PROPERTY SEARCH
ARCHIVED - Alicante castle wins 2022 TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Award
Santa Barbara Castle on the Costa Blanca has been declared a "must-see" place to visit by thousands of tourists
Alicante's spectacular Santa Barbara Castle has won a prestigious TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Award following a year of dazzling reviews from thousands of tourists.
The awards distinguish those accommodations, attractions and restaurants that receive frequent excellent appraisals from travellers and are amongst the top 10% Tripadvisor establishments globally.
And in the case of the Castillo de Santa Bárbara, the fortress proudly stands in 12th position, sharing the limelight with the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (in top place), the Prado Museum in Madrid and the Real Alcázar in Sevilla.
The fact that it has achieved this recognition indicates that thousands of tourists recommend the castle as a "must-see place to visit", say TripAdvisor.
Some of the 8,000-plus reviews highlight the spectacular views of the city and its bay from the fortress, as well as the conservation of the building and the fact that visitors can learn about the history of Alicante. In addition, there is much praise for the guided tours and activities offered as part of the castle's tourist promotion.
"Fantastic medieval castle on top of Mount Benacantil. Fabulous services at all levels, unbeatable 360-degree views, very well maintained and a must-see," wrote one visitor.
"Privileged place to have views of the city that are hard to beat. The girl who offered us a guided tour was very knowledgeable about the building and its history," added another.
It's hoped the recent increase in positive comments from national and foreign tourists will encourage more people to visit the emblematic monument which attracted almost 100,000 people of 87 nationalities in July.
Musical and theatre performances, a circus, pirate-themed weekends and guided and dramatised tours, together with the pull of Alicante city itself, drew a total of 97,182 people to the fortress.
"This indicates that we are on the right track in the revitalisation of tourism at Santa Barbara Castle," said Mari Carmen Sánchez, deputy mayor and head of the Alicante 'City&Beach' tourism board.
Almost 100,000 visitors in one month is hugely significant considering that between January and the end of June this year, 290,000 visitors passed through the fortress' doors.
These figures indicate that "in all probability" the 400,000 forecast for the whole of 2022 will be exceeded after the outsourcing of the tourist promotion of the Castle of Santa Bárbara, which is now managed by Esatur.
In terms of countries, most of the visitors in July came from the UK (13%), France (8%), Germany (6%), Italy, Poland, Belgium, the United States and Ukraine, but also from as far away as Kazakhstan.
The castle's summer opening hours are from 10am to 11pm, with the possibility of daily guided tours and dramatised visits at weekends.
"In addition, visitors can continue to enjoy gastronomic experiences of kilometre 0 with tastings of Alicante wines and craft beers," added the deputy mayor.
Also of interest:
Image 1: Archive
Image 2: Ayuntamiento de Alicante
staff.inc.ali
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox
Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)
OR
you can sign up to our FREE weekly roundup!
Read some of our recent bulletins:
Discount Special Offer subscription:
36.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
(List price 3 months 12 Bulletins)
Read more stories from around Spain:
