New excavations find a succession of ancient cultures visiting the cave for art and burial A cave in southern Spain was used by ancient humans as a canvas for artwork and as a burial place for over 50,000 years, according to a study published June 1, 2022 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by José Ramos-Muñoz of the University of Cadiz, Spain, and colleagues. Capped stalagmite used as a stationary lamp during the Neolithic/Copper Age. Cueva de Ardales, a cave in Málaga, Spain, is famous for containing over 1,000 paintings and engravings made by prehistoric people, as well as artifacts and human remains. However, the nature of human usage of this cave has not been well-understood. In this study, the authors present the results of the first excavations in this cave, which shed lig...
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'Best birthday present ever!' says Spanish diver after saving trapped whale In a gripping underwater rescue, Spanish divers have freed a 12-metre long humpback whale entangled in an illegal drift net off the Balearic island of Mallorca. A 12-metre-long humpback whale is seen entangled in an illegal drift net near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain May 20, 2022. REUTERS/NGO Xaloc/Hector Gago One of the divers, 32-year-old marine biologist Gigi Torras, said last Friday's rescue and a little gesture of appreciation from the giant mammal were also a birthday present for her - the 'best ever' in her words. "It was like out of this world, it was incredible, just incredible," she told Reuters on Tuesday. It was only the third time that a humpback has been see...
Read MorePeople waved fans, glugged water and splashed themselves at fountains in Spain on Saturday as the country sweltered under unseasonably high temperatures pushing close to 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places. A mass of hot, dry air carrying dust from North Africa has pushed temperatures up to 15 degrees above average in parts of the country. "The early morning of May 21 was extraordinarily warm for the time of year in much of the centre and south of the peninsula," national weather agency AEMET wrote on Twitter. Tourists use fans and hats for sun protection outside La Almudena Cathedral during an episode of exceptionally high temperatures for the time of year in Madrid, Spain, May 21, 2022. REUTERS/Susana Vera It issued warnings of high temperatures in 10 Spanish regions ...
Read MoreBarcelona beachgoers will no longer have to contend with cigarette butts or passive smoke starting in July when Spain's second largest city will ban smoking on all its beaches, the city hall said on Friday. The decision comes after a pilot project las year saw smoking banned on four of the city's 10 local beaches. FILE PHOTO: People enjoy the beach at night in the Barceloneta neighbourhood in Barcelona, Spain. REUTERS/Nacho Doce "Beaches with no smoking allowed will offer healthier communal living areas, with less waste and will respect the defence of environment," the statement said. Several Spanish regions imposed bans in 2020 to clamp down on the spread of COVID-19, while others like the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca, had already adopted the measure before the pandem...
Read MoreA ghost village that has emerged as drought has nearly emptied a dam on the Spanish-Portuguese border is drawing crowds of tourists with its eerie, grey ruins. With the reservoir at 15% of its capacity, details of a life frozen in 1992, when the Aceredo village in Spain’s northwestern Galicia region was flooded to create the Alto Lindoso reservoir, are being revealed once more. The roof of a house is seen in the ancient village of Aceredo that had been submerged by Limia river in the 1990s after the dam was built in Concello de Lobios, Spain, February 10, 2022. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal “It’s as if I’m watching a movie. I have a feeling of sadness,” said 65-year-old pensioner Maximino Perez Romero, from A Coruna. “My feeling is that this is what will happen over the years due to droug...
Read MoreThe devastating volcanic eruption on the island of La Palma may have a silver lining for one of Spain's poorest areas. Scenes of solidified walls of lava up to 70 metres high and gases still seeping from the crater are attracting tourists to the island, wanting to see for themselves the aftermath of an eruption that lasted 85 days. Demand for volcano-themed tours has soared and authorities are investing heavily in promoting La Palma, one of the less visited of the tourism-dependent Canary Islands, located off western Africa, to rebuild its economy. FILE PHOTO: Members of the INVOLCAN technical team walk through the ash of the Cumbre Vieja volcano as they head to the crater, in Cabeza de Vaca, on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain, January 21, 2022. REUTERS/Borja Suarez But t...
Read MoreSpain expects tourism to bounce back in the spring after a slowdown caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and for overall visitor numbers this year to be more than two-thirds of record 2019 levels, a senior government official said. "The 2022 expectations are good," Tourism Secretary Fernando Valdes said on the sidelines of Madrid's FITUR tourism congress. "What we have is a great desire to travel," he said. Spain was the world's second most visited country in 2019, with a record 80 million tourists visiting the country the year before the pandemic struck according to official figures. Tourism reached only a third of that number in 2021 as lockdowns and travel restrictions prevented a significant recovery, though that was still about 55% higher than in 2020. Rising vac...
Read MoreAbout a hundred horses jumped through bonfires in a purification ceremony on Sunday during the Spanish festival of "Las Luminarias", which was held for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The traditional nighttime celebration takes place in San Bartolome de Pinares every Jan. 16, the eve of Saint Anthony's Day, Spain's patron saint of animals. A rider goes through flames during the annual "Luminarias" celebration on the eve of Saint Anthony's day, Spain's patron saint of animals, in the village of San Bartolome de Pinares, northwest of Madrid, Spain January 16, 2022. REUTERS/Javier Barbancho It was cancelled last year because of pandemic restrictions. Revellers rode their horses through the narrow cobble-stoned streets, which according to tradition, purifi...
Read MoreTourism leaders from every global region have arrived in Madrid for the 24th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly. Ministers of Tourism will be joined by representatives of international organizations and from across the private sector for the first truly global tourism meeting to be held since the start of the pandemic, with innovation, education and investments high on the agenda. In all, more than 1,000 participants, representing 135 countries and including 84 Ministers and Vice-Ministers of Tourism will attend the most important meeting of the United Nations specialized agency for tourism. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Guided by UNWTO, global tourism is facing up to the challenges of today while looking to the opportunities of tomorrow. The UNWTO Gener...
Read MoreThe Spanish beach resort of Benidorm, famous for its vibrant nightlife and especially popular with British partygoers, has opened a COVID-19 vaccination centre specifically for tourists as cases surge along with arrival numbers. The clinic close to the hotel district was drawing queues of tourists this week and further mobile vaccination points will be set up in areas where big crowds gather. Tourists enjoy as mobile coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination points have been installed by Spain's Valencia Health Ministry in Benidorm, Spain, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Eva Manez "I think this sends a message of safety," Benidorm mayor Antonio Perez told Reuters. "This is a public service we want to extend to our tourists." Spain requires all visitors entering the country to pres...
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