The mayor recalls the link between Benidorm and Andalusia through the almadraba and highlights that the Andalusians have exalted the towns in the province that they have chosen as their "home"
Toni Pérez, recognized as Andalusian of the Year by the Cultural Federation of Andalusia in the south of the Valencian Community
The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, has been recognized today as Andalusian of the Year 2023 by the Cultural Federation of Andalusia in the south of the Valencian Community (FECUAS), during the commemoration act of 'Andalusia Day' held in the ADDA auditorium of Alicante. An act attended by, among others, the president of the Provincial Council, Carlos Mazón; the mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala; the delegate of the Consell in the province of Alicante, Antonia Moreno; the provincial deputy for Architecture, José Ramón González de Zárate; and the mayor of Fiestas de Benidorm, Jesús Carrobles.
Toni Pérez has assured that "it is an honor" to receive this distinction and has affirmed that there is no "better way and occasion to celebrate Andalusia Day" than by participating in this act, in which the dance groups and choirs of the Houses of Andalusia in eleven towns in the province, including Benidorm.
During his speech, the mayor recalled his family link and the people of Benidorm with Andalusia through the almadraba; the link intensified in recent decades by the significant number of Andalusians settled in the city. Thus, Toni Pérez has stressed that " many Andalusians have made a home in Benidorm and keep with their culture, traditions, festivals, and folklore that make my city great, like so many others in the province of Alicante where they are so deeply rooted".
The mayor thanked "the effort" of all these people "on a day-to-day basis, for the integration, joy, and openness that here and there define the DNA of Andalusia"; and he has recognized the "tireless activity" of the Casa de Andalucía in Benidorm, which the Royal Brotherhood of Nuestras Señora de la Esperanza y la Paz and the Brotherhood of El Rocío joins. "How much Andalusia there is and how much you live in Benidorm", he underlined.
Toni Pérez also had words for the town of Torredelcampo in Jaén, honored at this celebration and which was represented by the town's mayor of Culture and by the voice and art of the singer Fina de Ángeles and the guitarist Antonio Carrión.
