The Government, through the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, allocates 17,941,313 euros to Castilla-La Mancha to finance eight projects to improve the Historical Heritage with tourist use.

The Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, announced today the publication of the provisional resolutions of the aid line of the Program to Improve Competitiveness and Revitalize Historical Heritage with Tourism Use, by which 92 projects presented by local entities and autonomous communities will receive grants worth 208.5 million euros to improve tourism use in Goods of Cultural Interest (BIC).

The projects have been selected taking into account the characteristics of the destination and the viability, quality and tourist potential of the same. Among the valuation criteria, destinations with a risk of depopulation have also been considered to boost their tourist potential and strengthen social and territorial cohesion.

During the ceremony of handing over the keys of the new Parador de Molina de Aragón (Guadalajara), to the president of Paradores, Raquel Sánchez, the Minister of Industry and Tourism pointed out that the objective of this aid is to promote cultural tourism through projects of maintenance and rehabilitation of the historical heritage that clearly incorporate the improvement of the tourist use of these goods.

The actions to be carried out in these projects include the conservation, maintenance, valuation and rehabilitation of assets declared as Cultural Interest Assets (BIC) for tourist use. It also includes other measures such as improving universal accessibility, improving energy efficiency and saving the consumption of water and energy resources, or reducing and compensating the carbon footprint, among others.

“Cultural heritage has a central role as an element of attraction and enjoyment of visitors in destinations,” said Jordi Hereu, who also added “the richness of our country’s cultural heritage, recognized internationally in the 50 properties declared World Heritage by UNESCO.” Spain is the third country with the most declarations in Europe and the fourth worldwide.

New Parador de Molina de Aragón

The Minister of Industry and Tourism has given the keys of the Parador de Molina de Aragón to the president of Paradores, Raquel Sánchez, once the construction works of the establishment have been completed. The public broadcaster will now proceed to condition the facilities, which are scheduled to open to the public next September.

The construction of this parador was a commitment of the Government of José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to boost the economy of this area, after the devastating fire in Guadalajara in 2005, in whose extinction eleven members of a forest retainer died and more than 13,000 hectares were burned.

“Today, it is another socialist president in the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and another socialist president in the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García Page, who have made that promise a reality,” said Hereu, for whom “the expansion of the Paradores de Turismo Network is always very good news, and is an example of the undoubted commitment of Spain to lead the transformation of tourism, towards a tourism of greater quality and added value.”

Likewise, the holder of Tourism has been convinced that this new Parador will be an important tourist attraction and an economic engine for Molina de Aragón, Guadalajara and Castilla-La Mancha, because “having a Parador dynamizes the territory, projects an image of tourism of quality and excellence, contributes to economic activity in the area and to the generation of employment”.

The Government of Spain has invested more than 22 million euros in the construction of the Parador de Molina de Aragón. It is a new floor building, oriented towards the Castle of Molina, in the upper area, the construction being integrated into the landscape thanks to the materials used, with the stone as the main element, joining it with the wall that surrounds the Castle and with the traditional image of the Molinese houses.

The property has 7,000 square meters on a plot of 42,000 square meters. It has three floors that have a bar-cafeteria, dining rooms, two convention rooms with a capacity of between 300 and 500 people, social rooms, gardens and parking for 60 vehicles.

The act of handing over the new Parador has also been attended, among others, by the president of the Community Board of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page; the mayor of Molina de Aragón, Francisco Javier Montes; the general director of Turespaña, Miguel Sanz; the president of Paradores, Raquel Sánchez; and the delegate of the Government in Castilla-La Mancha, Milagros Tolón.