Routes of the Legacy

of al-AndalusAnna Dajczak

Karolina DardzińskaRomana DelevauxAgnieszka Deska

Meritxell Besalduch Fonte

Ana Marín Maicas

Outline• The Legacy of al-Andalus Foundation• Cultural Itineraries and Routes of the Legacy of al-

Andalus• Principal impact of Cultural Routes of al-Andalus• Sources of funding• New marketing activities and platforms• Co-ordination with heritage labels• Impact of the Routes of al-Andalus on SMEs• Levels of co-operation, partnerships and networking

with and between SME’s• Frequency of contacts between partners• Merchandising activities• Planned future activities• Recommendations• Bibliography

The Legacy of al-Andalus Foundation

• Was created in 1995 by Junta de Andalucía• honorary president - King Juan Carlos I• other participants - The Spanish Government,

Council of Europe, UNESCO, the Andalusian Businessmen’s Confederation – patron, 33 countries

• the headquaters - the al-Andalus Science Pavilion in the Granada Science Park (Parque de las Ciencias)

• presentation and dissemination of Spanish-Muslim civilisation by means of its art, culture and historical and social relationships with the Arab world, the Mediterranean region and Latin America

Cultural Itineraries and Routes of the Legacy of al-Andalus

Andalucía por sí, para España y la Humanidad 

(Andalusia for herself, for Spain and for Humanity)

Managed by The Legacy of al-Andalus Foundation from 1997

Transnational Cultural Routes

• the Cultural Itinerary of Almoravids and Almohads– Algeria, Mali, Marocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Tunisia, Spain,

Portugal– influece of two Africian dynisties

• the Cultural Itinerary of the Umayyads – Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Israel,

Yemen, Spain & Italy etc.– followed by Arab civilisation from the Middle East,

Mediterranean, North Africa to al.-Andalus

• the Cultural Itinerary of the Mudejar and the Baroque– Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Spain, etc.– Muslim influence over the Latin & Caribbean arts

The Routes of al-Andalus

• Route of the Caliphate, • Route of Washington Irving, • Route of Nasrides, • Route of the Almoravids and Almohads, • Route of the Alpujarras, • Route of Ibn al-Khatib, • Route of al-Idrisi,• Route of al-Mutamid • Route of Münzer• Granada heritage tour

Principal impact of Cultural Routes

of al-AndalusVarious activities have been initiated:• collaboration agreements with town

councils;• setting-up of databases;• signposting;• the estabilishment of information

points in each town;• publication of tourist materials:

brochures, posters, guides;• cataloguing of heritage and tourist

infrastructure;• networking with partners and

collaborators of the al-Andalus Routes.

Statistics are only available for educational Routes and the tour groups managed by TUI (one of Spain’s most important tour operators).

Sources of funding

• The Ministry of Tourism of the Government

Andalusia,

• The Ministry of Culture of the Government

Andalusia,

• The Andalusian Ministry of Education,

• TURESPAÑA,

• The European Commission,

• Private sponsors: Telefónica, Ferrovial,

CajaGranada, CajaSur, Confederación de

Empresarios de Andalucía, Fundación Francisco

Carvajal and Fundación Lara,

• Turismo Andaluz and the Patronato Provincial de

Turismo de Granada,

• TUI España SA,

• Otros Caminos, a travel agency specialised in

cycling and trekking.

Tools for the promotion of the Cultural Itineraries and Routes of

al-Andalus

• Publications (guides, brochures, magazines, etc.),

• Internet,• 2 travel guidebooks: Rutas de

El Legado Andalusí (in Spanish, English, French and German) and Andalucía andalusí (in Spanish).

New marketing activities and platforms

5 main websites (only in spanish): • the institutional website (www.legadoandalusi.es)• the website to promote the thematic al-Andalus Science Pavilion (www.alandalusylaciencia.es), • the website to promote the Cultural Itineraries and Routes (www.rutas.legadoandalusi.es), • the press website (http://prensa.legadoandalusi.es) • the bookshop (www.librerialegadoandalusi.es)

another websites:• The Granada Tourist Board website (www.turgranada.es)• The Andalusia Tourist Board website (www.andalucia.org)• The TURESPAÑA website (www.spain.info)

other programmes: • Live Your Legacy• Discover the Cities of al-Andalus• Get to Know your Province through the Routes of al-Andalus

Promotion:• adverts put in other media: newspapers, tourism reviews,

radio and TV;• presentation at tourism fairs in Spain (Madrid, Bilbao,

Barcelona, Malaga, Jaen etc.) and also on the Cultural Heritage Fair in Paris;

• international exhibitions: Hannover, Nagoya;• international agencies such as UNESCO;• in countries linked to routes like Colombia, Morocco,

Mauritania, Mexico;• travelling exhibition on all the European Cultural Routes;• more than 60 thematic exhibitions outside of Europe (in

Algeria, Japan, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan and Tunisia);

• professional meetings and publications (more than 70 titles);

• information points about cultural and historical routes for customers of hotels located in Andalusia;

• the organisation of food conferences about al-Andalus gastronomy;

• photographic contest “Through the Eyes of a Traveller”.

• From 1995, the international organisation UNESCO has supported the al-Andalus Routes as one of the Routes of Dialogue programme, although it is now considered a former project.

• In relation to World Heritage sites, there is a co-operation agreement with the Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife (Alhambra Trust) signed in July 2005 to organise joint cultural activities that, on the one hand, include the staging of concerts and the joint organisation of musical projects related to the Spanish- Muslim musical legacy and the Arab world. On the other hand, it includes the design and presentation of exhibition topics to fulfil scientific and cultural objectives of common interest, involving the organisation of international conferences and meetings.

Co-ordination with heritage labels

• SME geographical location. Some 86% of the analysed SMEs are located in a single province of Andalusia. Only 14% can be found in more than one province of Andalusia. Only one has branches in other Spanish autonomous communities.

• SME staff. The study shows that the number of staff per SME varies widely. The numbers range from one to 40 people. The average is approximately 12 employees. SMEs with more workers are hotel facilities.

• SMEs’ connection with the Routes of al-Andalus.

• Length of time of collaboration with the al-Andalus Routes.

• Economic benefits of the collaboration with the Routes of al-Andalus.

• Impact on business activity.

• Inclusion in tourist packages.

• Customers interested in the Routes of al-Andalus.

• Use of the brand or logo of the Routes of al-Andalus.

• Providing information about other SMEs related to the Routes of al-Andalus.

Impact of the Routes of al-Andalus on SMEs

• At present there are hundreds of associates, mainly hotels, restaurants, tourism companies and tourist reception centres involved as partners.

• The two main actions that benefit SMEs are their presence as a collaborating institution on the Routes of al-Andalus website, with a short description and links to the SME website, as well as dedicated theme weekends in towns along the Route.

• Another important action was the creation in 2009 of the card "Friends of the Legacy of al-Andalus Foundation", which is free for those interested.

Levels of co-operation, partnerships and networking

with and between SME’s

• SMEs consider that it is important to improve systems of co-ordination between partners/stakeholders.

• Half of the SMEs do not provide any information on other SMEs to their customers, making it difficult to network. This is probably related to the lack of knowledge about the different SMEs involved in the Routes.

• In the other side we have an active participation between the Government of Andalusia and and the town council of each of the municipalities involved in162 the Routes. They actively participate in the thematic weekends.

• There are also programmes such as Live you Legacy, Discover the Cities of al-Andalus, and Get to Know your Province through the Routes of al-Andalus.

Frequency of contacts between partners

Only 15% of the SMEs have trained staff in relationship to the Routes (hotels with larger number of staff).

Training programmes and SME involvement

Merchandising products are very limited. There is a bookshop and an on-line shop.• www.librerialegadoandalusi.es

Merchandising activities

Provide an operational support to developed activities that promote nationally and internationally the historical and cultural dimension and the cultural heritage of Granada and its former kingdom.

Planned future activities

• create by countries involved in the Routes Intranet/ Internet network

• include to UNESCO Routes of Dialogue programme• Involvment in the creation of Ibero-American Cultural Routes• collaboration with the Arab League Educational, Cultural

and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) • collaboration with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization (ISESCO)• co-ordinate a network with other initiatives associated with

al-Andalus heritage in other Spanish territories and with other countries

• create a Spanish European Cultural Routes Task Force

Recommendations

•  conduct a comprehensive brand analysis of the Routes of al-Andalus,

• development of a brand tool kit tailor-made to the needs of SMEs,

• diversify the business activities,• creation of a tourist product club,• improve training programmes for SME

employees,• translate SMEs website on more

languages,• carry out client profile studies.

Recommendations for SMEs

Bibliography

• „Impact of European Cultural Routes on SMEs’ innovation and competitiveness”

www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/Routes/StudyCR_en.pdf• The Routes of El Legado of Andalusiwww.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/routes/andalus_en.asp• Fundacion El legado andalusíwww.alandalusylaciencia.es