Por Redaccion 
The Ministry of Tourism and Andalusia Exterior has announced the list of award winners of the Andalusia Tourism Awards 2025. These recognitions are granted by the Andalusian Government to distinguish the work of individuals, companies, and institutions in the tourism sector of the community. The awards are granted in different categories, such as tourism excellence, business trajectory, sector work, innovation, and accessibility, among others.
«Tourism is a key sector for the economy and social dynamism of Andalusia, and with these awards, we want to recognize the companies, professionals, initiatives, and institutions that contribute to ensuring that this industry has a worldwide reputation for excellence. We are very proud at the Andalusian Government of everyone who makes this activity increasingly generate more wealth and prosperity for our land, and enable the ‘Andalusia brand’ to be known worldwide,» said Minister Arturo Bernal.
The award for ‘Ambassador of Andalusia’ has been granted to ‘MasterChef’, the culinary talent show produced by TVE in collaboration with Shine Iberia. The commitment of this program to Andalusia has been evident since the beginning of its broadcasts in 2013. In just the latest ‘MasterChef 12’, the competition visited the community on three occasions to film three unforgettable exteriors: the town of Ubrique, the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez, and the Holy Week in Malaga. Additionally, in the latest edition of ‘MasterChef Celebrity 9’, the program visited the town of Tarifa. On all these occasions, the program has achieved high audience ratings, consolidating its success in Andalusia.
In the category of ‘Tourism Excellence’ for institutions, associations, or foundations, the business association of Travel Agencies of Jaén has been distinguished. This entity, with 36 years of associative experience in the province and in Andalusia as a tourist destination, has promoted unity and support for professionals in the sector. The Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV), along with the Provincial Association of Travel Agencies of Jaén and the Andalusian Federation of Travel Agencies, the Andalusian Government, the Tourism Board of the Diputación de Jaén, and the City Council of Jaén have officially presented the 8th World Summit of Travel Agency Associations, to be held from November 5 to 7 in Jaén.
The Hoteles Porcel Group of Granada is recognized in the category of ‘Tourism Business Trajectory’. This group was founded in 1975, when Buenaventura Porcel Alcalde created the anonymous society PORCASA for the construction of the Alixares Hotel in Granada, but its history is much longer. Behind this family business is a century of dedication and hotel tradition dating back to the beginning of the last century. The employment data at Hoteles Porcel highlight, above all, the stability enjoyed by 95% of its staff. Female entrepreneurship has also always been present at all levels, from the management of the company. Currently, Grupo Hoteles Porcel is valued at the Andalusian and national level, has 200 employees, and is committed to constant innovation through new alternatives and paths in the world of hospitality and catering.
Two workers ‘ex aequo’ have received the ‘Tourism Worker’ award: Lucía del Ara Soriano Morilla, who has worked since 2009 as a circulation factor in the provinces of Huelva and Seville, and since 2020 holds the position of supervisor of the Circulation Regulation Center (CRC) at the Santa Justa station in Seville, where she manages an average of 400 trains daily, both passenger and freight. She represents the inclusion of young women in a sector historically dominated by men, as demonstrated by her leadership in the union and in transportation infrastructure.
On April 28, during the general blackout that affected the Iberian Peninsula and some areas of other countries, an unusual, yet heroic event took place in Torremolinos. A British tourist staying at a local hotel suddenly went into labor at the hotel’s entrance. The hotel receptionist, Arturo Bermúdez Camacho, immediately rushed to assist her, aiding in the birth. The baby was born without a pulse, and thanks to the resuscitation maneuvers provided by the worker, guided over the phone by the instructions of the 061 doctors, he managed to save the baby. Arturo thus carried out an extraordinary act of courage, readiness, and dedication.
The award in the category of ‘Good Practices in Tourism Employment Matters’ has been awarded to the Islantilla Hospitality School. Attached to the Andalusian Employment Service (SAE), it is a public center for specialized vocational training in the tourism and hospitality sector. The Islantilla Hospitality School has had a significant influence on the Andalusian tourism industry, standing out for its contribution to the training of approximately 600 highly qualified professionals. These graduates have effectively met the quality standards required by the tourism sector, meeting the demands for specialized personnel. Additionally, the School has been the origin of 53 new business initiatives, bringing dynamism to the business sector, especially in the province of Huelva, through innovative and differentiating proposals.
A destination of excellence
In the year 2000, a project was born at COPE Andalucía, ‘Destino Andalucía’, with a very clear purpose: to bring Andalusians closer to their own land, rediscover it with new eyes, and show them all the possibilities to enjoy it, especially every weekend.
The essence of the program is to focus on the community as a privileged, inexhaustible, and surprising destination. Since then, this space has become a window to the touristic excellences of Andalusia, helping listeners explore it from multiple perspectives: its landscapes, its villages, its history, its art, its gastronomy, and its hospitality. For all these reasons, it has been considered that the program should receive the Communication Award.
The Rutas del Vino y Brandy del marco de Jerez association has been recognized with the award for ‘Tourism Training and Research’. This public-private, non-profit association has been working, since its creation in 2006, for the cohesion, promotion, and sustainable development of wine tourism in the Sherry region, made up of the nine municipalities that make up the production and aging area of the Denominations of Origin «Jerez-Xérès-Sherry,» Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Vinagre de Jerez, and the Specific Denomination Brandy de Jerez: Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Chiclana de la Frontera, Chipiona, Puerto Real, Rota, Trebujena, and Lebrija.
Since its inception, the Wine and Brandy Route of the Sherry region has strongly bet on training, innovation, and knowledge transfer as strategic axes to boost tourism excellence, strengthen the capacities of the territory, and position this wine tourism destination as a reference at the national and international levels.
The ‘Tourism Innovation’ award has been given to the La Costa Restaurant in El Ejido (Almería). Located in an industrial estate outside the urban core, it opened its doors to serve the nearby horticultural distributor, with a transport agency within the ‘La Costa’ premises. Historically, all agricultural strikes started from ‘La Costa,’ while truck drivers waited at its bar to receive loads to transport El Ejido’s vegetables around the world.
The true innovation of ‘La Costa’ lies in becoming one of the main tourist attractions in the municipality, taking advantage of the strength of the agricultural sector and generating synergies to offer visitors a 360º experience where they learn what integrated horticultural production means.
The project ‘Caminos del Rocío without barriers’, a three-day accessible pilgrimage specifically designed for people with physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities, is the only rural-religious tourism experience of its kind in Spain. It is not simply about adapting the Camino, but rethinking it, building an experience where every detail – adapted vehicles, health support, accessible accommodation, shaded areas, or inclusive provisioning – meets the true needs of those who have so far been relegated to watching the pilgrimage from afar.
With the collaboration of volunteers, accessibility experts, healthcare professionals, brotherhoods sensitive to the cause, and the support of committed entities, the ‘Camino del Rocío without barriers’ has taken shape as a true collective feat of overcoming.
Finally, as a ‘Destination of Tourism Excellence’, the city of Córdoba has been recognized, boasting a unique historical-monumental heritage in the world. Examples of this include the Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs, from the 13th century, and the Synagogue, from the 14th century, unique in Andalusia, one of the three preserved in Spain.
The Mosque, from the 8th century, is the jewel of Córdoba, the most important monument in the entire Islamic West and one of the most astonishing in the world, recognized as a World Heritage Site since 1984 and unique in the world for housing a Christian Cathedral within it. Additionally, the city is home to Medina Azahara (10th century), a World Heritage Site since July 2018 and an archaeological site of the palatial city that Abderramán III built as a symbol of the power of the Caliphate of Córdoba. Furthermore, in the historic center of Córdoba, one of the most extensive in Europe declared a World Heritage Site in 1994, you can find the Jewish Quarter.
Córdoba has all the elements to be a meeting point and a national and international reference in the congress, convention, and professional meeting sector thanks to its rich heritage, privileged geographical location, excellent communication network, a modern and functional Conference Palace located next to the Mosque, and a new Exhibition, Fair, and Convention Center (CEFC).