The Minister of Tourism and Foreign Affairs of Andalusia, Arturo Bernal, stressed the commitment of the Andalusian Government for the region to have “a strong presence” in the main markets of the world. “So far we have done an excellent job focused on Europe, but Andalusia must have a strategic and coordinated positioning with the rest of the areas of the Council,” he stressed.
Bernal, in an interview with Europa Press, advocated that the different powers of the Council “lead us to an international diplomacy based on the economy, culture, sport, industry or knowledge, using the tools that international cooperation for development offers us” and alliances with the most important regions of the world.
In this regard, he clarified that Andalusia already has important collaboration agreements, such as with Lower Saxony or Bavaria. “The idea is to expand these international relationships, focusing on strategic positions in markets such as Asia-Pacific or North America and Latin America.”
Bernal made it clear that the Andalusian work to achieve a strong international position “is done from thehealth in the right of national foreign action”, which “gives a role to communities.” “Our work consists of the full exercise of our powers, but nothing more. Within the framework of this law, there is a great deal of room for action,” he added.
Travel to China
Regarding the institutional trip made to China at the end of September by the Andalusian president Juanma Moreno and some advisers, including Bernal himself, he stressed that it was a “true success of institutional, economic and industrial diplomacy.”
“China’s positioning is fundamental, the Asian giant has 1.5 billion inhabitants, “A huge potential market for Andalusia, for example in terms of supplying technological elements linked to our own renewable energy strategy,” Bernal said.
In this regard, he stressed that “thanks to this new diplomatic dynamic, we have managed to open the door to a large market capable of transforming the lives of 800 million people in just a few years, lifting them out of poverty and transforming them into a thriving media class with a great future.
Following this action trip abroad, he highlighted the “mMore than 2.5 billion in investments attracted to Andalusia that will generate around a thousand jobs in the region“, as well as “pioneering positioning in the manufacture of electric vehicles and green hydrogen”.
Thus, the foreign action advisor stressed that Andalusia “has a very interesting position from a geopolitical point of view and we must be able to manage it properly.” “Many countries, such as China, have interests in Africa and Latin America and see Andalusia as a bridge between Europe and the rest of the world,” he stressed.
Air connectivity
Regarding the objectives of the Regional Executive in terms of air connectivity, the councilor highlighted the “conquest” of “distant” markets that “attract customers with different motivations and at other times of the year, which are key for temporal and territorial seasonalization.” “If we want different results, we must try new markets,” he added.
At this point, it has again focused on the markets of Asia-Pacific, South America and North America – Mexico, the United States and Canada -, “without losing its place of relevance in the European market”.
The advisor focused specifically on ethe American market, in which “the relationship between connectivity and market growth has been incredible, reaching figures of around 200%” and a “notable” increase in the average stay and average spending per person, which in the case of North American tourism “exceeds 220 euros per person per day, while the average for international tourism is around 170 euros.”
