- The Roman legacy is consolidated as a tourist attraction and promotional brand for the city.
- Mercaforum, Tierra Rapaz Park and Officina Monetalis are presented at the La Rioja stand.
This year, Calahorra has had a prominent presence at FITUR 2026, the International Tourism Fair held at IFEMA (Madrid) over the last few days.
The city has been promoted at the institutional stand of the Government of La Rioja and in the spaces of the Network of Spanish Jewish Quarters-Caminos de Sefarad and the Ignatian Way. These spaces have highlighted its historical and cultural heritage, as well as its main events, which are the cornerstones of its tourist offer.
This year has also seen Calahorra’s largest ever representation at FITUR. Representatives from the Friends of the History of Calahorra association, the Paso Viviente cultural group and the Tierra Rapaz bird theme park travelled there this afternoon, accompanied by the Mayor of Calahorra, Mónica Arceiz, and the Councillor for Tourism, Reyes Zapata.
They all took part in a round table discussion entitled ‘The Roman past as a driving force for tourism in Calahorra’, in which they highlighted the importance of the city’s Roman heritage as a distinguishing and strategic element for tourism development, as well as the importance of collaboration between institutions and cultural groups for its dissemination.
The Paso Viviente group organises the Mercaforum and the Staging of the Passion, two of the events that attract the largest audiences in the city and among the most popular of Calahorra’s Holy Week celebrations, which have been declared of National Tourist Interest, together with the processions.
Its president, Reyes Pérez, explained that Mercaforum “was created with the aim of promoting cultural tourism in Calahorra and raising awareness of its Roman past. The aim is to enable everyone who comes to visit us to go back 2,000 years in time and travel to the glorious past of Calagurris Iulia Nassica. Mercaforum is proof that it is possible to learn about history and engage in cultural tourism while enjoying yourself, without compromising on historical accuracy.”
For his part, Luis Lezana, Doctor of Biological Sciences and director of the ‘Tierra Rapaz’ bird park, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, stressed that “the park is nature and history because we hold events linked to the history of humanity in which we attach great importance to the historical past of Calahorra, such as ‘Eagles of Rome’ in collaboration with Paso Viviente and Amigos de la Historia. It takes place in June and we hope that it will be an event that grows every year and that, as until now, it will continue to be sold out.”
He also pointed out that the park receives “more than 100,000 visitors a year. It is very important for Calahorra as a tourist attraction and as an economic driver for the region. It is a form of tourism that is spread throughout the year and is very effective in encouraging people to stay in Calahorra and giving the city the boost we want it to have, which is undoubtedly growing”.
The Friends of Calahorra History Association also participated in this round table discussion. Marina López, a member of this group, focused her presentation on detailing the activities they carry out throughout the year in Calahorra to promote heritage and showed an archaeological route to discover the Roman remains that are still preserved in the city. She also explained the Officina monetalis of Calagurris and the coin minting process, using the coins of Calahorra as an example.
A small representation of the Legio VI Victrix, which parades every year in the Roman Market of Calahorra, also came to FITUR to reinforce the historical setting and promote the city’s Roman past.
And the Friends of the History of Calahorra Association recreated a Calagurris coin minting workshop, which was a magnificent and attractive tourist attraction for visitors to the La Rioja stand and encouraged them to discover Calahorra.
This activity, organised by Calahorra Town Council, has promoted the image of the town and highlighted the importance of its Roman heritage in attracting tourists and making Calahorra a leading destination both within and outside La Rioja.
With this initiative, Calahorra Town Council reaffirms its commitment to promoting tourism as a driver of economic and social development, focusing on a diverse offering that combines history, culture, tradition and modernity.
In addition, Calahorra was also present at Fitur yesterday, Friday. Chef Miguel Espinosa, representing the city’s Hospitality Association, took part in the round table discussion ‘Riojan products and tapas cuisine’, alongside the San Juan Association, the Laurel Area, the Riojan Academy of Gastronomy and the Hospitality Association of the Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Arnedo Area.
Tourist material on Calahorra
The audience, who followed the presentation on Calahorra with great interest, received tourist material such as a tourist guide to the city and Holy Week; the brochures Calahorra monumental, Calahorra ‘City of Vegetables’, the archaeological sites of ‘La Clínica’ and ‘Las Medranas’, the Museum of Romanisation, the archaeological route of the Friends of History Association, coin minting and the Tierra Rapaz park, as well as a flyer for the 30th Vegetable Gastronomic Days.
The promotional bags distributed to all attendees also included a coin keyring and a pottery vessel from the Paso Viviente group.
