Posted by azahar in neighbours, sevilla, sevilla shutdown, tourism

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barrio santa cruz, sevilla, tourism

tourist guetto
They are finally pedestrianising Calle Mateos Gago, where l lived for 18 years (just above those orange trees on the top left pic). I walked all through Barrio Santa Cruz the other day and didn’t see one shop or one bar open, even beyond the street works. Why? Because nobody lives there anymore. This is what happens when you turn a previously vibrant and thriving neighbourhood into a tourist ghetto.

short-sighted quick-fix high-risk “solutions”

05 Friday Jun 2020

Posted by azahar in coronavirus, sevilla, tourism, travel, welcome

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Tags

coronavirus, covid, sevilla, tourism, travel, wttc

byebye

This was rather a cheering sight during my first (and probably last for some time) river walk since lockdown. Because upon seeing this very dead scooter on the river bank I realised that I hadn’t actually seen any of these annoying things these past couple of months, not from my balcony nor during quick trips to the supermarket. Obviously most were being (mis)used by tourists, riding them on pavements and leaving them just anywhere all over the city, so this has been one of the other positive aspects to getting our city back.

Then I read this morning that the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has named Sevilla (where they held their annual global summit last year) as one of the five travel destinations IN THE WORLD to receive their new Safe Travel Stamp, to “reassure and restore the confidence of travellers and make travel safe again”.

We are excited that Saudi Arabia, which is Chair of the G20 tourism group, as well as popular destinations such as Cancun, one of the biggest destinations in the world, Portugal, one of the fastest growing countries in Europe and the holiday cities of Barcelona and Seville, amongst others, are among the first destinations to back the stamp and implement global standard protocols to recover faster.

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enbhiga 2019

08 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by azahar in galicia, gastronomy, getaways, spain

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

enbhiga, galicia, galicia getaway, ourense, tourism

Next week I’ll be back in Galicia attending ENBHIGA in the province of Ourense, roughly in the south east of Galicia. You may recall that I spent a day in and around Ourense last July when I went up to do research for a Decanter article. This time I will be part of an international and national group of 40 journalists and 10 tour operators (not sure which category I fall into… both?) who have been invited by the Ourense tourist board to get to know this lesser known part of Galicia through its gastronomy.

Last summer I visited three of the five DO wine regions in Galicia – Rías Baixas, Ribeiro, and Ribeira Sacra – so I was very excited to learn that this week-long event would be taking in the other two – Valdorras and Monterrei (whose wines have actually become the new “house wines” at Casa Azahar).

My friends and Super Fixers Anna & Jorge @guitianmayer have organised the itinerary, which is so full-on I fear for, well, something. Hopefully not my life. Perhaps my sanity? We shall see. I actually almost backed out because of the ABDOMINAL PAIN, lest I explode somewhere in the northern countryside and die of sepsis. But last time this went on for over two months without incident, so I will be popping paracetamol and hoping for the best.

Including travel days to Madrid and back the whole trip will be from Monday to Sunday. Full day itineraries Tuesday to Friday, and a half day on Saturday before being taken back to Madrid. Ufff… wish me luck!

world tourism day gala

26 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by azahar in sevilla, tourism

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sevilla, tourism, world tourism day

World Tourism Day was celebrated once again with Prodetur (Turismo Sevilla Provincia) holding a Gala event, Sabores de Sevilla, at the Diputación de Sevilla, with speeches and a live music show, followed by catered food and drink showcasing various products from the province of Sevilla. Good times.

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