Last year the region of Valencia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast welcomed more visitors, in part due to increased air and rail service. Delta Air Lines’ non-stop service from New York brought more Americans. And the high-speed AVE train, inaugurated in December 2010, cut travel time to only 95 minutes from Madrid to Valencia.

Delta recently announced the airline would resume seasonal service to Valencia on June 2, offering four non-stop flights a week aboard 170-seat Boeing 757-200s from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York to Valencia Airport in Manises (VLC).

For the first ten months of 2011, the region of Valencia welcomed 4,889,715 visitors, a 7.

3 percent increase over 2010. That represents 9.6 percent of total arrivals to Spain. During that same period, 39,072 Americans visited Valencia, a 67.1 percent increase over the previous year.

“Delta had very strong load factors to Valencia last year, and we are delighted to be operating service to the Valencia region again this summer. It is a popular destination not only given the strong business links between the two countries, but also given that many Americans favor Spain as a place to vacation,” said Rafael Ruiz,” Delta’s Commercial Director Europe, Middle East and Africa.

“The service offered by Delta is important because it brings more American visitors to our region, and it supports the local businesses involved in the tourism sector,” said Lola Johnson Sastre, the Minister for Tourism Culture and Sport for the Valencian region. “Valencia has all the attributes American travelers look for when they go to Europe: fascinating culture, centuries of history, interesting museums, ancient sites and notable historic attractions. And since Spain’s cuisine has great appeal for Americans, they should know that the Valencia region is home to 13 Michelin star restaurants as well as being the birthplace of paella,” Minister Sastre, added.

Delta Airlines, www.delta.com; Valencia Tourism, en.comunitatvalenciana.com