‘Spain for All’ ambassador, Ade Adepitan, meets with TTG's Daniel Pearce to discuss what accessible travel means in 2024. In the interview, part of TTG's Fairer Travel Month in July, Ade highlights the spending power the disabled community has in the UK, which he argues is not being capitalised upon successfully within the industry.  He touches on key issues facing accessible travel, including the dangerous assumption that all people with disabilities are one homogeneous group, the importance of catering to families with members with  disabilities,  and how to give the travel industry the tools to better cater to people with disability needs. 

Ade Adepitan, British television presenter and wheelchair basketball player, is the official ambassador for ‘Spain for All’, a campaign from the Spanish Tourist Office underlining the country’s commitment to improving accessibility and social inclusivity within the travel and tourism sector. Adepitan has spent significant time in Spain having lived in Zaragoza and has travelled the length and breadth of the country both personally and professionally. His ambassadorship role includes consultancy services for the advisory panel, personal feedback on his own experiences of travelling around the country as a wheelchair user, and endorsement of the campaign. 

The shoulder-season months of March through to May are some of the best times to visit Spain and its islands, with dramatic Holy Week processions taking place throughout the country and with the entire peninsula blossoming with vivid blooms. Fewer visitors and cooler temperatures at this time of year make spring the perfect time to explore Spain in comfort, discovering the country’s authentic culture and extraordinary landmarks and landscapes. 

Below are five destinations to visit in Spain this spring. 

Palma de Mallorca, the Balearic Islands 

Whilst many associate the Balearic Islands with school holidays and summer months, this charming archipelago comes into its own during the shoulder seasons of spring and summer, where fewer visitors make the Islands ripe for exploration by foot, bike or boat. Mallorca’s capital, Palma, is particularly charming during spring, with long days perfect for wandering down Passeig del Born – the city’s renowned shaded shopping street – and admiring the dramatic cathedral of La Seu. Visitors can use Palma as a base to explore the rest of Mallorca, which is covered in thousands of almond trees blossoming during early Spring, covering the island in a pink-and-white blanket. Cycling is particularly popular in Mallorca where, during shoulder season, beaches are emptier, and lanes and villages are quieter. 

Seville, Andalusia 

The historic city of Seville is known for its soaring temperatures in the summer, making spring one of the best times to visit this city to enjoy comfortable, warm climes. Travellers can wander through the winding streets, explore the Dueñas Palace, watch the world pass by while sipping sangrias at pavement cafes, and possibly catch a local flamenco performance. Seville simply blooms during spring, with the arrival of the much-anticipated annual Feria de Abril (April Fair). This legendary week-long festival, originally a cattle fair, takes place two weeks after Easter, and includes  hundreds of stalls and marquees where locals gather, colourful flamenco and music displays, horse and carriage parades, and much more. 

Cieza, Murcia 

The lesser-known region of Murcia is home to one of the most spectacular natural spring sights: the blossoming of the peach trees at Cieza. Cieza itself is a historic town overflowing with history and, each spring, the environs of the town light up with vibrant pink blossoms – La Floración en Cieza. In 2023, a new Vía Verde greenway opened, allowing guests to take in the most beautiful views of the blossom. Cieza’s Holy Week celebrations are classified as an event of National Tourist Interest, during which colourful parades and a passion play take place. Whilst exploring Cieza, travellers should not miss a visit to the region’s capital, Murcia, which is home to extraordinary Moorish history and awe-inspiring Baroque architecture.  

Barcelona, Catalunya 

Barcelona attracts crowds throughout the year, but spring is perhaps the best time to explore one of Spain’s most popular cities – without the summer crowds. Visitors can escape Barcelona’s high summer temperatures with a trip earlier in the year, exploring Gaudí’s works or sitting back and soaking up the atmosphere on one of the city’s renowned beaches. The streets burst with colour in spring, and guests can take in the view by taking the cable car up to Montjuic, whose gardens are similarly technicolour during this season. Spring also brings with it some of the region’s best produce – enjoy sweet and tender calçots (a variety of onion) between January and April, a local specialty. On 23 April, join Catalonians to celebrate the lively festival of Barcelona’s patron saint, Sant Jordi: this festival is a delight for book-lovers, with the custom being to exchange roses and books with loved ones. 

Castilla y León 

One of the most memorable and moving places to visit during Semana Santa or Holy Week (this year celebrated between 24 and 30 March) is the province of Castilla y León, where Holy Week celebrations are a serious affair. In the town of Valladolid, the historic celebrations comprise of dramatic, costumed processions through the streets carrying religious statues, accompanied by sombre music and drumbeats. Holy week in Zamora, one of the oldest of such traditions in Spain, is particularly solemn, with hundreds processing through the streets to the accompaniment of funereal music or polyphonic chant, or even in complete silence. 

Want more suggestions of the best places to visit in Spain this spring? Find some more options below: 

• The best blossoms and blooms in Spain 
• La Fiesta de los Patios, Córdoba 
• Girona Flower Festival 
• Holy Week festivals across Spain 

From reducing carbon emissions by promoting sustainable transport to protecting local wildlife such as that of Albufera (one of the most important wetlands in Europe), here are five sustainable initiatives currently being implemented in Valencia, with the goal of ensuring the city’s green status beyond 2024 and of reaching its goal of climate neutrality by 2030.

1. Artificial intelligence:

Valencia has been chosen as one of three large European supernodes for the Citcom.ai project, funded by the European Union, to install an artificial intelligence experimentation and testing centre in the city. The aim is to apply artificial intelligence to face urban issues, such as mobility, sustainable transport, and energy efficiency.  

2. Smart recycling 

The city will soon have smart brown containers for the selective collection of organic waste. They will have an electronic closing system that requires the use of a card or app to open them, aiming to reduce the percentage of improper waste that is deposited. 

3. Wave power

The first installation of wave power in Valencia is already under construction in the city’s Marina. Current figures estimate that it will generate about 130,000 kilowatts a year from wave movements, which is equivalent to reducing the annual production of CO2 in the city by 16 tons. 

4. Pedestrianised public spaces

Fewer cars and increased numbers of people opting to walk has a positive environmental impact within cities. To ensure that locals and visitors alike feel safe and confident to walk in the city, so far 150,000 m2 of land has been recovered for pedestrian use due to the pedestrianisation of Plaza de la Reina, Plaza del Ayuntamiento and Plaza de Brujas. As part of the ‘Valencia, City of Plazas’ scheme, the city aims to recover 207,000 m2 of public space, with roads having been reduced to lanes with speed limits and the expansion and revegetation of pedestrian spaces.

5. Renaturation

Since the creation of the Jardín del Turia in 1986, when the Turia riverbed was diverted and a new public garden built, Valencia has continued to expand its green spaces and renaturalise its urban areas. In 2022, 1,687 new trees were planted. Moreover, the city has a remarkable 600 hectares of parks and gardens, resulting in an estimated 90% of the population having access to a green space within 250m. 

Meanwhile, Valencia is home to the Albufera Natural Park, one of the most important wetlands in Europe, and the measures taken by the city to protect this environment have also led to Valencia being designated the first Wetland City in Spain in 2022.

Click here for more information on Valencia as a destination

At the International Tourism Fair in Madrid, representatives of Palma weighed up the 2022 season during a round table discussion, outlining how the city has evolved towards a more efficient and competitive tourism model. 

The Palma City Councillor for Tourism, Elena Navarro, laid out the new infrastructure projects that Palma will implement over the coming months to improve both visitors’ stays and the quality of life of residents. Such projects include the transformation of the beach promenade, the Paseo Marítimo, and the repaving of the Plaça d'Espanya, from where visitors can take the popular wooden train to Soller. A new tramway project has also secured funding and will facilitate better connections, making the city easier to navigate than ever before. In recent years, Palma has also renewed 165 buses and created several new routes, in addition to tripling the number of Bicipalma bicycles available across the city.

Cosmopolitan tourists are helping to de-seasonalise tourism in Palma thanks to their interest in the city’s quality cultural, gastronomy and traditional experiences outside of the sun and beach proposition. Likewise, where winter is usually difficult for the island as tourism slows down, this year thousands of visitors from all over the world will attend conferences hosted in Palma, such as the Aquatic Sciences Meeting and various training sessions for market-leading multinational corporations. 

The tourism model used by Seville's Smart Tourism Office is included in the European body's mission of '100 smart and climate-neutral cities by 2030'.

Seville is working on urban planning and digitalization plans as well as promoting sustainable tourism through ambitious projects such as a scheme that will measure the flow of tourists in the most visited areas of the city. The system, currently being tested in the popular Barrio de Santa Cruz, will use thousands of data readings which will allow decisions to be made in real time to redirect tourist flows to other areas in orderto combat cases of overcrowding.

https://www.visitasevilla.es/en/official-webguide-seville

The city will run several events to celebrate this special announcement inviting visitors and residents to enjoy Sanlúcar’s delicious cuisine and unique wine. This programme seeks to showcase the region highlighting its high standards of quality-of-life thanks to its geographical location and climate, which provide a world-class sun and beach proposition for visitors. The city is rich with natural resources thanks to its proximity to the Guadalquivir River and the natural reserve of the Doñana National Park, which are both an inspiration for the city’s food culture and the legendary horse races that take place on a long stretch of beach in August.

Two elements of the food culture of Sanlúcar which have been highlighted in the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy celebrations are Sanlúcar king prawns and the region’s Manzanilla wine (straight from the heart of the Jerez Region). Sanlúcar’s king prawns are one of the most renowned gastronomic treasures of Andalucía and are farmed in the mouth of the Guadalquivir River adjacent to the Doñana National Park. This prawn carries an intense and rich flavour mainly thanks to the characteristics of the waters in which it grows. At present, these delicate prawns have an official quality brand called Langostino de Sanlúcar (King Prawn of Sanlúcar) which recognises the prawns caught on the coast of the lower Guadalquivir River. In 2020, 146,00 kilograms of these prawns were sold in the Sanlúcar de Barrameda fish market.

The celebrated counterpart, the Manzanilla wine, is a variety of fino sherry made around the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda and is produced under the Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) of Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda DOP since 1964. In Spanish, chamomile infusion is called "manzanilla", and thus this wine gets the name because of its flavour said to be reminiscent of such an infusion. The sherry is manufactured using the same methods as a fino and results in a very pale, dry wine.

Visitors looking to discover the city and its culinary scene during its year as Spanish Capital of Gastronomy should look out for its main gastronomic treasures:

• Tortillitas de camarones: This simple yet delicious tapa uses small fresh prawns to create fritters that are best served piping hot.
• Acedías and tapaculos: two of the city’s most famous fish best served fried and to be eaten by hand.
• Arroz con Pato: one of the lesser-known dishes that are popular among the locals of Sanlúcar. It is made from products sourced in the estuaries and areas bordering the river. The star is blue duck that is eaten in sauce or with rice hence the name ´Rice with Duck’.
• Guisos Marineros: seafood stews are especially famous in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. They come in many shapes and sizes made with cuttlefish, king prawns, monkish and many other delicacies caught just off the coast.
• Las Papas Aliñás: one of the most recognised potato dishes in Cádiz. Its main characteristic is that it is served "warm" and not cold like most potato salads. It is a type of potato salad that optimises simple, local ingredients.

The title of Spanish Capital of Gastronomy will be held by Sanlúcar de Barrameda from 01 January to 31 December. Huelva (2017), Leon (2018), Almeria (2019) and the region of Murcia (2020 and 2021) are among the Spanish cities that have previously held this annual recognition that celebrates food and tourism since its first edition in 2012.

The designation highlights Valencia for the quality of its Mediterranean design and marks the beginning of a series of cultural events aimed to consolidate this legacy of design focusing on six strategic hubs in which action can be taken via design: health and wellbeing; education; innovation and economy; heritage and identity; equality, inclusion and diversity; and sustainability.

The “unanimous” decision from the WDO was based upon “the precision, rigour and professionalism” of Valencia’s candidature. Xavi Calvo, strategic co-director of the candidacy for Valencia, believes that design will ‘accelerate the processes of social transformation’ and hopes to embrace the opportunity in the fullest. Valencia has provided a plan and itinerary for their proposed projects that includes everything from industrial designs to stunning architecture. It will be in line with the city’s cultural agenda so that the public can be as involved with the works as much as possible.

Every month there will be one of four types of events taking place based upon a new theme: exhibitions, congresses, workshops, and conferences. The content of these events will be centred around pressing topics such as climate change, Mediterranean design, gender equality in design, the history of design, industrial development, design and nature, among others. Projects include DNA Ceramics, the Design Map, two projects entitled Lo por venir and Trampolín for the occupational inclusion of people with disabilities as well as many others that enhance the value of Valencian design heritage.