Huelva, 14th March of 2016.– The Port of Huelva is present between 15 and 17 March in the most important international event of the industry of cruises, the fair Global Seatrade Cruise 2016, which is celebrated in Fort Lauderdale’s American city (Florida), with the aim to continue consolidating the Port of Huelva as calling of cruises and to catch the arrival of new calls.
The Port of Huelva is at this international meeting of the sector of cruises to promote the quality of his services and infrastructures, equipped to receive big cruise vessels and tourist attractions of Huelva and province, linked to the Gesta Christopher Columbus English heritage, pristine beaches and natural landscapes and parks.
A delegation of the Port of Huelva, led by the director, Ignacio Álvarez-Ossorio, along with the director of Business Development, Manuel Vega, have come to the fair, where they are accompanied by a representative of the Tourist Board, responsible for promotion international, Alicia Diaz to promote the destination and tourism resources of the province aimed to be part of the offer excursions to cruise passengers. Furthermore, this delegation has held various meetings with cruise lines attract new calls for the Port of Huelva.
The president of the Port Authority of Huelva, Javier Barrero, said that the arrival of cruise calls to the Port of Huelva is one of the major challenges that remain part of the strategic lines of Port as is the diversification of activity, as well as port-society relations, as a way of bringing configure the port to the city and the province through the arrival of tourists, which add value to the services sector.
Javier Barrero has highlighted the quantum leap that is being achieved in the sector, since it has gone from receiving six calls cruise in 2015 to 19 planned for this year.
The Port Authority of Huelva participates in this event with Suncruise Andalusia and Ports of Spain, which has an institutional stand Ports of Spain, under the slogan “Blue Carpet: Delve into Spain on a blue carpet”.
This fair is the most important of all those held in the sector and brings together exhibitors (shippers, consignees) worldwide, being accredited for this edition 11,000 professionals and 825 exhibitors from 93 countries. In previous years it was held in Miami and Cruise Shipping Miami for the first time this year takes place in the city of Fort Lauderdale. During the days of the fair, a conference program in which involved nearly a hundred speakers of the cruise industry, which will present the strategic lines of how it will develop the cruise market in the coming develops years.
As for the infrastructure of the Port of Huelva to host cruise calls, the South Dock, located outside the port and Levante Pier, located in the city center. Especially, the South Wharf, located very close to the entrance to the Port, has been designed to accommodate cruise traffic with large vessels, while the Levante Wharf has the advantage of being located five minutes from downtown .
Regarding tourism resources, the Port of Huelva is placing value on its history as a port of encounter between Spain and America as well as the places related to Cristobal Columbus as the Monastery of La Rabida and Caravels dock, where is the recreation of the caravels in which Christopher Columbus set out to the new world.
It also promotes the Port of Huelva linking the history of the province and the city with the English track, due to the production and export of copper and other metals from the mines of Rio Tinto, among others. Proof of this is the Rio Tinto mineral carrier, as well as the great English legacy that remains in the city of Huelva and the Columbus House, Queen Victoria Quarter or the English cemetery. To this the possibilities to visit the Rio Tinto mines, and the mining museum add up and make a train ride along the river Tinto, which are conducted research on the planet Mars. In addition to the existing story about William Martin or “the man who never was” and its role in World War II.
The environmental wealth of the province is another of its great attractions. The Port of Huelva is located near the Odiel Marshes Nature Reserve, Biosphere Reserve. Other natural resources of the province are the Park Doñana and the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park, the Cave of Wonders of Aracena and over 120 kilometers of unspoilt beaches. The rich and varied cuisine will amaze visitors, especially the popular prawn and ham, as well as coastal fish, meat and cured meats from the Sierra, strawberry, red fruits and citrus fruits, wines, vinegars and brandy and pastures inhabited by the bull.
The proximity to the monumental city of Seville and the Portuguese Algarve set another attraction of Huelva destination, since both places are located 45 minutes from the town.
The Port of Huelva has created an Observatory Cruise, which has been renamed, Huelva Cruise Network, in which other institutions and business organizations, among others, has been working intensively on organizing workshops to advance the present welcoming visitors once they reach the destination and the provision of quality services. Recently the Chamber of Commerce of Huelva has launched the quality mark for commercial, hotel and catering establishments, among other companies related to cruise tourism, “Live Huelva Cruises” which distinguish the places that are committed to providing a service quality cruise passengers.
