AVE Cities Network celebrated a Technical Meeting and its General Assembly (Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th November, respectively) at the City Hall of Seville, city that holds its Presidency, in which the members of the different destinations of the Network have taken stock of the actions deployed during 2017, have analyzed the status of the accounts and marketing of their products, Avexperience and Renfe Spain Pass, and have advanced in the strategy for 2018, when the new Strategic Plan 2018- 2021 These meetings were attended by representatives of the destinations and autonomous communities that make up the Network, such as como Tarragona, León, Madrid, Puertollano, Zamora, Segovia, Villanueva Córdoba, Granada, Málaga, Murcia, Ourense, Sevilla, Valencia, Antequera, Cuenca, Villena, Lleida, Ciudad Real, Toledo, Zaragoza, Andalucía, Comunidad Valenciana and Castilla y León..
Looking ahead to 2018, the AVE Cities Network will present and begin the implementation of the new strategy that will mark its new objectives for the coming years. In the framework of the technical meeting on the 14th, important aspects such as the new market strategy and the portfolio of current and future products were presented, discussed and validated, as well as the 2018 Action Plan, which will include aspects contemplated in the new Strategic Plan.
«This new Strategic Plan will have to adapt the Network to the ever changing environment of the tourism market, to its challenges and, above all, to the needs of the destinations themselves. And for this new approach in a country, Spain, which continues to grow in tourism, we start with a project, the Network, which is increasingly consolidated, and which we believe contributes to the growth of tourism, the creation of wealth and the generation of of employment «, has moved to the General Assembly its president and mayor of Seville, Juan Espadas.
«Seville has hosted this year the celebration of the XXV Anniversary of the Universal Exposition of 1992 and the arrival of the first AVE Madrid-Seville. Far from proposing an anniversary from nostalgia, our goal has been to look at both events with a future projection, always to grow and improve, that must be the starting point to work on the new Strategic Plan «, Espadas has abounded, who has highlighted the» undeniable contribution «of the AVE Network of Cities to the tourist growth» of each and every one of the destinations that make it up «.
So far in 2017, the Network has expanded the market in the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, China and, at European level, has focused especially on the United Kingdom, France or Italy. In the memory of actions during this year, it is worth highlighting the presence of the association in the main fairs of the tourist market. At the national level, it has been present in FITUR and in the B-Travel of Barcelona and INTUR Valladolid and ITBM of Barcelona, to which it will attend in the near future. At the international level, it has been promoted in ITB in Berlin, BTL in Lisbon, ETOA City Fair, ITB Asia, WTM and GEM in London, ITB Asia or TravelWeek in Sao Paulo.
Throughout this year, also, this association has also carried out several business days in collaboration with various associations and tourism institutions, such as Turespaña, with which he made an institutional trip to Guatemala and Panama and was part of a direct conference in India and an Investment Conference for the Chinese market, MICE segment (congresses and events).
With Turismo Andaluz, he participated in a direct action in New York and, thanks to the agreement with CEAV (Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies), he was part of several tourism forums and workshops. The Acave Management Group and the Europe Group also invited the Network to different events and work meetings.
In collaboration with different Spanish Tourism Offices (OTS) and destinations members of the association itself, the association organized several presstrip with Mexican journalists (in collaboration with the OTS of Mexico), with NationalGeographic (with the OTS of Mumbai), and is planned another with journalists from Chicago from November 15 to 21 (in collaboration with the OTS of Chicago).
He also organized a famtrip with Valesa Cultural agents and a blogtrip with 5 influential bloggers from the United Kingdom, in collaboration with the OTS of London. Actions with which the protagonists could know, first hand, the tourist attractions of the cities and the advantages of using the AVE as a means of transport in their journeys through Spain.
In terms of marketing and communication, the Network promotes a campaign, in social networks, with Turespaña and the OTS in Frankfurt, Paris, London and Rome; another with Logitravel and another campaign with Renfe Viajes online. It also keeps active until the end of the year an outdoor signage campaign with mupis in several of its member cities and, during the spring, launched another mupis campaign in train stations.
On the other hand, during this 2017, the destination association has signed collaboration agreements with Renfe, Iberia, ETOA (European Tourism Association), the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies and the Pequeño Deseo Foundation.
AVE Cities Network
AVE Cities Network is the association of tourist destinations in Spain connected by the High Speed that was created with the aim of promoting the cities that integrate it under a common strategy, as well as its Renfe Spain Pass and Avexperience products. Currently, the Network is chaired by Seville and consists of the cities of Albacete, Alicante, Antequera, Barcelona, Calatayud, Ciudad Real, Cordoba, Cuenca, Leon, Lleida, Madrid, Malaga, Ourense, Palencia, Puertollano, Segovia, Seville, Tarragona, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid, Villanueva de Córdoba, Villena, Zamora and Zaragoza, which are full members, as well as Elche, Granada, Murcia and Talavera de la Reina as adhered cities.
To facilitate the trip to tourists visiting Spain and who come from other countries, Renfe articulates the Renfe Spain Pass service, linked in a special way to the Network. A new way of traveling that facilitates travel, with flexibility, being able to know several destinations of the Ave Cities Network in the same getaway. You can choose as many trips as you wish (4, 6, 8 or 10) and buy them up to 6 months in advance. Renfe Spain Pass is available in two categories (Tourist and Business) and for two age groups (children and adults). Includes all AVE trains as well as long and medium distance trains. The places are booked through the Internet, travel agencies or stations.
