Debate about the tourist capacity of the Alhambra and the cave of Altamira

The Alhambra and the Cave of Altamira were the central focus of the second day of the International Seminar on the Capacity to receive and manage Tourism Flows in Heritage Spaces organized by the School of the Alhambra and the UNIA at the Palace of Charles V, which has brought international experts together for three days to debate about heritage and tourism.

The morning session began with a speech from Victoria E. Chamorro, the General Secretary of the Council of the Alhambra and Generalife, who explained the plans to enhance and improve the public visit to the monument and the main challenges faced by management including what she described as preventive conservation. “We have to make the visitors aware of the need to take care of and protect this legacy. We are firmly committed to a public visit that complies with a series of sustainability criteria which limit the number of visitors in such a way as to enable us to conserve the monument”.

Pilar Fatás, the sub-director of the Altamira Museum offered a similar opinion when referring to the public debate as to whether or not to open the Cave of Altamira: “The opening or closing of the Cave would not affect the number of visits because nowadays almost all visitors come to the Museum rather than the Cave itself. 97% of visitors to the NeoCave are aware of the need to conserve Altamira for the future and think that the Museum works well even though they cannot visit the original cave”.

In her speech Fatás explained that “the Neocave is the current alternative offered by the management of Altamira to those who come to visit us”. According to studies conducted by the institution which is part of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, “our visitors have an overwhelmingly positive view about the fact that the Cave of Altamira offers restricted access to only 250 people a year, as this is the best way to guarantee its future conservation”. Fatás also explained that the challenge they face is to “work to offer better access to the knowledge and the cultural enjoyment of the Cave of Altamira”.

More than 50 people are taking part in the International Seminar which until tomorrow Wednesday is bringing together experts in heritage, culture and tourism.

For more information please see www.escueladelaalhambra.es 

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