Mountain town of Ronda among big winners at Andalucía Tourism Awards

Ronda town hall was among the winners at the Andalucía Tourism Awards 2023. The Junta's regional ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport announced the awards in a press release on Tuesday after the jury reached a decision.

The regional minister of Tourism, Arturo Bernal, highlighted the contribution of the award winners to the promotion of the image of the Andalusian region, as well as to the generation of wealth and employment in the region, "with commitment, dedication and a commitment to their land that have deserved the recognition of the jury".

The award for 'Tourist Destination of Excellence' went to Ronda town hall, for being an inland destination of great relevance in the region, where its cultural and natural heritage acts as a "locomotive" of local tourism with more than 1.7 million visitors per year.

The 'Ambassador' award went to Manuel Carrasco, the singer and composer from Huelva who has carried the Andalusian spirit with him during his successful musical career, in which he has won numerous awards, several platinum discs for his sales and has garnered the affection and admiration of the public.

In 'Trayectoria Empresarial Turística' (Tourism Business Trajectory), the González Byass Winery, a 185-year-old company from Jerez that offers wine and food tourism experiences at its facilities, generating more than 200,000 visits each year, was also recognised.

The 'Best Practices in Tourism Employment' category went to Valle del Este Hotel Golf Spa, a resort in the Levante region in which the quality of the service provided to the client is a priority and in which one hundred percent of the staff has a permanent contract, reaching a 67% representation of women in management positions.

In the 'Communication' category, the award went to Nomads Turismo, a company from Seville with 15 years of experience that offers digital solutions for all types of businesses, which respond to the profile of the new digital traveller who visits the region.

The Malaga-based company 1yCeros was also recognised in the 'Tourism Training and Research' category for the tool it markets through its commercial brand Guidum, which allows visitors to book and view tourist products and services reliably and conveniently.

In 'Tourism Innovation', recognition was given to the Hotel Boutique Suite Generis in Cordoba, which is committed to digitalisation, home automation and data processing through artificial intelligence to make it easier for guests to stay at its facilities and offer a personalised service.

In addition, in the 'Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism' category, the jury awarded the prize to the businesswoman María del Carmen Ángeles Úbeda, who after suffering an accident in 2012, trained in accessible tourism, establishing her own travel agency that specialises in catering for people with functional diversity.

And, in the category of 'Worker in the Tourism Sector', local Jaén tourist guide Eva de Dios Martínez, was recognised. She is the president and founding member of the Provincial Association of Official Tourist Guides, who has designed and executed some twenty provincial routes and more than 30 themed itineraries in the town of Jaén.

These distinctions will be awarded on 28 September in Jaén to coincide with the celebrations to mark World Tourism Day.