On september 23th and 24th was held in Malaga the IV Mediterranean Tourism Forum, MEDITOUR, organized by Malaga’s Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce (ASCAME) in collaboration with the Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Knowledge, Innovation and Tourism Training.

Under the slogan "1 sea, 1001 destinations”, this forum aimed to deepen the discussions and debates about Mediterranean possibilities of economic development from tourism sector. With a strong entrepreneurial character, the various chambers grouped in ASCAME gathered to exchange knowledge and generate commercial transactions.

The agenda of the forum addressed issues like the state of tourism in the Mediterranean from sustainability; projects and good practices; trends and future scenarios in the sector; the impact of energy and transportation in the development of tourism industry; or the new challenges of Mediterranean hospitality industry.

On Friday 24th, C4T through its Managing Partner Xavier Vives had the opportunity to present the project that the company developed in Guadix (Granada) called Wadi Ash, considered as a "Best Practice" in cultural tourism because of its innovative nature and the ability to represent a new model of sustainable tourism development in grand scale based on real capacity to provide a complete leisure experience.

Wadi Ash (as Guadix was known on Andalusí times) may be consider as a paradigm of how to carried out economic promotion projects on the new world’ scenario: with a high dose of added value, with an attractive but also consistent "anchor" and with respect for the territory’s history and identity.

Wadi Ash is a tourism and leisure project whose central argument is the recreation and the exaltation of an era (the historic Al Andalus), aiming for a friendly coexistence and tolerance between cultures from cultural tourism and that points to capitalize and complement its proximity to Granada and the Alhambra in particular that, with near 2,000,000 visitors represents an international attraction leader in cultural tourism.

The project, promoted by PHP, one of major business holdings in Italy, is built over an area of 260 ha of hills, woods and cultivated plains; very well-connected. Is structured around a Medina that serves as a cultural theme park, creating emotional spaces to relive and rediscover literature and humanities, science and technology, arts and carfts, and a very own way of life of historic Al Andalus. These areas include hotels of different categories, catering establishments, shops and a large program of complementary services and facilities among which the Golf and the Equestrian Park outstands.

The paper and presentation was appreciated by the participants and motivated signs of interest about various details and particularities of the project.

C4T Team