In November 2024, Cáceres will host the World Congress on Inland Tourism, organised by the Iberian Association of Inland Tourism (AITI). This event, taking place from 26th to 28th November, will address topics such as new mobility, sustainability, and present success stories from countries like Spain, Portugal, Peru, Equatorial Guinea, and Azerbaijan.

The main objective of the congress is to analyse inland tourism, its prospects and functioning, as well as future challenges. It will also focus on the cultural and social impacts of tourism in inland areas and the planning of actions for their socio-economic development. Topics to be discussed include religious and spiritual tourism and the sustainability of tourism with a view towards 2030.

Experts from various countries, including Spain, Portugal, Poland, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Morocco, Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Iran, and the Philippines, will participate in the event through individual communications and round tables. Additionally, there will be an exhibition of inland destinations aimed at public administrations and companies, facilitating contact and collaboration between national and international tour operators.

The programme will also include a Fam Trip through Extremadura and Beira Baixa in Portugal, aimed at travel agencies and tour operators, to promote the marketing of these destinations. The congress will be supported by a scientific committee composed of over one hundred academics from 40 universities across 12 countries, who will contribute their academic work to the debate.

Thus, Cáceres is preparing to become the epicentre of inland tourism, promoting the development and sustainability of less-explored territories.

More information at:

The International Classical Theatre Festival of Mérida has taken a significant step towards internationalisation by participating in the innovative European programme Dancing Histor(y)ies, a project funded by Creative Europe. This programme, which brings together 13 entities from 11 countries, aims to strengthen the ties between local communities and cultural heritage through dance and the performing arts.

Objectives and Participation

Dancing Histor(y)ies, whose motto is “binding communities and heritage through dance,” aims to strengthen the connection between local communities and cultural heritage.

The Mérida Festival, now in its 70th edition, has scheduled a series of activities including three workshops and three dance performances. These activities will take place until Sunday in various archaeological sites across the city, aiming to combine the best of theatre and performing arts with the enhancement of archaeological heritage.

Programme Presentation

The programme was presented by Pedro Blanco, Managing Director of the Festival’s Patronage Consortium, who explained that the Dancing Histor(y)ies schedule includes three workshops and three dance performances, all free of charge and requiring prior registration via online forms.

Performances and Workshops

The performances scheduled as part of Dancing Histor(y)ies include:

• ‘One Day We Will Be Statues‘ by ILDance (Sweden), which will be presented on Friday at 9:00 PM in the Roman Forum. This production, designed by Israel Aloni, is inspired by the three visits made to Mérida by the Swedish company to immerse themselves in the local culture, blending contemporary dance and sound in a historical setting.
• ‘Ícaro‘ by 420People (Czech Republic), which will take place on Saturday at 9:30 PM in the Temple of Diana. Marta Lajnerová, head of the company, highlights the collaboration of six dance students from Mérida in this production, underscoring the value of shared creative experiences.
• ‘Electra‘ by the Theatre and Dance Workshop of IES Santa Eulalia in Mérida, scheduled for Sunday at 9:30 PM in the Temple of Diana. This local production, directed by Juan Carlos Tirado with choreography by Alba Gog, integrates elements of Greek mythology in a heritage context.

Additionally, several workshops will be conducted to explore the intersection between performing arts and cultural heritage:

• ‘La caja de Pandora‘, directed by the flamenco dance company and school of Fuensanta Blanco, involves young people aged 10 to 30 in a creative process that will culminate in the performance ‘The Thread of Hope‘, on Thursday at 9:30 PM in the Temple of Diana. This workshop is inspired by the myth of Pandora, exploring themes of hope and resilience through flamenco.
• ‘Didactics of Dramatic Expression‘, a training course led by Javier Llanos and produced by TAPTC? Teatro, has been conducted from 1st to 4th July. This workshop covers techniques for group facilitation, creativity enhancement, theatre direction, stage production, and citizen engagement, offering comprehensive training for artists and educators.
• ‘Utilisation of Heritage Sites as Venues for Performances‘, a seminar that will take place on Thursday from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Festival’s headquarters. Managed by the Institute of Archaeology of Mérida, this workshop will analyse the use of heritage buildings as performance spaces, with lectures on the Temple of Diana, the Forum Portico, and the Parador of Mérida, followed by a round table discussion on how to use these spaces without compromising their identity.

Reflections and Future

Jesús Cimarro, Director of the Mérida Festival, highlighted how the project focuses on promoting archaeological sites through the performing arts, defining an innovative, effective, and replicable model for the enhancement of cultural sites. This model aims to actively involve local communities in artistic production and conscious enjoyment of heritage, while also promoting the international participation and circulation of European artists.

Antonio Marín, Director of the Centre for Performing Arts and Music of Extremadura (CEMART), emphasised that “dialogue” is the word that defines Dancing Histor(y)ies, highlighting the importance of communication between performing arts and heritage, among different institutions, and across various countries. This approach demonstrates that “culture is a key that opens doors to cross borders and establish collaborations.” Marín also noted that the Mérida Festival is the only event held in four archaeological sites, reinforcing its uniqueness and commitment to heritage conservation while crossing borders throughout Europe.

Israel Aloni, from ILDance, expressed his enthusiasm for participating in this event, highlighting that Mérida offers an inspiring environment that combines history and contemporary art. Marta Lajnerová, from 420People, also appreciated this European initiative, thanking the Mérida Festival team for their collaboration in bringing her performance to such an iconic setting.

Pedro Mateos, Director of the Institute of Archaeology of Mérida, advocated for the use of heritage buildings as performance spaces, emphasising the need to preserve their essence while exploring new ways to utilise them. The seminar’s round table will provide a platform to discuss these issues in depth, involving both archaeologists and performing arts professionals.

Images by Jero Morales / Mérida Festival

DigitalPress Group celebrated an unforgettable evening this Wednesday with the presentation of the 4th @ Awards of their newspaper Regiondigital.com. The event took place in the charming Gardens of the Hotel Ilunion Las Lomas in Mérida and was hosted by Diego Casillas, director of Miextremadura.com, alongside Elena Cárdenas, an actress from ESAD Extremadura.

More than 200 attendees enjoyed an evening full of good vibes and memorable moments. They were all honoured with the iconic @ symbol designed by the renowned Extremaduran sculptor Miguel Sansón.

These awards stand out for recognising innovation, entrepreneurship, and social impact in the region, thus celebrating the talent and dedication of the awardees. This year’s gala has once again solidified Regiondigital.com’s commitment to excellence and the development of Extremadura.

Julio González Morales, CEO of DigitalPress Group, congratulated the awardees and highlighted the crucial role of RegionDigital.com throughout its 24-year history, praising the commitment and loyalty of the team. Looking to the future, he expressed optimism about continuing to innovate and lead projects both in Spain and internationally. He also advocated for simplifying administration for freelancers and businesses. Additionally, he announced plans to strengthen their role as providers of software and digital content, integrating artificial intelligence with specialised journalistic work.

You can visit the full news story on the official Regiondigital.com website.

Last Friday, 7th June, the Cáceres Business Circle organised the VII Business Network Gala, a notable event that honoured entrepreneurs who have significantly contributed to the development of our region.

In a night filled with sparkle and excitement, the Cluster awarded the Tourism2024 prize to Mrs. Pilar Acosta, CEO of Gran Hotel Don Manuel. Upon receiving this prestigious award on behalf of her entire team, Pilar highlighted the importance of collaboration with an inspiring message: “Tourism is a collective effort by administrations, business owners, and citizens; we must strive together for quality.“

The gala also reserved a special moment to honour Mrs. María José G. Curto, president of the Cluster, who received the Personal Award in recognition of her 35 years of dedication. This award celebrates her outstanding career in generating business and employment, significantly contributing to the economy of Cáceres. María José has been a pivotal figure, not only in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) sector but also in numerous activities related to tourism and associations, raising Extremadura’s profile both nationally and internationally.

Festival de Teatro de Mérida includes dance in its programme through this project’s ‘Off-Festival’, with performances by artistic partners from Sweden and the Czech Republic, along with another performance by a local dance company.

The workshops and residencies will take place over 7 days and will allow the artists to interact deeply with the historical environment and cultural community of Mérida.

The performances are designed to connect the archaeological sites with dance and the local community, offering a unique experience for both artists and audiences.

Key dates in Merida

Festivals Calendar

On a day filled with emotions and nature, the VI Hiking Route “El Paraíso de Brovales” took place on January 21st in Brovales, Badajoz. This wonderful event, organized by El Paraíso de Brovales – Rural Accommodation, has been recognized as the best private hiking initiative in Extremadura.

One of the highlights was the presentation of the prestigious “Paraíso de Brovales” Route Award to Vicente Pozas. This recognition, granted by the Tourism Complex, was presented by the Mayor of Jerez de los Caballeros, Raúl Gordillo, in a ceremony attended by more than 1200 people.

The VI Hiking Route not only provided an unforgettable hiking experience in nature but also offered dozens of gifts and surprises to the participants. All attendees came together for this event, solidifying it as a memorable day in the rural world of Extremadura.

Yesterday, 24th October, the Cultivating Employment Extremadura Fair, organised by Acción contra el Hambre, was held at the San Francisco Cultural Complex in Cáceres, with the aim of supporting people in the process of actively seeking employment in our region.
The Extremadura Tourism Cluster attended, once again, in collaboration with CETEX, the Confederación Empresarial de Hostelería y Turismo de Extremadura.
The programme of the event included a round table on Challenges and trends in employment and entrepreneurship in Extremadura, a round table on Social innovation for employment, a dynamic of reactivation between participants and companies, a job fair and an Incubator for entrepreneurship.

Cluster del Turismo de Extremadura Tourism Cluster is a Supporting Partner of this summit.

Tourism Innovation Global Summit 2023 –TIS 2023– is the place where tourism leaders from around the world will come together to expose the daily challenges of tourism, solutions and innovative case studies that help the travel and tourism sector. Multiple activities will take place, with more than 400 speakers in 6 auditoriums; there will also be Vertical Forums, C-Suite agendas, or a Festival for Start Ups, among others.

This year, TIS 2023 promises to be a game changer, with a brand-new pavilion with more than 200 exhibiting companies showcasing their latest innovations and technologies to take tourism businesses and destinations to the next level. Along with more than 400 international experts who will participate in the World Tourism Innovation Summit to share success stories, strategies, and trends to embrace the travel revolution we are living.

The topics to be covered in this edition are multiple, among them are: AI for travel; Chat GPT; strategy; Trust; Business Intelligence; Digital Experiences; Tourism Tech Innovation; Metaverse; Cybersecurity; Loyalty Programs; Digital Marketing; Resilience; Consumer Behaviour; Travel Tracker; Contactless; Sustainability; Agenda 2030; LGTBQ+; Data Analytic.

We encourage you to attend this leading event for the travel and tourism industry, where innovation lights up, and possibilities know no boundaries.

Link to the official website: https://www.tisglobalsummit.com/

Today, 7th August, we have held a meeting with the selected companies of the European project CulTourData in “El Círculo”, headquarters of the Red Circular Fab of the Diputación de Cáceres.

Members of the 10 selected SMEs have attended, in person and online, with the aim of taking the next steps in the implementation of the project, and begin to develop the activities planned for each one.

The CulTourData project is funded by the COSME (Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) programme of the European Commission. The main objective is to support European Cities of Culture (ECoC) to achieve a sustainable growth of cultural tourism, through collaboration with cultural and creative industries, and innovation based on data and digitisation.

We thank the attendees for their participation, and Maribel Orjuela, director of dynamisation of El Círculo for giving us this space.

The offer includes training to increase skills and competencies with extensive knowledge transfer and matchmaking events for cooperation accompanied by an exchange of best practices and mentoring support.
These capacity-building activities will enable the company to implement new practices in its businesses.

The enterprise will be supported with €7,000 if it will be selected to be one of the beneficiaries of Tourism 4.0.

The call is aimed at a small or medium-sized enterprise located in one of the 5 countries such as Italy, Portugal, Spain, Malta, and Croatia from one of the following categories:

• Hotels and similar accommodations
• Holidays and another type of accommodation for short stays
• Travel agencies, tour operators, booking services, and related businesses

Call for selection of tourism SMEs