• The Port Authority of Valencia  has opted for a port open to the public so that they can get a first-hand knowledge of port activity
• In the first half of the year, 106 visits have been made with students and residents, allowing 4,609 people to tour the Port
• In addition, institutional and commercial visits have brought together more than 700 people

Primary school pupils, students from the Popular University, secondary schools in the València area, neighbourhood groups, associations of elderly people and representatives of national and international institutions were some of the visitors who, during the first half of the year, gained first-hand knowledge of the activity of the Port of València. More than 5,000 people have taken part in this initiative promoted by the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) to reinforce the city-port link with the aim of making known the importance of Valenciaport in the generation of wealth and employment for its surroundings, the value of the commercial relations of the Valencian Community with the rest of the world, and the commitment of the Valencian precinct to the environment and decarbonisation.

These free visits consist of a tour inside the commercial installations of the port to see the day to day running of the Port of Valencia. This tour allows the public to learn more about the functioning and importance of the port for the productive and social fabric of the territory, its impact on the Valencian economy and commercial and cultural exchange. Between January and June of this year, a total of 106 visits were made, bringing together 4,609 people.
Primary and Secondary schools, specialised training centres in areas such as foreign trade, logistics, etc. and citizens who want to find out about the activity of the leading container port in Spain and the fourth in Europe have taken part in these meetings.

José Martín Robles, Communication technician and head of this area at the PAV, explained that “these visits allow the public to go inside the commercial port to find out what port activity is like and to see the export and import operations from the inside, checking the operation of the terminals, the port machinery and the operation of the large ships that dock at the Port of Valencia. But they can also check the quality of the inland waters of the enclosure and learn, for example, about the cultivation of the “clótxina”.

From Saturday 24th September, the Port of Valencia will be resuming free guided tours on a bus tour of the commercial port with various stops so that the public can learn first hand about the operations and economic importance of the Valencian port.

For each group,” said Martín Robles, “a presentation is given focused on the interests of the group visiting us in order to give them a broad view of the importance of the Port of Valencia as a gateway for the entry and exit of goods and a generator of wealth, but also on its role in cultural exchange and knowledge, or the historical significance in the development and growth of the city”. 

Institutional and commercial

The importance of the Port of Valencia in the commercial exchange of Spain with the rest of the world also attracts the attention of public bodies, institutions, business associations and chambers of commerce, both nationally and internationally. In fact, in this first half of the year, 44 visits of this type have taken place, in which a total of 742 people have participated. Government delegations from Japan, Colombia, Thailand, Argentina, Guatemala, business organisations from Madrid or Castilla La Mancha, or representatives from other European ports have been some of the institutions which have visited the Port of Valencia in recent months.