BBVA - Press Room

• In a departure from it traditional arrangement, the XXIV edition of Ruta Quetzal BBVA will be divided into two parts, to preclude the risk of exposure to influenza A during the portion of the trip in Chile and Spain and minimize the possibility of contagion
• Ruta Quetzal BBVA’s organisers have analyzed the options with Spanish and Chilean health authorities to ensure that all young people participating in the 2009 edition will be able to take part in all of the activities, including the Voyage to Robinson Crusoe Island, in Chile’s Juan Fernández Archipelago
• In July, participants will travel through the Spanish regions of Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, Castilla y León, La Rioja and Madrid
• In December, the more than 270 members of the expedition will head for Chile and visit Robinson Crusoe Island as well as Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción, Villarrica and Temuco, among other locations
  

The organisers of Ruta Quetzal BBVA, after analyzing the possible risk due to the presence of influenza A in various places in the world, particularly in Chile and Spain, have decided to change the original plans for the XXIV edition, in order for the more than 270 expedition members from 53 countries to be able to complete the entire trip in both countries. Hence, this year, the Ruta will be divided into two parts:  the first in Spain from 7 to 25 July, and the second, in Chile, from 12 to 31 December. The division of the journey into two parts will allow the participants to complete the entire program and visit Robison Crusoe Island, an essential component of the project and, in fact, the core of this year’s trip.

This decision was reached after an analysis of the viability of the project with Spanish and Chilean health authorities, in which the concerns expressed by the parents of many participants were also taken into account. Hence, the travelers will be able to complete entire program of the Ruta Quetzal BBVA 2009, including the visit to Robinson Crusoe Island, an essential component of the project and the core of this year’s trip, which otherwise could not have been included, given that Chilean authorities require strict preventive measures for visitors going to the island.

 Ruta Quetzal BBVA believes that this is the best option to avoid unnecessary risks, to guarantee the health of the participants (by minimizing the possibility of contagion or a possible need for quarantining) and to ensure that the full itinerary can be completed.  The organizers understand, moreover, that the decision to carry out Ruta Quetzal 2009 in two parts (July and December), although requiring a greater organizational effort, will make it possible to fulfil a threefold objective:

1. The completion of the entire Ruta Quetzal 2009 itinerary, which would not have been feasible under the original plan.
2. Virtually eliminating any possibility that the expedition members will be exposed to influenza A, thereby avoiding a risk that the program might have entailed. In Chile, in December, during the austral summer, the risk is much lower. 
3. Ensuring that all the young men and women will be able to participate in the 2009 edition.

With this change, Ruta Quetzal BBVA is unquestionably reaffirming its commitment to the program and to the 2009 expedition through a solution that makes it possible to maintain the entire program and to avoid unnecessary risks - as originally planned, it would have been less attractive for the young members of the expedition.

The Ruta in July 2009
 
Ruta Quetzal BBVA 2009 will begin on 7 July in Madrid. Two days later the 270 expedition members from 53 countries will be received by Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, at the El Pardo Palace in Madrid.

The participants will then visit the Convent of the Carmelitas Descalzas, in Ocaña. The convent is the final resting place of Alonso de Ercilla, the author of La Araucana. Next, they will travel to Valencia, where they will board the amphibious ship Galicia and sail to Cartagena, the birthplace of Juan Fernández, who discovered the archipelago that bears his name. They will then continue their voyage through the Mediterranean to Málaga and on to Cádiz.
After a brief stop in Seville they will head for Madrid and then continue on the last leg of Ruta Quetzal BBVA 2009, through Castilla y León and La Rioja, before returning to Madrid.

Following the footsteps of Robinson Crusoe in Chile in December 2009

For the first time in its fourteen editions, the 2009 expedition will travel to Chile during the austral summer. For nearly three weeks, among other activities, the expedition members will relive the adventures of the Scottish sailor and one-time castaway Alexander Selkirk, who provided the inspiration for novelist Daniel Defoe’s character Robinson Crusoe.

The participants will then sail to Talcahuano and later to Concepción, to become familiar with the Araucanía Region and Lakes District, home of the Mapuche Indians. They will also visit sites of interest related to poets Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral, Chile’s only two Nobel Prize winners.

For more information please contact

BBVA’s Ruta Quetzal Department (91.274.26.21) or BBVA (91.274.67.97)                                       
or visit the official webpage:  http://www.rutaquetzalbbva.com