From November 11 to 14, the tenth edition of CUEVATUR is being held, the Spanish Congress on Tourist Caves and Mines, which will take place in Aracena (Huelva). A tourist and scientific gathering that will feature a lecture by Juan Luis Arsuaga, renowned Paleoanthropologist.
The Spanish Association of Tourist Caves (ACTE) is organizing, together with the City Council of Aracena, the tenth edition of CUEVATUR, the Spanish Congress on Tourist Caves and Mines. An international event that is committed to the responsible and sustainable management of the Underground World and to research. Below, Manuel Durán, President of ACTE, is interviewed about the importance of this event and about the evolution of cave tourism.
One more year, CUEVATUR is being held, a very special edition because it is the tenth. What did the birth of this congress mean for the Underground World?
Well, before answering, we should take the starting point into account. Let us consider that the first CUEVATUR was held in 2005 in Lecumberri (Navarra) and, previously, there were already data from expeditions by scientists and journalists.
For example, the Salnitre Cave in 1850: that is, 155 years before that first congress; or the case of Aracena with the opening to Tourism, in 1914, so that in 2005 it was ninety-one years old. In short, there had already been quite a few years of Underground Tourism in Spain.
On the other hand, it must also be taken into consideration that, between 1996 and 1997, our Spanish Association of Tourist Caves was born, which has three aims: the promotion of cave tourism; the training of the staff who work in it; and general advice for its managers.
Among the activities carried out by the association, CUEVATUR brings together those three strategic axes of it. And, having held nine congresses from 2005 to 2024, on a biennial basis, (except in 2020 because of the pandemic), this year it is the tenth in Aracena.
What does the celebration of this type of congresses mean for the Underground World?
Well, I would say that, on the one hand, the empowerment of scientific knowledge is like a breath of immense light. For me it is the metaphor of the sunrise and the abandonment of the world of caves with its figurative shadows and its darkness.
It also means the generation of a guide that entails the transformation of the habilitation processes of Tourist Caves and the contribution to the development of proposals to correct many bad practices
From those proposals, almost everyone drank in, or I could say all our associates. And, in addition, that guide was extended to non-associates who requested advice from us.
Over the course of these years, how has the international meeting changed and, above all, the tourism management of the Caves?
The first CUEVATUR were not international in character: they were more localist. We could say, national in character, although there was participation from attendees from neighboring countries, such as France and Portugal.
The first international congress was held in 2014 in Aracena: it was the fifth CUEVATUR and the first Ibero-American Congress of Tourist Caves. In addition, the participation of the International Show Caves Association (ISCA) was institutionalized, with the presence of its president and members of the board of directors.
In 2026, CUEVATUR does indeed have that already eminently international character, because we are even consolidating ISCA's participation through the holding of a meeting that will take place on the first day, November 11, and a technical visit to the Gruta de las Maravillas will be carried out.
It is worth noting that, in 2022, the congresses came to be called Caves and Tourist Mines, in order to raise the defense of the heritage generated by human hands in the process of extracting the minerals from inside the Earth.
With respect to the first part, how have the congresses changed?
On the one hand, with respect to the universality of the proposal. And, apart from those congresses, I would also demonstrate it with our intention of celebrating June 6 as World Day of Caves and Underground Tourism: we already do it, for a long time and unofficially; and we have been fighting and striving so that one day it will be official.
On the other hand, as for the evolution of the congresses, due to our integrative character in Underground Tourism, we have always had as a premise the strengthening of different tourist services, but with shared management strategies.
We have also committed to reinforcing the pillars that we understand as the ideal model of Underground Tourism, with applied scientific knowledge and sustainable development so that, as our decalogue says (and I never tire of repeating), the preservation of the cavities for the enjoyment of our future generations.
And what has this meant for the management of the Caves and the Mines?
Well, it would be summed up in one concept: professionalization. This could be broken down into four sections. In the discourse of the guides, which has been done based more on technical and scientific knowledge about the subject and less literary: explanation has been encouraged about the genesis of the cavities, the formation of figure or the configuration of the heritage that is exhibited inside them.
Also in the control of access to the cavities, which is now done with capacity criteria, limiting the number of members of the groups; and contributing to the number of visitors per day being lower. This favors a lesser impact on the Caves and a better message to the attending public.
Also in the rehabilitation or enabling of the cavities, which is more in keeping with their nature: with paths that are traveled, with walkways that are no longer made of wood (to the extent that this negatively affected them); with less polluting lighting or with the appropriate treatment of green mold.
Finally, with advice and support in the needs of applications of complex regulations, as is the case of the Garrados.
What is expected from the tenth edition of CUEVATUR?
In 2026, the tenth Congress of Tourist Caves and Mines will be held. On the one hand, 10 means fullness and we aspire to maintain the quality levels of previous congresses. We are going to have more than 30 scientific-technical papers during the event.
In total, six lectures are going to be given, of which I would especially recommend three, open to all: "Great Mountains and Caves of the Planet", with Jerónimo López and Juan José Durán; "Caves, paradises or hell?", with a media speaker such as Raúl Pérez, whom we will all know for his participation in the major television networks in the news due to the earthquake on the island of La ; and "Caves and human evolution", by a person of recognized prestige such as Juan Luis Arsuaga.
Likewise, the formation of three round tables stands out to talk about Caves in Andalucía, about tourism promotion and about that topic of vital importance at present: the regulations on radon gas.
The tenth edition also means change, transformation, the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new stage. We are at the moment of further strengthening our association, about to approve new statutes to adapt ourselves to the new times.
This congress also coincides with the holding of an extraordinary assembly to change our governing bodies. We need to modernize the offerings in our cavities, trying to be more creative to prevent mature services, which have already been developing for quite some time, from entering a phase of decline.
And, finally, it is also advisable to refresh our own congresses. We have to assess how to continue retaining value and seek attractions that encourage potential clients, attendees or communicators to participate in them.
CUEVATUR is the Spanish Congress on Tourist Caves and Mines organized by the Spanish Association of Tourist Caves. In its tenth edition, it will be held in Aracena, Huelva, with the Gruta de las Maravillas as host of this international event.
Under the title "Caves and the Underground World: Science, Tourism and Future", hundreds of tourism managers and researchers will attend the great Underground Tourism event, which will take place from November 11 to 14, 2026.
Held every two years, CUEVATUR is organized by the Asociación de Cuevas Turísticas Españolas, which brings together more than 40 caverns in Spain and Portugal that are committed to research and sustainable Underground Tourism.
