Spanish World Heritage Cities Unveil UNESCO Heritage Project, Visa Tourism Deal

The Group of Spanish World Heritage Cities, which includes La Laguna, is launching a volunteer project backed by UNESCO. This project aims to support cultural and educational efforts to protect, share, and pass on heritage.

The first test of this project will happen in Ávila. Its goal is to get young people involved in understanding and protecting heritage, and to build a stronger link between people and cultural sites. By developing this project, the Group plans to create methods that can then be used in all its other cities.

La Laguna's mayor, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, and its Tourism Councillor, Estefanía Díaz, attended a meeting of the Group of Spanish World Heritage Cities. This meeting took place during the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) in Madrid. There, the cities reaffirmed their commitment to working together on national and international projects and renewing important partnerships.

During the assembly, the Group also agreed on a plan to boost shared cultural and sports events across the fifteen cities. They will do this by jointly applying for national, European, and international project funding. The cities believe it's vital to work together on initiatives that help protect, share, and celebrate world heritage. They also see cultural, educational, and sports activities as ways to bring communities together and promote their cities globally.

The Group emphasized its eagerness to join strategic programs and funding calls. They will focus on projects that are manageable, can continue long-term, and can produce results that benefit all World Heritage cities.

These efforts will focus on areas like engaging young people, exploring architecture and city spaces, and fostering international cultural cooperation.

For international cooperation, the Group confirmed it would strengthen its relationships, including renewing its partnership with Mexico's National Association of World Heritage Cities. The goal is to boost cultural exchanges, build networks, and develop joint projects.

Also at Fitur, the Group signed a deal with Visa. This partnership aims to better understand international tourism in the fifteen cities and improve their cultural and tourist offerings. They will do this by analyzing combined and anonymous data.

Through this agreement, the Group will get a special online tool. It will allow them to analyze, in a combined and completely anonymous way, how foreign Visa cardholders spend money in their cities. This information will help them learn things like where visitors come from, how long they stay, and what they buy.

Analyzing this data will help the Group make strategic decisions based on facts. This means they can better plan cultural and tourist activities, create products that suit international visitors' interests, and manage their World Heritage destinations more efficiently and sustainably.

The agreement ensures privacy and data protection. All information shared is completely anonymous, with no personal details of cardholders, banks, or shops.

La Laguna's mayor, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, said at the Fitur assembly: "The fifteen Spanish cities recognized by UNESCO are dedicated to sharing the valuable heritage we hold. We believe it's crucial to involve young people in protecting this legacy."

He added, "By participating in national and international project calls, the Group of Spanish World Heritage Cities has a strategic chance to develop innovative and sustainable projects, which will further boost our cities' global presence."