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Tenerife Weekly - 19th April - 25th April 2013
Qatar Airlines Voted Best in spain QATAR Airways has been voted Best Airline at the 15th Annual ACPETuR Tourism Awards ceremony held in Barcelona. organised by the Catalonia Tourism Journalist Association, Catalan travel writers and journalists commended the five-star carrier for its commitment to Barcelona, highlighting the expanded operations from daily to 10 weekly flights, with superior in-flight services to an outstanding global network. The Ali Bey award for Best Airline was presented at a gala dinner at the Porta Fira hotel.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said he was delighted the airline was being recognised in such a key market linking Barcelona with the Qatari capital Doha: “2013 will be another big year for Qatar Airways as we continue to expand our worldwide network, welcome more aircraft into our ever-expanding fleet, and
of course enter into our new partnership with the World’s Best Club FC Barcelona from the start of the 2013/14 season,” said Al Baker. Qatar Airways Vice President Commercial North South West Europe, Paul Johannes said the award was an honour and a testament to the commitment of Qatar Airways to the Catalan capital: “It is wonderful to receive such accolades from such a well-respected group of journalists and travel writers as those in Barcelona. It reinforces the message to our customers that flying with Qatar Airways is truly a five-star experience,” he said. Qatar Airways Country Manager of Iberian Peninsula, Greece and
Cyprus, Marimar Laveda, who collected the award on behalf of the airline, added: “This award symbolises everything we’ve set out to achieve since we started our operations in Barcelona almost three years ago: “We are very pleased with the level of support we have received from the media, which further highlights the appreciation of our attention to detail and passenger comfort. We look forward to continuing to serve our existing Barcelona-based travellers and welcoming new customers on board.” The Vice President of ACPETUR, Roman Hereter, said: “We are proud that the Association of Journalists and Travel Writers have voted Qa-
tar Airways as the Best Airline. The judges felt that Qatar Airways submission was very impressive, underlining the youth and dynamism of the carrier great product, rapidly expanding network and plenty of innovation.” The past year has seen Qatar Airways honoured with a host of several awards from around the world, including being named Airline of the Year for the second consecutive year by the prestigious Skytrax organisation. Qatar Airways has had a presence in Spain for over seven years, initially launching flights to the capital Madrid, before introducing Barcelona to its network in
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June 2010. The carrier now operates 17 services each week to and from Spain daily non-stop between Doha and Madrid, and a further 10 weekly flights linking Barcelona with the Qatari capital and onward connections to scores of destinations across the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. One of the world’s fastest growing airlines, Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 16 years of operations, currently flying a modern fleet of 122 aircraft to 126 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and The Americas, including Chicago, the carrier’s newest point introduced on April 10.
new Tiles For Cruz Mentor Dies new Orleans
BIGAS Luna, the iconoclastic film director who discovered Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, died on Saturday at his home in Tarragona, Spain. he was 67. Spain’s Academy for Cinematography Arts and Sciences announced the death. According to reports he died of leukemia.
oVER 100 Spaniards from Talavera de la Reina gathered on the second floor of the Cabildo to present the city with four new street signs to replace old ceramic tiles that have decorated Jackson Square since Spanish rule. “It is with great appreciation that the City of new orleans accepts this generous gift,” said C. Scott hutcheson, Advisor to the Mayor for Cultural Development.
Sponsored by the Spanish firm Plus Ultra Insurance Company, the ceramic street signs aim to preserve the long, historical connection between Spain and its onetime territory, New Orleans. “That is our goal, unity. Always unity,” said Plus Ultra President Floret Hillarie. “Because that is what the world needs to today.” Spain ruled New Orleans between two periods of French rule from 1762-1803.
Much of the iconic French Quarter architecture that forms the City’s identity with L’Hexagone was actually built by the Spanish. “New Orleans has long benefitted from its long, cultural heritage,” said Hutcheson, reading from a statement prepared by Mayor Mitch. “This serves as a reminder of the important international ties that our city enjoys with Spain.” In keeping with the authenticity of the tiles, Plus Ultra made the new signs
in the same factory in Talavera as the original tiles from 1959. As a token of the city’s appreciation, Hutcheson presented Hillarie and the mayor of Talavera, Gonzalo J. Lago Viguera, with two keys to the city, as well as a couple of new books for their library. The new tiles will be installed in the coming weeks. The city is also working with French Quarter property owners who wish to acquire new tiles from the company, the City said.
Mr. Luna was in a crop of film makers whose work came to the fore after Francisco Franco’s death in 1975, reviv¬ing a long-dormant cinematic scene. His work was noted for its outlandishly inventive treatment of sexual relations in liberated Spain, but it also offered broad social commentary. He was influenced by surrealist artists, including close friend Salvador Dali. His most successful movie was “Jamon Jamon,” which translates as “Ham Ham.” Released in most European countries and the United States in 1992, it won a Silver Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. It introduced Cruz to movie audiences, including director Pedro Almodovar, who subsequently used her in many films. The title comes from the hams that hang in Spanish restaurants, and stores, and the movie tells of a complicated intergenerational sexual tale set in a
small town. Roger Ebert, writing in the Chicago SunTimes, called it “a throwback to the days when directors took crazy chances, counting on their audience to keep up with them.” At the time Mr. Luna called the movie “a portrait of everything I like, love, and hate about Spain.” The newspaper Le Figaro praised it as “a truly Spanish film with sun, sex, provocation, and no small dose of the irrational.” Mr. Luna’s film, “The Ages of Lulu” (1990), about a woman’s sexual
awakening, featured Bardem as a corrupt gay man, in his first credited movie role. Two years later, in “Jamon Jamon,” he solidified his image as the embodiment of machismo. Speaking after the announcement of Luna’s death, Bardem thanked the director for casting choices that had the effect of introducing him to Cruz, whom he married in 2010. He also expressed gratitude “for a career I never dreamed I could have.”