VALENCIA

https://www.visitvalencia.com/en

These days in Valencia, one of the first public events after the DANA storm took place. As is public knowledge, this tremendous calamity began with the heaviest rains ever, since there are statistic measures, beginning on October 29, 2024.

It will always be difficult to explain the scale of the catastrophe for the Valencia Region, quantify the lives sacrificed and estimate the true value of the impact of the destruction caused by this storm.

In addition to being extremely complex, it is always difficult to measure the true dimension of something of this nature and whose lives and losses can never be recovered. Alongside this pain, managing the impact of the calamity, in all its material and immaterial dimensions, is also something for which no one, nor any entity, is prepared.

Having said that and demonstrating my enormous and total solidarity with the families who have lost their loved ones, their businesses, their assets and their present and past, it is also important to talk about the future, and it was in this condition that this trip to Valencia has become a mission of solidarity.

The first question is: “How can we help the Valencia community?” After reflecting on the real needs of the moment, it was equally important to understand where our presence would be most important, and which output would be most favorable for this context.

After contacting the organization of the CIFFT Festival, where I was present these days, and speaking with those responsible, it was agreed that the most important thing in this context is positive communication, and explaining to the world how to continue visiting Valencia may be the only way to boost the economy after the catastrophe.

It is important to provide a historical context of the existing infrastructure in Valencia, which prepares this city for natural events of this nature: storms followed by floods together with rising sea levels.

These natural events have always been cyclical in the region, with the last record being in 1957, and their destruction had an equal impact on the entire region, and at that time it also destroyed the city and historic center of Valencia.

At the time, the Francoist government decided to start an infrastructure to respond to this recurring flood of water that insists on destroying the lives of the Region and all its heritage. It should be noted that a defensive channel was built around the urban area, which at the time provided a response to the protection of a large part of the built environment, around the city center of Valencia.

Analyzing the official image of the Visit Valencia website (www.visitvalencia.com), where all information about the calamity, current needs and how to participate in the recovery of the region is available, the line drawn to the south of the city is notable, where you can identify in the darkest area, the area impacted by the floods and the extent of the destruction.

Through this map, it is possible to understand the extent of the devastation located south of the city of Valencia, and how the mechanisms implemented in the 20th century, strategically result in resolving this threat.

It is possible to say with certainty that currently, it is important to visit Valencia in order to support tourist businesses in the city, in order to protect the social and economic ecosystem that depends mainly on revenue from tourism, commerce and transport, and to help in recovering from what is the biggest and deadliest calamity of the last 50 years in Spain.

The city and its heritage remain untouchable in their maximum splendor and are well worth a visit to their points of tourist interest, whose grandeur and quality reaffirm themselves as one of the most important meccas of Spanish tourism, which in 2023 received 10.8 million of tourists.

There is therefore no objective reason not to visit Valencia. With an airport with direct flights to almost all European capitals, the city is waiting for you and its community is resilient and eager to welcome you.

It is important to highlight that this is also the will of all public entities, who have worked with great dedication to bring the region back to normality, even if, with all the public controversies about the appropriate moments to act and the respective way of performance, in this context, considers all policies separately.

Reasons to visit Valencia

All the reasons to visit Valencia are still current, and in this context, they deserve a visit.

1. Visit the city of Arts and Science.

2. Silk Market. World Heritage.

3. Saint Michael and the Holy Chalice Cathedral.

4. Carmen neighborhood.

5. Albufeira Natural Park.

6. Valencia Oceanarium.

7. Central Market.

8. Valencia Bio park.

9. Church of Saint Nicholas of Bári and Saint Peter Martyr of Valencia.

10. The 34 Museums in the city of Valencia (see visitvalencia.com).

11. Turia Garden.

12. National Ceramics Museum.

13. National Museum of Fine Arts and much more.

We urge you to visit this city and, in this supportive way, support the economic and social reconstruction of the community, which, even though it is in mourning for its survival after this massive destruction, has tourism as its main source of income and supporting them is our most effective way to help.

Confirm all activities before traveling at www.visitvalencia.com