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Jiménez Deredia's monumental sculptures show 'The Journey of Life' on Benidorm's Paseo de Poniente

• The exhibition consists of six large-format works sculpted in marble and bronze that will be in the city until March 2025.
• The installation comes to Benidorm as a result of the collaboration with the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències.

Charm, Lullaby, Refuge, Consciousness, Dream and Twilight are the names of the six monumental sculptures by the Costa Rican artist Jorge Enrique Jiménez Deredia that from this yesterday can be visited on the Paseo de Poniente in Benidorm. The exhibition, encompassed under the name 'The Journey of Life' and composed of six large sculptures made of marble and bronze, has been inaugurated by the mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, and by the artist himself, who has guided the attendees throughout a journey that has added participants, attracted by the beauty of the works and the possibility of listening first-hand to the explanations of its creator. 

The exhibition, promoted by the Department of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Benidorm City Council, directed by Ana Pellicer, comes to the city as a result of the collaboration with the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, where it was already exhibited in 2015 and after passing through the streets of cities like Florence, Rome, Mexico City, Shanghai or Miami. “And now Benidorm is another stage of this 'Journey of Life'”, as highlighted by Jiménez Deredia, who is also the first Latin American sculptor to have work in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, inside a niche. designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti between 1544 and 1564.

Toni Pérez has stated that for Benidorm “it is a pride to be able to enjoy” this collection again “in a space like this Paseo de Poniente, converted into an authentic open-air museum.” Likewise, the first mayor recalled that we are facing "another wonderful exhibition, street culture and of a very high level", in what he described as "a great exhibition hall from Benidorm to the world."

“The cultural event in the street, in this case through monumental sculpture, means that at any time of the day, in a city like this where life happens on foot, you come across a work of art of incalculable value, you can talk to her and establish your connection,” the mayor declared. Likewise, he has reflected on his own work to point out that “his entire story is also the story of Benidorm: the sea and the importance that water has for us; the ships; the journey of life itself, and all of it in the open air", considering that the place where they are exhibited is "the ideal setting because there is also a dialogue between the sea and the land and those profiles of our Serra Gelada or our horizon and the island, which combine very well with what Jiménez Deredia wants to convey to us with his work in Benidorm.” 

Finally, the mayor has expressed his conviction that there will be “thousands of people who will enjoy” this exhibition, which will be in the city until March 2025, and has expressed his gratitude to both the artist and the director. of contents of the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, Miriam Atienza, for having chosen Benidorm to host this “magnificent work”. 

A stage of your trip around the world

For his part, Jorge Jiménez Deredia has stated that the possibility of exhibiting his work on the street allows the general public, "regardless of their economic and social condition, to have contact and relationship with these sculptures." For this reason, he considered that, after visiting some of the most important cities in the world, “the possibility arose of bringing the sculptures to this city, they told us about the extraordinary landscape that Benidorm had and these landscapes as special as the sea, the mountains, the island behind. "And we came to see it, we loved the energy, and that made us make the decision that this could be a very important stage of this exhibition."

As for the exhibition itself, it is made up of six large-format sculptures, black and white in color and sculpted in marble and bronze, respectively, each weighing between 6 and 7 tons. All of them make up a collection of symbolic sculptures, where sphericity is the fundamental element because “it is linked to life, to the human being, and to the reasoning that we are making a journey, which is the journey of life, from the meaning of the cosmic participation of our own existence: we are a grain of sand in the immensity of the universe but the universe needs us because we are part of it,” the artist explained. 

All the pieces have a QR code that will allow the viewer to scan it with their mobile phone, which will take them to a page where they can obtain all the information about each of the sculptures, the collection and the artist himself. “Everything you could get in a museum, but outdoors, without having to pay a ticket and enjoying the landscape at the same time,” according to Jiménez Deredia. 

For her part, the content director of the City of Arts and Sciences, Miriam Atienza, highlighted that the open-air museum project being developed by the Benidorm City Council “fits very well with the work that we have been doing for years. taking place in the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències to bring culture to the streets, because we understand that not everyone enters museums and it is a way to bring each person closer and enjoy art. In addition, she has valued that the city “has outdoor exhibition spaces that are magnificent.”   

On this point, the councilor for Historical and Cultural Heritage, Ana Pellicer, recalled the “close and fruitful relationship” that unites Benidorm with this institution, which “has translated into the presence in our city of exhibitions by international artists such as Arne Quinze, as well as national authors such as Cristóbal Gabarrón.” 

Benidorm is an example of digitalisation applied to tourism in a round table at the Mobile World Congress

• The mayor explains the strategy as the first certified DTI in the world and the projects that are currently underway to continue advancing in this field

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, participated this Monday in the Mobile World Congress, the largest global event related to mobile technology, which is being held these days in Barcelona. There, Benidorm has been put as an example of digitalization applied to the tourism sector in a round table titled 'Smart tourism and digitalisation of destinations', organised by Ágora Telefónica, which thus opened its program of conferences and professional meetings in the year's edition with the that the company begins the events of its centenary, and whose end has coincided with the arrival of King Felipe VI to this stand. 

The mayor has described the strategy developed in recent years in Benidorm as the world's first certified smart tourist destination in this round table, in which the executive director of UN Tourism, Natalia Bayona, also participated; the general director of digital transformation of the Region of Murcia, Javier Martínez Gilabert; the business development manager of Telefónica Tech, Carmen Alonso Cañada; the Telefónica Spain process manager, Diego López Román; and the head of Tourism Business Development at Telefónica Spain, Frederic Vieuxmaire, who acted as moderator. 

One of the issues that has aroused the most interest in this forum has been knowing the steps taken by Benidorm to go from being a tourist destination of national and international reference for decades to also being a leader in tourist intelligence and digitalization. At this point, Toni Pérez has explained that all the steps have been part of “a strategy that was very clearly marked by the Digital Agenda, aligning us with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals” and that allowed in December 2018 “be certified as the first smart tourist destination in the world by the UNE 178,501 standard.”

“Now we are part and have been an embryo of the DTI network in Spain and we continue to have many projects in the pipeline to continue moving forward,” he recalled. 

Among these projects, the mayor has presented the so-called 'Benidorm, Smart and Sustainable Tourist Destination', promoted by the City Council and which has a budget of 4,023,058.74 euros co-financed with FEDER funds through the Red.es entity. “This is a project that aims to continue improving the destination and continue to be leaders and that will be developed around four axes: smart destination management, sustainability and energy efficiency, smart beaches and tourist and resident satisfaction,” Pérez explained. He has also explained that it is made up of seventeen actions "that can be replicated in other tourist destinations, especially mature sun and beach destinations with a strong weight of the international market."

The first mayor has insisted that "for Benidorm, managing intelligently is an obligation, as is promoting and developing projects that have environmental, economic, social and technological sustainability as their central axis", as will be done in the project. developed together with Red.es, which has Telefónica as a technological partner. 

Likewise, Pérez has also referred to other innovative projects, such as the headquarters of the Intelligent Destinations Platform, which is based in Benidorm and which he has defined as “the great national center of tourism intelligence”; the use and sensorization of data to improve water or waste management, especially in places that, like Benidorm, multiply their population due to tourism practically every month of the year; or the co-governance and public-private collaboration actions developed in the destination, such as the Visit Benidorm Foundation. 

Finally, he recalled that the city "is synonymous with effective resource management, job creation and redistribution of wealth", since, despite representing only "1% of the coastline of the Valencian Community and 1 "4% of its population represents 39.96% of the tourist activity that takes place in the region."

Future challenges

In addition to the Benidorm case, other challenges presented by the digitalisation of tourist destinations in the short and medium term have also been addressed during this round table. Among them, the rights, privacy and ethical use of the data obtained from this activity; the hyperconnectivity of cities; cybersecurity; or the development of common and harmonized criteria for the sharing and management of data, as well as the technological tools on the market to advance the digitalisation of tourist destinations.  

Benidorm decrees three days of official mourning for the victims of the Valencia fire

• The City Council observes three minutes of silence in solidarity with those affected by the tragedy and offers its institutional collaboration in these difficult moments

Benidorm City Council has declared three days of official mourning for the victims of this Thursday's devastating fire in Valencia, which has left at least four people dead, fifteen injured and more than a dozen people still missing. Likewise, the City Council has placed its official flags at half-mast as a sign of mourning, thus joining the three days of official mourning also decreed by the Generalitat Valenciana. 

At noon, the Municipal Corporation, headed by Mayor Toni Pérez, observed three minutes of silence as a sign of remembrance and solidarity with all those affected by this incident, in a rally that took place in the Plaza de SS MM Los Reyes de Spain and to which numerous neighbors have also joined.

As is already known, the fire started around 5:30 p.m. yesterday for reasons that are being investigated in a building located at the intersection of Maestro Rodrigo and General Avilés streets, in the Valencian neighborhood of Campanar. The flames quickly spread throughout the property and an adjacent building, with a total of 138 homes and where more than 400 people lived, which have been completely burned. Firefighters spent the entire afternoon trying to put out the fire and cooling the area, as well as rescuing some of the people who had been trapped. The provisional balance speaks of four dead and 14 missing, in addition to another 15 people injured of varying severity. 

In the face of this tragedy, which represents the worst fire that the capital of Turia has experienced in its recent history, the mayor of Benidorm has publicly joined, on behalf of the city, in the expressions of “pain for this terrible fire that has destroyed the life of many families.” Toni Pérez has also conveyed “our condolences to family and friends of the victims” and, as the Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FVMP) has also done, has offered to “collaborate with the Valencia City Council in everything it needs in these hard moments.” 

Finally, the first mayor thanked and valued “the enormous work being done by the firefighters and all the professionals and volunteers of health and emergency services to collaborate and help the victims, families and injured in this terrible event.” 
 

The Generalitat opens the doors to the tourism promotion of the Valencian Community in the Middle East

• Nuria Montes announces a new promotion strategy to attract tourists from the Middle East and Southeast Asia to the Valencian Community in the medium term
• The minister has held two meetings with Emirates Airlines and Emirates Holidays as part of the commercial mission she is leading this week in Dubai  
• The Tourism Authority aims to bring a direct flight between the Valencian Community and Dubai in the medium or long term
• The Minister of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, Nuria Montes, has announced that the Generalitat will initiate a tourism promotion strategy for the Valencian Community to attract tourists from the Middle East and South-East Asia.

The minister, who this week heads a trade mission to Dubai on the occasion of the Gulfood 2024 fair, has held meetings with Emirates Airlines, one of the most important airlines in the world, and with the tourist operator Emirates Holidays.

During the meeting held with Emirates Airlines, Nuria Montes conveyed to the airline's representatives the interest of the Valencian Community to have a direct link with Dubai airport, the world's first international airport, in the medium or long term.

The head of Tourism has been able to verify that "the two have shown interest, especially in the medium and long term" to be able to connect the Valencian Community with a direct flight to Dubai "which serves as a gateway to the entire area of Asia and Australia".

In addition, he explained that currently Emirates Airlines has daily flights with Barcelona and Madrid airports, which will increase the connection with two daily frequencies, although he emphasised that "they are more interested in the Madrid route because of the connection with AVE with the city of Valencia".

Nuria Montes has remarked on the importance of connecting the Valencian Community with Dubai, as it is the first international airport in the world. According to the latest data of 2023, Dubai International Airport has established itself as the number one airport in the world with 87 million passengers and is also currently connected to 262 destinations in 104 countries through 102 international carriers.

For this reason, he has announced that from the Generalitat "we will start a tourism promotion strategy" to attract tourists from the Middle East and Southeast Asia in the medium term. Thus, he has revealed that the objective is "to build a product to be a reference destination in the travel portfolio of these countries within a period of at least 4 or 5 years".

In this context, he explained that this promotion will be "focused on the image of cultural destinations, gastronomic destinations and those related to health tourism". In addition, he pointed out that in Dubai "the luxury segment is being worked on in a very important way and this is where we will try to position ourselves, especially with a medium-term objective".

Finally, the minister recalled that "we will continue to promote our destination through the main tourism and air connectivity fairs" and, in this sense, she pointed out that next October "we will participate in Bahrain in Routes World, the main fair of air connectivity of the international scene" to show the tourism offer of the Valencian Community with the aim of establishing contacts for the opening of new routes and attracting flights to our destination.

Benidorm approves the project to complete the urbanization works of the industrial estate that gives the green light to the unblocking of the sector

• The Governing Board has also approved the price review file for an amount of 4.7 million euros

The Local Government Board (JGL) of the Benidorm City Council has today approved the consolidated text of the modified urbanisation project and the project for the completion of the urbanisation works of the PP 3/1 Industrial sector of the General Municipal Planning Plan. That is, the unlocking and the definitive green light for the completion of urbanisation and subsequent development of the industrial sector. The proposal of the Councilor for Urban Planning, Lourdes Caselles, also included the approval of the price review file to be applied to the urbanisation project. 

In both projects - urbanisation and completion of works - the urban developer, Terra Village Land, states that the budget for the completion of the urbanisation works represents practically an increase of 80% of the urbanisation costs initially planned with respect to the project approved in 2003. These costs now amount to 30,009,212.17 euros.

Similarly, Terra Village Land had also made a request for a price review to be applied to the urbanisation project, a request that was favorably reported by the municipal technicians for an amount of 4,762,486.06 euros and as such appears in the approved proposal. . Thus, the company must present a guarantee of 7% of the amount of the urbanization charges and the amount approved for price revision, those 4.7 million mentioned.

The mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, will meet with the owners of the land, the technicians and the urban development agent to offer details of the new projects and the reassessment that the company must present within the next three months. At this meeting, the reports from the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of the Environment on the modification of the layout of the affected livestock routes will also be discussed.

On the other hand, a response has also been given to the allegations presented by eight landowners in the sector according to the indications of the municipal technical reports.

Toni Pérez has pointed out that "in the absence of the presentation of the reassessment of the urbanisation charges and its approval in the next three months, the works in the industrial sector that were paralysed by the Ministry in 2010 and that have already But then they were 66% executed.” The mayor has described today's approval as “very good news for the city” because, as he stated, “it means that works can be resumed that will be of enormous benefit to the city and the development of a sector that has been stopped for many years due to causes beyond the control of the municipality.”

Pérez has also indicated that these works will be carried out “in parallel” to those that are being developed for the creation of what is known as Vial Discotecas and the large access roundabout to the industrial estate that began in May 2023. 

Carlos Mazón announces 14.5 million euros to renovate and improve the water purification system in Benidorm

• He points out that this is "the biggest investment by the Generalitat in terms of water purification in the Marina Baixa in recent decades"
• He points to the Council's objective of "zero discharges" in water matters and underlines that in six months the historic debt with Benidorm in water treatment has been settled
• He recalls the leadership of the Valencian Community in water reuse "by recycling 40% of the water in all of Spain".
• He believes that it is necessary to promote purification instead of desalination because "we are more sustainable, efficient, reasonable and ecological".
• The President of the Generalitat has visited the Benidorm Wastewater Treatment Plant
   

The president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, has announced an investment of 14.5 million euros to renovate and improve the entire water purification system in Benidorm in four years, which is "the biggest investment of the Generalitat in matters of water purification in the Marina Baixa in recent decades".

This was pointed out by the head of the Council after his visit to the Benidorm Wastewater Treatment Plant, where he said that in the coming weeks the agreement for the renewal of the sanitation and purification network will be signed of this city's waste water between the Generalitat, through the Ministry of the Environment, Water, Infrastructure and Territory, the public entity of Wastewater Sanitation of the Valencian Community (EPSAR) and Benidorm City Council .

During his visit, Carlos Mazón emphasised the Council's commitment to water. Thus, he affirmed that "we said it would be the water legislature and we are complying with it, we have the goal of zero discharge and we are complying with it".

Likewise, he has referred to the fact that in just six months the "historic debt" of the Generalitat Valenciana in water purification in Benidorm has been settled.

Carlos Mazón has pointed out that this investment is "an example of taking advantage of the water we have in our territory and promoting purification instead of desalination". Thus he defended that "it is about preventing the water from reaching the sea so as not to have to take it out again because it is less sustainable, it costs more energy and it is not the solution".  

Likewise, he indicated that with this infrastructure it complies with "the discourse of the integral, sustainable, environmental and ecological water cycle of water in the Valencian Community, which is what allows us to claim the water we lack once we have done our homework and demonstrated that solidarity and sustainability are compatible".

In this sense, he has put Benidorm and the Marina Baixa as an example of responsibility in water matters and has recalled the leadership of the Valencian Community in water reuse by recycling 40% of the water in all of Spain.

Renewal of Benidorm's sanitation network

The planned actions to renew Benidorm's sanitation and waste water treatment system will put an end to the current obsolescence deficiencies and will be 90% financed by the Generalitat.

Among the planned actions, it is worth noting the reform of the electrical installations of the pumping stations, the repair of the pumping station of Elche Park and the improvement of the old water treatment line (line B ). It is also planned to adapt the workshop, control and staff building of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), as well as the improvement of the sludge treatment line.

In his visit to the Benidorm Wastewater Treatment Plant, he was accompanied by the minister for Environment, Water, Infrastructure and Territory, who presides, Salomé Pradas, and the mayor of Benidorm and president of the Provincial Council of Alicante, Toni Pérez , among other authorities.

A hundred Primary students reforest a space in El Moralet with Mediterranean trees and plants

• This activity, organised by the Departments of Education and Environment, is part of the commemoration of Arbor Day in Benidorm

A hundred Benidorm Primary students have reforested a small space in the El Moralet park with Mediterranean trees and plants, during the activity organized by the Departments of Education and Environment to commemorate Arbor Day. The mayor, Toni Pérez, and the councilors of both areas, Maite Moreno and Mónica Gómez, have traveled to this space, who together with other members of the Corporation have collaborated with the little ones in planting more than 200 specimens of aladierno, rosemary, creeping rosemary and oleander.

The mayor pointed out that "this year we have decided to move this activity to El Moralet park because it is an area very close to our urban environment and very busy on a daily basis, which will make it easier for the students of the CEIP Els Tolls and Vasco Núñez of Balboa who have participated in this activity can follow the evolution and growth of the specimens they have planted.” A circumstance, he has assured, that "will favor their involvement with the natural environment, thereby promoting environmental awareness among the younger generations."

Toni Pérez has stressed "the importance of involving the little ones in the care and protection of the environment", and has highlighted that "since the City Council launched in 2003 the initiative to commemorate Arbor Day by planting specimens of species "Thousands of Primary students have participated in this activity and thousands of trees and plants have been incorporated into the green surface of Benidorm." 

The day has had the collaboration of the municipal technical services and the rural guard of the City Council.

Benidorm pays tribute to the two civil guards murdered in the act of duty in Barbate

• The city observes five minutes of silence in support and solidarity with the Civil Guard and the families of the agents run over by a 'drug boat'

Yesterday,  Monday, Benidorm City Council observed five minutes of silence at the doors of the Town Hall as a sign of mourning for the “cruel death in the act of service” of two civil guards in the Cadiz town of Barbate. The tragic event occurred last Friday, when the Armed Institute boat in which the agents were found was hit by a 'narco-boat', causing the death of the two civil guards and leaving two other agents injured, one of them from gravity.  

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, has led this event as a sign of mourning and respect for the murdered civil guards and their families, accompanied by the lieutenant of the Traffic detachment of the Civil Guard in Benidorm, Manuel Alberto Sánchez García; the commissioner of the National Police in the city, Ceferino Serrano Torres; the chief mayor of the Local Police, Luis Arévalo. Numerous members of these State Security forces, councilors of the municipal Corporation and residents of the town have also joined them. 

In this way, and following the proposal launched by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), Benidorm has publicly conveyed its "shows of support and solidarity with the families of the deceased civil guards and in recognition of the great work carried out by the members of the State Security Corps and Forces". 

Benidorm takes advantage of the lower tourist influx to carry out improvement actions in busy areas

• The work is carried out on Mallorca Street, Plaza del Castell, the promenades or the Aigüera Park, among other points in the city.

The municipal brigade of Municipal Technical Services is taking advantage of these dates to carry out some actions and interventions for improvement and repair in public places with high attendance during high season. Actions that are being carried out in different parts of the city with the aim that with the arrival of tourists in high season the city presents the best possible image.

The 'At street level' campaign, with the councilors of Citizen Participation, Public Space, Parks and Gardens and Street Cleaning; Ana Pellicer, Francis Muñoz, José Ramón González de Zárate and Luis Navarro, visited some of these actions today, accompanied by the vice president of the Neighbourhood Council, Antonio Zamora.

Some of the areas in which work is being done are Calle Mallorca, in the section that goes from Mediterráneo to Ibiza, Plaza del Castell, the Poniente and Levante promenades and l'Aigüera Park, among other points.

The municipal delegation traveled today to Mallorca Street, where the work includes maintenance work on the pavement with the application of a special paint for pavements. This intervention, which will be completed in about ten days, will give the street a better image. The road benches are also being painted with a special paint that eliminates porosity and makes the subsequent removal of dirt or graffiti easier.

On the other hand, the municipal technical services have also acted on the Castell balustrade and the concrete benches in many areas of the town.

The ball net has also been installed on the multisports court in l'Aigüera Park and work is underway to repair tree pits on several avenues.

“These are small-scale works that, however, greatly improve the image of our city,” said Francis Muñoz, who stated that “we do them now that there are fewer visitors in the city and the inconvenience is less” with the so that "when the high season arrives after Easter, our tourists will find a well-kept urban scene."

'Venice in Benidorm' wins first prize in the Carnival parade in which 63 groups and 10 individual participants performed

• The good atmosphere presided over a day that lasted until dawn in the Plaza de SS MM Los Reyes de España

• In the children's parade 'Little invaders' won in the group category and 'Railway' won as an individual

The Carnival party was shown yesterday, Saturday, in all its splendor in Benidorm with some parades, children and adults, of great merit, great participation and a huge desire to have a good time with many touches of originality in the designs.

Around a thousand people participated last Saturday night in the Benidorm adult parade, organized by the Associació de Penyes Verge del Sofratge and which traveled through several streets of the city center to end in the Plaza de sus Majestades los Reyes de España with a party until dawn. A march that was followed by a large crowd of people along its route and ended in a tent of the Association, completely packed.

Starting after nine at night, 63 groups and 10 individual participants starred in a massive parade that filled the route with color, great work behind in making the costumes and, above all, a great sense of humor. The parade began with the appearance of the Queen Mayor Valentina Almodóbar and her court of honor and behind them the members of the Comissió de Festes Majors Patronals 2024.

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez; the mayor of Fiestas, Mariló Cebreros; as well as numerous members of the government team came to watch the parade, dressed as American football players and being in charge of later awarding the prizes to the winners, along with the Queen Mayor, the president of the Festival Committee, María Dolores Cano , the president of the Penyes Association, Jaume Cortés and members of the jury.

In the group category, the winner was 'Venice in Benidorm', which won the first prize of 1,000 euros, thanks to its staging of the Italian town's carnival. The second prize went to 'The Revenant of the Phoenix' with a prize of €800 and the third prize went to 'Queens of Ice and Kings of Fire' who achieved €600. The rest of the awards were in the following order: 'Secret of the Pyramids' (€400), 'Swahili Warriors' (€300), 'Papallones Fest' (€100), 'Nature on' (€100) and 'Queen of hearts' (€100).

The winners in the individual category were 'Sweet Carnaval' with a prize of €300, second place went to 'Eco fantasy' with €200 and the third prize went to 'Dios del InTempo' who achieved 100 euros.

At the end of the parade, a party presented and entertained by Aitor Belda, from Los 40 and Radio Benidorm, took place in the Associació de Penyes tent, where, as throughout the day, there was also a bar at popular prices . In addition, the Penyes Association held an 'afternoon' in the same Plaza de SSMM Reyes de España. 

Benidorm will say goodbye to the Carnival on Tuesday, February 13 with the Burial of the Sardine, which will begin at 9:30 p.m. in the Plaza Mayor.

Children's Carnival

In the morning, the Children's Carnival took place with the participation of 42 groups and a dozen individual costumes, as well as the children's queen Laia Zamora and her children's court of honor, who led the parade.

In the group category the winner was 'Little invaders', a prize worth €300. The second, of 200 euros, was for 'Discovering the world of wonders' and the third for 'The Barbecue' with 100 euros.

In the individual category the winner was the 'Railway' costume (€100), the second went to 'La Vileda turbo, put an end to everything dirty' (€75) and the third prize went to 'Carousel of dreams' (50 €).

Benidorm taxis incorporate a pioneering 'app' to request the service via mobile

Benidorm taxis are going to incorporate a pioneering technological application that will allow users to request a service through their mobile phone and will provide various prior information, such as the number of available vehicles closest to their location; the price of the trip you are going to make; the time it will take to get from one point to another; or the 'extras' that each vehicle can offer, such as the possibility of charging your mobile phone on the journey, bringing pets or listening to music. The mayor of Mobility, Francis Muñoz, presented this novelty today together with the president of the Radio Taxi Benidorm association, Alfredo Fernández; the application developer, Alain Mateo; and the municipal Citizen Security technician. 

The councilor has indicated that the taxi service is “an essential public transport service in our city” and that this tool will allow “giving users and taxi drivers themselves more facilities, more security and a modern service in accordance with our needs.” time". Likewise, he has indicated that of the 232 taxi licenses that the City Council has granted in the city, there will be a total of 224 vehicles that are going to begin using this system these days, which will complement the telephone service that Radio Taxi has been providing for years. to “adapt to a younger audience that preferentially uses this type of technology.” 

The 'app' is called TaxiCoin and, after a pilot test carried out with a small group of taxis in Madrid over a period of six months, "Benidorm is going to be the first city in which it is going to be fully implemented," said its responsible. It can be downloaded through Android and IOS and both download and use are completely free. 

“The price of taxis is regulated by the City Council,” Mateo recalled to indicate that requesting a taxi through this application will not imply any change in rates. 

In addition, users will be able to use TaxiCoin in both Spanish and English, languages ​​that will soon be joined by French and German in order to “provide service not only to residents but also to the national and international tourists we have in Benidorm.” ”added Francis Muñoz. 

The final of the Benidorm Fest brings together almost 2 million viewers and is the audience leader in prime time on Saturday

• Almost 5.2 million people watched the program at some point, which registered a 16.6% share
• Nebulossa wins the Bronze Microphone and will represent Spain in Eurovision
• The mayor applauds the “high level of this festival” and the great atmosphere it has generated this week in the streets

Almost 5.2 million people followed at some point last night the final gala of the Benidorm Fest, in which the Nebulossa from Huelva raised the Bronze Microphone that will take them directly to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place celebrates next May in the Swedish city of Malmö.

This is indicated by official audience data, according to which the broadcast of the final on Spanish Television's La 1 reached an average of 1,977,000 viewers and a screen share of 16.6%, ranking as the most watched program. of 'prime time' on Saturday. 

Furthermore, as already happened in the two semi-finals, the Benidorm Fest once again became a national and global trending topic, with 187,932 mentions on the social network 'X' during the broadcasting hours of the gala and monitoring in a total of 25 countries. , which represents “a complete success in terms of television audience and presence on the main social networks”, as highlighted this Sunday by the mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez.

Spain was the country in which the Benidorms event was most commented on on this social network, where the main 'hashtags' related to the 'Fest' collected a total of 112,622 mentions and an impact close to 60%. Behind Spain were other countries such as Argentina, Colombia and the United States, while up to 20% of the posts were made from countries as remote as Papua New Guinea, Australia, Mongolia, Indonesia or Pakistan, among others. 

Regarding the television impact, the Benidorm Fest gala on RTVE garnered the best audience data of the three days. Thus, the final of the contest last night reached a 'share' of 16.6%, which represented an average of 1,977,000 viewers, 90,000 people and 4.6% more than in the 2023 final, although the public channel has detailed that almost 5.2 million viewers followed the musical event at some point during its broadcast. This 'share' data registers an increase of 1.9 points with respect to the final gala of the previous year and places Benidorm Fest as the most followed program in 'prime time' on conventional television yesterday, with a lot of percentage distance over the second.

The impact of the songs and artists participating in yesterday's final is also very notable on the main music streaming platforms. On Spotify, the eight finalist songs have already reached 6,633,707 views. Of all of them, the group Nebulossa, winners of this grand final with their 'Zorra', are at the forefront of the participants, with more than 2.2 million listeners. Behind her are currently Almácor (873K), St Pedro (839K), Sofía Coll (837K) and Miss Caffeina (539K). 

On the other hand, on the YouTube platform, the number of views of the contestants in the final gala now totals 4,194,210 views and, of them, the winner by far is once again Nebulossa, which has accumulated 1.9 million. 

Regarding the public votes registered in the final win, RTVE announced this Sunday that the telephone vote recorded a total of 25,910 calls and SMS. The director of Communication and Participation of RTVE, María Eizaguirre, has detailed that Nebulossa was the one that received the most support from viewers, with 4,484 votes, followed by Jorge González with 4,482 votes, Angy Fernández with 3,888, Almácor with 3,779, St Pedro with 3,739, Sofia Coll with 2,815, María Peláe with 1,627 and Miss Caffeina with 1,096.

Jorge González won the demoscopic vote with 2,855 votes, while Angy Fernández was the second most voted with 2,833. Nebulossa got 2,463, St Pedro 2,291, María Peláe 2,272, Sofia Coll 2,134, Almácor 2,058 and Miss Caffeina 1,994, according to RTVE data. 

“Total consolidation”
The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, has assessed that this third edition has been “the final of the Benidorm Fest with the highest level of competitiveness that we have experienced so far, since there were five or six themes that could perfectly have been obtained that precious Bronze Microphone. And Nebulossa has taken it.” The first mayor has assessed that the song of this couple from Ondara “is already a great success, before winning this edition of the Benidorm Fest. Therefore, Nebulossa wins but we all win and Benidorm always wins.” 

Another piece of information that the Benidorm mayor and president of the Provincial Council has valued is that the winner is “a group from Ondara, so the province of Alicante will once again be in the Eurovision final”, after the participation in 2023 of Blanca Paloma from Elche. 

Finally, Toni Pérez concluded by pointing out that “this third edition of Benidorm Fest has definitively consolidated the festival and the atmosphere that our city has been experiencing since last Sunday, with thousands of people who have come expressly to experience this music festival.” . “At the same time as last night the final was being experienced live from the Palau – the first mayor elaborated –, thousands of people followed it from the Tecnohito in the Plaza de la Hispanidad and it was also experienced intensely in the establishments and in the street, which shows that it is a festival that is already perfectly integrated and linked to Benidorm.” 

The second semi-final of the Benidorm Fest brings together 34,000 more spectators than the first and is once again the world 'TT'María Peláe will open the final gala tonight at 10pm

• Almost 3.3 million viewers watched the program at some point, which registered a 10.5 share and was the second most watched in prime time.

The second semi-final of the Benidorm Fest  was once again an undeniable success in terms of its dissemination and impact in the media and on social networks. This is demonstrated by the data released this yesterday,Friday, according to which the broadcast on Spanish Television's La 1 attracted 1,039,000 viewers, 34,000 more than the first semi-final, and an audience share of 10.5%. Furthermore, on the social network 'X' (previously Twitter), the Benidorm Fest once again positioned itself as a national and global 'trending topic' in this second gala, from which St Pedro, María Peláe, Jorge González and Almácor were classified, for compete in the grand final on Saturday alongside Nebulossa, Miss Caffeina, Sofía Coll and Angy Ferández to lift the 'Bronze Microphone' and represent Spain in the next edition of Eurovision. 

The hashtags #benidormfestsemi2, #benidormfest2024 and #benidormfest reached first place among national and international trends, with tracking in a total of 24 countries. In fact, during the entire day, 132,703 total mentions were registered, while between 10:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m., parallel to the broadcast of the gala, there were a total of 104,728, with a potential reach that, according to the social network, could be encrypted. in 437 million people.

Spain, logically, was the country in which the event was followed the most, with a 61.44% audience on social networks. It was followed by Argentina (15.99%), Colombia (6.71%) and the United States (1.93%) as countries with the greatest impact, although 'posts' were also recorded from other more remote areas such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada or Japan, among others. By age groups, the most active in 'X' was the group of people 25 to 34 years old, which indicates, as María Eizaguirre, director of Communication and Participation of RTVE, explained days ago, “that the festival connects in a special way with the young people, as has happened from the beginning and as also happens with Eurovision.” Also noteworthy is the fact that the event's social followers were 59.3% men and 40.7% women.

Regarding the television impact, the second gala of the Benidorm Fest on RTVE reaped a 'share' of 10.5% of screen quota on conventional television, which meant 1.1 points more than in the second semifinal of 2023, and placed this musical competition as the second most watched program in its time slot. The average number of spectators stood at 1,039,000, which represents an increase of 34,000 people compared to the first semi-final and 1.86% compared to the second edition, held in 2023. However, the public channel has indicated that almost 3.3 million viewers followed the musical event at some point during its broadcast, a figure also higher than last year by 3.2%.

Another fact that explains the good reception of the Benidorm Fest is the number of reproductions recorded on the 'Spotify' and 'YouTube' platforms. The eight songs of the artists who competed in yesterday's semifinal – the finalists St Pedro, María Peláe, Jorge González and Almácor, as well as Marlena, Dellacruz, Yoli Saá and Roger Padrós – add up to a total of 5.8 million in both applications of total views, with Marlena leading the way on 'Spotify' (1.4 million) and Almácor on 'YouTube' (425k). 

On the other hand, RTVE released the telephone voting data for this second semi-final this afternoon. María Eizaguirre has detailed that 6,365 votes were received, 4,436 of them via SMS and another 1,939 in calls. Of them, the singer Jorge González was the favorite among the public, with 1,399 votes, which represents almost 22% of the total.

Order of performance in the final

The eight qualifiers for the grand final participated this Friday in a press conference that took place in the Plaza de El Castell, together with the Director of Communication and Participation of RTVE and in which the public, among others, attended. Mayor Toni Pérez and the Councilor for Festivals and Events, Jesús Carrobles. 

At this event, the draw for the order in which the finalists will participate in at tonights gala was also carried out, for which the winner of the second edition of the Benidorm Fest, Blanca Paloma, acted as the innocent hand. 

As luck would have it, María Peláe was in charge of opening the gala, singing in first position. Following her will be St Pedro, Angy Fernández, Jorge González, Nebulossa, Sofía Coll, Miss Caffeina and, finally, Almácor, who will close the performances competing to be in the Eurovision Song Contest next May in Malmö, Sweden. 

Benidorm prepares the beaches for the first major tourist event of the year

• The Department of Beaches undertakes improvements at the accessible beaches point of the Elche Park and removes all the furniture to sieve the sand and clean it naturally
• Nearly 18,000 people used the accessible beaches service during 2013

The Benidorm City Council is preparing the city's beaches for the first major tourist event of the year, Holy Week, which this year brings forward its celebration to the end of March. The councilor of the area, Mónica Gómez, explained that "taking advantage of the moment of lower influx of people to the beaches, improvements are being made in the accessible beach points and the intensive cleaning of the sandbanks is being carried out." 

Gómez detailed that "since January 15, all furniture, hammocks, umbrellas and others have been removed from the beaches of Levante, Poniente and Mal Pas, to sift the surface of the beaches and thus turn over the sand." This turning makes it possible for "with the ultraviolet action of the sun to produce a natural disinfection of the sand, while at the same time it is possible to level the beaches and put them in perfect condition for Easter and the rest of the year."

The person in charge of Beaches explained that "these cleaning tasks will continue, as usual, until February 15, when all the furniture will be reinstalled." Also by that date, the improvement actions at the three accessible beach points will have been completed.

As Gómez pointed out, "at the point of the Eleche Park, the most in demand, side awnings have been installed with which on windy days we improve the comfort of the users, who had sent us this request." Once the placement of these awnings has been completed, these days the repainting of the pavement of this point of accessible beaches is underway, a task that has already been completed in Levante and is also planned in La Cala. 

The councilor recalled "the improvements that in recent years we have undertaken in the three accessible beach points to ensure that the user experience is increasingly comfortable and rewarding are a priority." Among the actions is the increase in the surface area of ​​the facilities, the acquisition of new amphibious chairs, the renovation of the floor and the access walkways or, as in this case, the placement of awnings." 

Regarding the accessible beach service, Gómez stressed that “they are one of the reference services of our beaches.” Thus, he added that "Benidorm was a pioneer more than two decades ago, facilitating bathing for people with functional diversity or who have mobility problems and thereby turning our beaches into a reference in terms of global accessibility." Over the years, "many coastal municipalities have been incorporating this service, although the accessible beach points in Benidorm have the particularity of maintaining their activity throughout the year, always being attended by qualified personnel."

The demand for this service is confirmed by usage data from 2023, in which nearly 18,000 people used Benidorm's accessible beaches. 

The data provided by the mayor indicates that "in the busiest months, more than 2,300 people pass through the accessible beach points each month." This is the case in the months of June -2,472 people-, July -2,360-, August -2,296- and September -2,347-, when the service is attended by three lifeguards at each of the points. Gómez explained that “the demand is constant and sustained throughout the year.” In fact, in the months of January and July, when the lowest temperatures are usually recorded in Benidorm, "over 400 users are exceeded" and "November and December close with 700 users or more." 

The first of these points is located on Levante beach, at the height of Murcia street: while the remaining two are located in Poniente: in the La Cala area - in front of Mont Benidorm avenue - and next to the Parque de Elche. 

The accessible beach points of Parque de Elche and Levante have the Universal Accessibility certificate UNE 170001-1 and UNE 170001-2. In summer, each point is attended by three workers from the beach concession company, RA Benidorm. 
 
 

The first semi-final gala of the Benidorm Fest is once again a national and global trending topic

The Spotify and YouTube platforms already have more than nine million views of the first eight semi-finalists 

The first semi-final of the Benidorm Fest held last night was once again an undeniable success in terms of its dissemination and impact in the media and on social networks. This is demonstrated by the data known today, according to which the share achieved by RTVE during the transmission of the event reached 10.8%. Furthermore, on the social network

The hashtags #benidormfestsemi1, #benidormfest2024 and #benidormfest reached first place among national and international trends and this first gala was followed in 29 countries. In fact, 122,378 mentions were recorded between 10:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. and 150,991 during the broadcast time of the semi-final gala.

A potential reach that, according to the social network, is 515 million people. Spain, logically, was the country in which the event was followed the most, with 63.46% of the 'posts', ahead of Argentina (16.78%), Colombia (5.44%) or the United States. United (1.70%). By age groups, the most active in the beginning and as also happens with Eurovision.” Also noteworthy is the fact that the event's social followers were 60.1% men and 39.9% women.

Regarding the television impact, the first Benidorm Fest gala on RTVE garnered a 'share' of 10.8%, which meant 0.8 points more than in 2023. The average number of viewers stood at 1,005,000, which represents a slight decrease of 3.7%.

However, the public channel has indicated that more than 3.3 million viewers followed the musical event at some point during its broadcast, a figure also higher than last year by 3.3%.

Other data that explains the good reception of the Benidorm Fest is the number of views on the Spotify and YouTube platforms. Between them, they total more than nine million from the eight artists who participated in the first gala yesterday. Spotify reported 6,145,742 plays this morning. Nebulossa obtains the best figure with 1.6 million, followed by Mantra (1.1 million) and Lérica (773,000). On YouTube, with 2,951,000 views, first place also goes to the song 'Zorra' by Nebulossa, with 1.4 million. Further behind are Sofía Coll (534,000) and Mantra (350,000). By the way, the performances from yesterday's gala have already been reproduced more than 189,000 times on this platform.

On the other hand, RTVE has released the telephone voting data for this first semi-final. María Eizaguirre has detailed that 12,275 votes were received between SMS and calls, of which the Mantra group – which obtained first position in this vote – achieved 7,020, which represents 57.18% of the total.
 

Everything ready at the Palau d'Esports to host the galas of the third edition of the Benidorm Fest

The mayor visits the facilities together with the Minister of Tourism and a large group of journalists and communicators specialised in Eurovision

Everything is ready at the Palau d'Esports l'Illa in Benidorm to kick off the third edition of the Benidorm Fest, the competition organised by the city council, the Generalitat Valenciana and Spanish Radio Television to select the artist who will represent Spain in Eurovision. The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, visited this the final assembly work on the stage where today, Tuesday, and next Thursday the two semi-finals will be held, before giving way to the grand final that will take place on Saturday, 3 February. 

Along with the first mayor, the Minister of Tourism of the Generalitat, Nuria Montes, and the Councilor for Festivals and Events, Jesús Carrobles, were also on this visit, as well as about fifty journalists and communicators specialised in Eurovision, who were the first to know what the set of the contest will be like and some glimpses of how the galas will take place from the mouth of the director of Studies and Technical Media of RTVE, José Luis Muñiz, and the director of Communication and Participation of RTVE, María Eizaguirre. 

The mayor of Benidorm has shown himself “very excited about all the positive things that the celebration of this third edition of the Benidorm Fest promises, which will be its absolute consolidation”, and has recalled the data from the study prepared by the Pedro Chair of Tourism Studies Zaragoza from the University of Alicante, who estimate the direct economic impact of this event on the city at 1.5 million euros, to which is added a media impact close to 80 million euros.

"It is a festival of incalculable value, which will not only fill the city with 'Eurofans' and music lovers during this week, but also follows in the wake of what was once the Song Festival of Benidorm and represents the great musical event of our country and many others around us at the start of the year,” added Toni Pérez. 

As for the installation itself deployed on the central court of the Palau d'Esports, it has been transformed into a futuristic television set, oval in shape and with an area of ​​581 square meters, which is made up of two parts. fundamental: the circular central area, which includes a large circular screen on the floor, and two side tunnels that connect to the back of the stage. In addition, it will have an impressive high-resolution LED screen in the center, also oval in shape. 

At the other end of the venue, right in front of the Benidorm Fest stage, there will be the surface that will house the 'Green Room' – the area where the artists rest after performing their show – and the jury table, all with an extension of 475 m². Finally, there will also be a space for the public who will be able to follow the galas 'in situ', on the one hand, from the dance floor itself, which will be located between the stage and the 'Green Room' area; while the rest of the audience will occupy the stands located on the sides. The public area will have an approximate area of ​​680 m². 

The first of the semifinals will begin tomorrow, at 10:30 p.m., and will be broadcast live on Spanish Television. In this order, Lérica will participate with their song 'Astronauta'; Noan, with 'I miss you'; Sofía Coll and hers 'Here to stay'; Mantra, with Me you will see'; Miss Caffeina and her theme 'Blah, blah, blah'; Quique Niza with 'Prisionero'; Angy Fernández with the song 'I know who I am'; and, finally, Nebulossa with the song 'Zorra'. 

The second semi-final, which will take place on this same stage and at the same time, will take place on Thursday, February 1, and will bring together the other eight participants: María Peláe and 'Remitente'; Dellacruz with 'Kiss in the morning'; Marlena and 'Summer Love'; St. Pedro with the theme 'Two strangers'; Jorge González and his 'Caliente'; Yoly Saa and the song 'I don't forget'; Roger Padrós with 'El temps'; and, finally, Almácor with 'Brillos platino'. 

In the grand finale, which will take place starting at 10 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, the eight classified in the two previous galas will perform, from which the artist will emerge who will represent Spain in the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held from May 14 to 18, 2024 at the Malmö Arena in the city of Malmö, Sweden.

17 sporting events, 5 cultural cycles and 6 major music festivals make Benidorm the destination with the best 'plan B'

• During 2024, the city will bring together more than 15,000 athletes with national and international events as consolidated as the Costa Blanca Cup or the Benidorm Half
• Theatre, classical music, dance and cinema star in the cultural program to which are added macro-festivals for lovers of indie, Latin rhythms or 'remember'.
• The third edition of the Benidorm Fest next week turns the city into a 'temple' for 'eurofans'

A destination for all audiences, with offers for people of any age and hobbies and to enjoy 365 days a year. The Benidorm City Council has presented in this edition of the International Tourism Fair that is being held these days in Madrid, Fitur, its offer of large sporting, cultural and musical events that will take place during 2024 and that will make it the destination tourism with the best 'plans B' in the entire national panorama. Seventeen sporting events, five major cultural cycles and six music festivals, which start next week with the third edition of the Benidorm Fest, are part of this enormous complementary offer to the sun and beach tourism model that has made Benidorm internationally famous. along with gastronomy, nature or its status as the first certified smart tourist destination in the world. 

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, has stated that the commitment to major sports competitions is one of the strategies that the city "has been betting on for several years and that are giving better results", both as focuses of tourist attraction and promotion. and national and international projection for the city. “We have a very recent example of what it has meant for us to host for the second consecutive year a stage of the Cyclocross World Cup that has not only brought to Benidorm the best athletes of this modality but also nearly 20,000 fans who have been able to know and enjoy our offer,” said the first mayor.

In addition to this competition, which brought together some 600 participants, the calendar of major sporting events that will be held during 2024 also includes such established events as the Costa Blanca Cup, in which some 5,000 players and nearly 300 grassroots soccer teams that will come from more than twenty countries; or the Benidorm Half that will take place on November 23, which includes the 10K and 21K events and in which more than 5,000 runners will participate, of which 1,800 come from the United Kingdom alone. And, once again, another of the events that will mobilize the largest audience in the city will once again be the European Electronic Darts Championship, which will take place from June 3 to 17 and in which a participation of more than 1,500 'darts' is planned. along with their families and companions. 

The Spanish Championship of regional futsal teams; the ITF Taekwondo Costablanca Cup; the Jugones Cup for grassroots football; the Easter Basket Campus; the 18th Vertical Climb to the Bali Hotel; the Double Love Solidarity Cross; the Marina Baixa Cup for grassroots football; the Jugones Weekend of grassroots football; the Costablanca Cup of futsal; the Heartbreak/Club Finisher Swim Trip; the L'Illa Swim Crossing; or the Aspanion 10k Race complete the main events confirmed to date and that, in sum, will bring together nearly 15,000 athletes and their companions to our destination throughout the year. 

Culture within everyone's reach

Toni Pérez has detailed that, apart from the sporting field, also during 2014 'plans B' will have great weight in the cultural field. Not in vain, throughout the year there will be highly renowned cycles or festivals that will bring great national and international figures to Benidorm in fields such as music, theater, dance or cinema, as well as other events. of less impact but that “are also interesting and can be very attractive within the complementary offer segment”, as Toni Pérez has highlighted. And, with the added value that, in addition, most activities are carried out free of charge, thus bringing high culture closer to people and making it available to everyone. 

As far as the cultural offer is concerned, the XXXV edition of the City of Benidorm International Music Course and the XXV edition of the Music Competition that takes place within this course, this time in the piano category, stand out. It will take place from June 30 to July 5, with the participation of great music masters and the attendance of more than 150 students of different nationalities, offering daily and free concerts for the general public as part of the parallel activities. 

Without abandoning this field, this Friday the XII City of Benidorm International Organ Festival begins, which in recent years has turned the city into a world reference by bringing together the main figures of this instrument, with free concerts open to everyone. the public. Among the organists who will meet throughout this year are Gabriele Giacomelli; Daniel Oyarzabal; Miguel Bernal Ripoll with the soprano Julia Ruiz; Walter D'Arcangelo and the oboe Gonzalo Devesa; students of the organ specialty of the Alicante Professional Conservatory; Cristina García Banega; Ugo Spanu with the trumpeters Saúl Rubio and Javier Alcara; Fabio Macera and Benantzi Bilbao with the Choir of the University of Alicante. 

Finally, all this musical programming is also completed with the Cycle of Great Recitals, with concerts by great performers linked to the Valencian Community and with international projection. 

In the field of dance, Benidorm will once again host the Les Ones Festival from June 26 to 29, which in its fourth edition once again schedules dance shows by professional companies in the streets and squares of the city, such as the Castell or the plaza of His Majesty the Kings of Spain, and whose programming also includes workshops and classes at the Dance Conservatory. All of this makes Les Ones a unique event in our region, by bringing together both facets in the same event: cultural and educational. 

For the second consecutive year, the Benidorm Cultural Centre will host a new edition of the Amateur Theater Show, in which professional and amateur theater companies will participate and which will take place during the month of May. This offer will also be completed with the Children's and Family Theater Series, in which different plays will be programmed from January to December, both at the Town Hall and at the Cultural Centre. 

Finally, Benidorm will also roll out its particular red carpet, in this case as the setting for an event dedicated to the 'little brother' of the seventh art: the Skyline Film Festival, which this year celebrates its eighth edition from April 13 to 20, already consolidated as a reference within the short film production sector in our country. 

Music Capital

As far as large music festivals are concerned, the first and most popular due to its enormous national and international impact takes place in just a few days: the Benidorm Fest, the competition organized by the Benidorm City Council, the Generalitat Valenciana and Radio Televisión Española and from which the representative of Spain in Eurovision will be elected. In just three editions, the event has captured the attention of the main media in our country and outside our borders. Furthermore, it has generated a lot of interest among the public, to the point that RTVE sold in just a few minutes the tickets to follow live both the two semi-finals - which are held on January 30 and February 1 - and its final gala, which It will be on February 3, so in 2024 it predicts “a new success with the public and impact for our city,” Toni Pérez has anticipated. 

Along with the Benjdorm Fest, throughout 2024 the city will also be the scene of other large concerts or festivals, such as the Tribute to the Route, which will take place on June 8; the Reggaeton Beach Festival, which will be held on July 6 and 7 at the Ciudad Deportiva Guillermo Amor; the Low Festival, which will have this same stage from July 26 to 28; and the Iberia Festival, scheduled for October 11 and 12 at the Julio Iglesias Auditorium in Parque de l'Aigüera. 

Benidorm closes 2023 with an increase in tourists from all international markets

• The city received 2.7 million travelers, almost 4% more than in 2019
   
• Benidorm closes 2023 with an increase in tourists from all international markets
• Campsites, apartments and holiday homes exceed pre-pandemic values ​​and hotels achieve very similar percentages
• The overall satisfaction level of the destination grows to 78.9% and the staff employed in the accommodation sector also registers positive values
• ​​Reservations for all of 2024 exceed already to those of last year at this same time

Benidorm closed the year 2023 with an increase in the number of tourists in all international markets. This is clear from the annual report of Visit Benidorm that was released coinciding with the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) that is being held these days in Madrid and that the mayor, Toni Pérez, analyzed. Specifically, the city received 2,766,366 travelers last year, 3.8% more than in 2019, "the year before the pandemic in which Benidorm, like many other tourist destinations, signed a practically historic record." 

According to the figures provided by the mayor, “Benidorm received 5.2% more tourists from the United Kingdom last year than in 2019. And all this, despite the fact that in 2023 there were 7% fewer seats on air connections between the United Kingdom and the Alicante-Elche airport, which, on the other hand, is currently the first for British customers in Spain.” Toni Pérez has indicated that last year 832,115 British citizens chose Benidorm as a holiday destination, 41,239 more than in 2019.

The rest of the international markets have registered increases ranging from 3.2% in Belgium to 88.4% in Italy, with the increase in travelers from Portugal, the third largest source market, also being very representative, reaching 67. 7% growth. The mayor specified that "although obviously, in absolute terms of travelers, these markets are far from the figures for the United Kingdom, as a whole they represent a very representative number of visitors: 242,348."  

These growth figures, Pérez stated, “are the result of the intense and constant work carried out by Visit Benidorm in these sending markets to position the destination.” 

With regard to the national market, the year 2023 has ended with a slight decrease in the number of travelers, 1.7% less, "mainly due to the delay in the implementation of the Imserso program, a circumstance that makes few dates have already been noted by the Hosbec hotel association and we hope it will not be repeated in 2024.”

Toni Pérez explained that “despite this general increase in the number of international travelers, Benidorm does not escape the trend that is being observed in the vast majority of destinations: a certain decrease in the duration of tourists' holidays which, obviously, “has an impact on the number of overnight stays.” 

Thus, 2023 ended with 15,023,330 overnight stays, 5.9% less than in 2019, due to the fact that the average stay has been reduced in hotels by half a day, by one day in the case of tourist apartments and by two in the campsites. Thus, the average hotel stay was 4.8 days per traveler; while in apartments and tourist homes it was 5.6 days and 21 in campsites.  

In terms of occupancy, last year hotels closed at levels similar to those of 2019, with 80.4%, which represents a decline of 3.8 points. The rest of the accommodation options, for their part, ended 2023 with practically the same results as four years ago, although with slight improvements. Thus, the tourist apartments obtained an average occupancy of 73.4% - 0.3% more -; and campsites and tourist homes 90.5% -both increasing by 0.2% compared to 2019-.

The rest of the indicators evaluated by Visit Benidorm close positively. This is the case of employment, which in the Benidorm hotel plant alone has grown by almost 9% to reach 6,024 workers. The number of employees has also grown in the rest of the accommodation modalities. 

A favourable balance, furthermore, for the REVPAR average, revenue per available hotel room, which was 70.8 euros, 13.3% more. The average rate per room has also experienced an increase, which last year stood at 96 euros, 21.3% more.  

And within the parameters analysed, the mayor has especially highlighted the degree of overall satisfaction with the destination expressed by tourists and which has grown 12 points compared to 2019 to reach 78.9 out of 100. The section in which there has been the most Customer satisfaction has grown with respect to hotels, which has gone from 50.4 points four years ago to 63 in 2023. Satisfaction with the climate has also increased, by 5 points in this case, rising to 89, 9 points; while the feeling of security and the products of the destination have hardly changed. 

Toni Pérez has assured that “all these indicators confirm that the tourism sector continues to generate employment and wealth and reaffirm the strength of the Benidorm destination, which has practically completely recovered from the setback caused by the pandemic, which for months stopped activity. tourism and that closed the hotel plant in our city for the first time.” “Benidorm – he added – was a reference in the management of the health crisis and has also been a reference in the recovery that has followed it.” 

The mayor has advanced that "the first indicators for 2024 are also written positively, since at this time the volume of reserves for the entire year, month by month, is higher than what we had for 2023 on these same dates." Toni Pérez has pointed out that "the starting point leads us towards optimism, but in Benidorm we are very aware of the need to make a sustained effort over time so that the forecasts are confirmed." 

“We have a very powerful tourist destination, with a very important level of loyalty and with an almost inexhaustible offer, since we are a multi-product destination, something that the operators are being able to verify daily and that the public will also do throughout the end. "This week, visit the Benidorm stand at the Madrid International Tourism Fair," he concluded. 

The Benidorm Fest leaves a direct economic impact of 1.5 million in the city, while the media impact exceeds 80

• According to the report, the event “makes it easier” for business activity to “remain high during most periods of the year” and “increases proximity and interest” towards new audiences Abreca reissues the 'Tapa Fest' initiative with 21 establishments 

The study 'Estimation of the economic and media impact of the Benidorm Fest event' has been prepared based on the information collected, prepared and analyzed by professionals linked to the Chair. Among the data used in the study, those related to tourist overnight stays or expenses recorded in Benidorm during the week of the event through card payments. 

These latest data, the mayor specified, "confirm that during the celebration of Benidorm Fest 2023 there was an increase in commercial activity compared to the weeks before and after and also compared to the same period last year."

But, also, “this increase reached all sectors.” Thus, the average growth was 23.49%, with percentages ranging from 9.86% for food to 51.01% for hotels and travel. 

The estimate of the physical economic impact also points out that in terms of occupancy, without counting the technical and artistic staff of the event, the direct demand for the Benidorm Fest in 2023 was around 1,000 people; and that the average expenditure of tourists who traveled and stayed in the city to experience the festival and the parallel activities that were organized was 232 euros per person per day. 

The study also takes into account people who moved to Benidorm but did not spend the night in the city: the so-called excursionists. In their case, the average expense was 68 euros per day per person.

With all these figures in hand, the direct economic impact of the Benidorm Fest in the city was 1,493,214 euros, an amount that according to the study "serves to compensate for the monetary investment made by the local council", which amounts to 250,000 euros. and “also part of the regional financing.”

The mayor has stressed that “the profitability of the event, more than confirmed, certified and justified, does not stop there, since in addition to the direct economic impact, the Benidorm Fest has a brutal media impact, for the event itself and also for the Benidorm destinations. and Comunitat Valenciana”. 

After the compilation and analysis of impacts and presence, the study concludes that “the economic impact generated in the digital ecosystem related to the Benidorm Fest event has been almost 55 million euros”, 54,962,884 euros to be exact. Added to this is that generated by the media - television and press -, which "amounts to more than 25 million euros." In total, 80,590,670 euros.  

Aside from this economic estimate of the media impact, the study ensures that the exposure that the event represents for the city, which lasts until April, “enables Benidorm's business activity to remain high during more periods of the year, increasing the closeness and interest towards new target audiences.”

In this regard, the mayor has specified that "we are talking, therefore, that there is an immediate impact in economic and image terms that lasts well beyond the week that the Fest lasts" and "also and no less important, that the "The impact of the festival can generate a return and opportunity in the future - whether short, medium or long term - by making it easier for the destination to reach new audience profiles." 

Toni Pérez has stressed that "at this point no one can doubt that the Benidorm Fest is a success at all levels: cultural, social, tourist, media... The tandem of Benidorm City Council, Generalitat Valenciana and RTVE has demonstrated and continues to demonstrate that the "The work and enthusiasm with which we have worked on this already consolidated project has a real and tangible impact, which results in the general interest." 

Likewise, he assured that "starting this coming Sunday, when we kick off the entire Benidorm Fest programme, the city will once again show its best face and give a good example of why we are a reference in tourism. in hospitality and in giving happiness.” 

Second edition of Tapa Fest

After the success of the I Benidorm Fest Tapas Contest, in which 18 restaurant establishments prepared tapas at special prices, Abreca (Association of Bars, Restaurants and Cafes), with the support of the Benidorm City Council and the Generalitat Valenciana, promotes starting this Friday its second edition.

The vice president of Abreca, Álex Fratini, has announced that on this occasion there will be 21 establishments that until February 4 will offer customers culinary proposals inspired by the Benidorm Fest and of which today a small preview has been seen during the 'show. cooking' held in Fitur. 

Specifically, in the 'Exiquisit Mediterrani' space of Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, the chef of the Malaspina restaurant, Roberto Atzeni, has shown the tapa that the establishment has prepared for the 'Tapa Fest': 'Take life with salt'.

The Councilor for Festivals and Events, Jesús Carrobles; the director of Communication and Participation of RTVE, María Eizaguirre; and the vice president of Abreca, among others, have attended this 'show cooking'.

The mechanics of the 'Tapa Fest' Contest will be very similar to last year, since it will be the public "with their votes through a QR code" that will decide the winning culinary proposal. Among all the participants, “two tickets will be raffled off to attend the Benidorm Fest final,” on February 3, explained Fratini, who stressed that this year the initiative is growing in the number of establishments. 

In addition to the Malaspina restaurant, the establishments Cervecería l'Abadia, Dni Ibéricos, El Bodegón, El lineage de Castilla, El Mesón, El Puerto, El Esturió, La Braseria Aurrerá, La Cava Aragonesa, La Marina Arrocería, La Tabernita del Sur, La Tapería Aurrerá, Los Peces, Mia Social Club, Molta Pasta, Pinocchio Playa, Pintxos Aurrerá, Taberna Andaluza, Tapería La Mina and Zarzosa. 

Fratini has invited the resident and tourist population to try the establishments' proposals, "all of them very good" and which have a price of 3 euros.    

Benidorm will bring together more than 15,000 fans at the Cyclocross World Cup taking place this weekend

• The best male and female cyclists in the specialty will meet in the test, which will be decisive for the championship

The El Moralet and Foietes parks will host this weekend, for the second consecutive year, the Benidorm-Costa Blanca UCI Cyclocross World Cup, which will bring together around 15,000 fans of this cycling specialty along the entire route to see the first world figures, whose presence has been confirmed days ago.

The city hopes to repeat and even improve the success achieved last year in which fans crowded into both parks to cheer on athletes of all categories. An edition that was a success in participation and organization and that achieved an incalculable economic and promotional impact.

This year, the test will once again have an enviable participation. Thus, in the Men's Elite category, the three greats of the specialty will start, the Dutchman Mathieu van del Poel (winner last year), the Belgian Wout van Aert and the British Tom Pidcock. The same happens in the Women's Elite category with the presence of Fem van Empel (winner in 2023), Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Puck Pieterse. Fans will also have the opportunity to see the performance of cyclists such as Eli Iserbyt, current leader of the World Cup, or the Spanish and local idol Felipe Orts, who has recently been proclaimed Spanish champion of the specialty for the sixth consecutive year. 

Benidorm will be the penultimate race of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup and, therefore, almost definitive for the resolution of the final general classification that is currently headed by Eli Iserbyt. The vilero Felipe Orts, for his part, will try to fight for the positions of honor, like the other Spaniard in contention, Kevin Suárez. In the Women's Elite, the overall ranking is led by the Dutch Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, with 52 points ahead of her compatriot Puck Pieterse.

The test program will begin today, Saturday, at 10 in the morning with an inspection of the course. Then, from 2 to 4 p.m., official training sessions will take place.

Official training will begin on Sunday at 8:30 am. An hour later the youth men's race will take place and at 10:30 the youth women's race will take place. Official training will return at 11:20 before giving way to the men's under 23 race at noon. Again at 1:00 p.m. there will be half an hour for official training and at 1:40 p.m. the Women's Elite category race will start. At the conclusion of the event, the medal ceremony will take place and at 3:10 p.m. the Men's Elite event will begin. The end of the day will be the presentation of medals to the first three finishers in this race before 5 p.m. 

Road Closers

As regards road traffic, the holding of this test will also force some roads and services around the circuit to be closed to traffic. This is the case, for example, of the Mercasa esplanade, which has been cleared of vehicles since Wednesday, January 17, after the market was held. It will be like this until 8 in the morning on Monday, the 22nd.

With respect to road traffic, the Avenida de la Libertad or 9 d'Octubre avenues will remain closed from 8 a.m. this Friday until 8 a.m. on Monday, the 22nd. From the Mobility area they have indicated that this cut It will also affect the northern roundabout due to the assembly of part of the circuit, so it will also collaterally affect the accesses from Nicaragua and Venezuela avenues. 

Also from early today, Ciudad Deportiva street with the intersection of Guadalest street has been closed to traffic. This road will remain without road traffic until the part of the circuit that runs through it is dismantled, which is expected to be done on Sunday afternoon.  

On the other hand, the Guillermo Amor Sports City parking lot has also been cleared of vehicles from 8 a.m. today until the same time on Tuesday, the 23rd. 

Another of the roads that will be affected is Foietes Avenue, where parking will be eliminated to clear it of vehicles. This restriction will affect the parking area closest to the circuit; that is, the one located from the main access to the park and the Goya Street roundabout. The parking ban has been in effect since Friday due to the accumulation of people who are expected to attend to follow the race and, also, to be able to enable an area for the parking of security and emergency vehicles, such as police, health workers, etc. Foietes Avenue will not be closed to traffic, although on both Saturday and Sunday there could be occasional cuts during the competition.

For this reason, the recommendation to the residents of this neighborhood of Foietes-Colonia Madrid is that they access it from Avenida de Beniardá and Calle Alcalá and that they avoid passing through Avenida de Foietes to avoid these restrictions.

Likewise, the City Council has three deterrent parking lots in the vicinity of this area, such as the annex to the TRAM Station, the one at the Fairgrounds and the one on Cuba Street, where vehicles can be parked for free both in the case of residents as well as those who come to watch the championship.

The third edition of the Benidorm Fest begins in search of new audience successes and musical projection

• City Council, Generalitat and RTVE sign the agreement to hold the festival, from which the representative of Spain in Eurovision will be elected
• The mayor highlights the “very first level” of participants and technical team, which allows a return for the city of “incalculable value”

The Plaça del Castell in Benidorm was the stage chosen to officially kick off the third edition of the Benidorm Fest, the event organized by Spanish Radio Television, the Generalitat Valenciana and the Benidorm City Council to choose the artist who will represent to Spain in the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The mayor of the city, Toni Pérez; the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón; and the president of RTVE, Elena Sánchez, have formalized the signing of the three-way agreement with which the three institutions ratify their collaboration in this event, which will hold its two semi-finals on January 30 and February 1 and the grand final, on Saturday, February 3, from the Palau d'Esports l'Illa in Benidorm. Along with them, the Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism of the Generalitat, Nuria Montes, also participated in the event; the regional deputies Manuel Pérez Fenoll and Mario Villar; numerous councilors of the Municipal Corporation, as well as a large representation of Benidorm's civil society. 

Twelve days before what he defined as “a musical show without equal in our country” begins and before a large crowd of media from all over Spain, the first mayor recalled that this event was born in 2022, still with many limitations prevailing due to the pandemic, and has trusted that this edition will end up consolidating the success achieved in the previous two. Pérez has highlighted that a good part of this success is contributed by Benidorm itself: “This city is an important part because of the brand, because of the story, because of our Song Festival, because it is a city where music is another element, where There is music every day of the year", which added to the "interest of Radio Televisión Española in organizing a high-profile event, puts us before an unfathomable horizon." 

In his speech, the mayor of Benidorm highlighted the “combination of talent, capacity, innovation and spectacle” of the Benidorm Fest, a “top-level show that is backed by a huge and impressive RTVE technical team and the support of the Generalitat Valenciana", in an edition in which, in addition, "there are many artists or authors from our land, which also contributes to promoting our brands both on a musical and promotional level." For this reason, he has thanked Elena Sánchez and Carlos Mazón once again for their support so that the city continues to be the scene of an event "for which we have no doubt that there are many editions left." 

Toni Pérez concluded by highlighting the impetus of the Benidorm Fest for music and for the 16 artists selected to participate in its final phase, with the objective set not only for the Bronze Microphone that is awarded as a prize for this contest but also for the Cristal, the prize that will be awarded to the winner of the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, the final of which will be held in Malmö, Sweden, on May 11. 

The event in which this event was officially kicked off was presented by the Director of Communication and Participation of RTVE, María Eizaguirre. Before Toni Pérez, the president of RTVE, Elena Sánchez, took the floor to thank the “trust” of the Generalitat Valenciana and the Benidorm City Council in this Corporation to carry out this event, which she defined as “quite a milestone.” , remembering that the tickets to attend the galas as an audience were sold out in a matter of minutes. Elena Sánchez has also recalled that in 2023 the Eurovision final was the most watched non-news program of the year, something that she has attributed to the “projection” inspired by the Benidorm Fest, an audience that everything indicates will be even larger this year than judging by the “great reception of the participating songs”, which lead all the playlists on the main music platforms. Finally, he raised a toast “to the success of this third edition and to an infinite future of the Benidorm Fest.” 

For his part, the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, has welcomed this new edition of the musical competition to “the cradle of the happiness industry that is Benidorm”. In addition to publicly thanking the previous autonomous Administration for its commitment to launching this project, he has assured that the new Consell "takes the baton with all the enthusiasm and ambition to go further", something that, as he has recognized, would mean winning the Eurovision Song Contest. 

In this presentation, in addition to María Eizaguirre, the singer Ruth Lorenzo also participated, who will lead the Benidorm Fest galas together with the journalists Marc Calderó and Ana Prada. Coinciding with the tenth anniversary of her participation in Eurovision, which takes place this year, Lorenzo has applauded the support that this event provides to the musicians and artists of our country, where she "not only wins whoever wins the contest." In her opinion, this contest and the variety of topics selected in this third edition will be “the best showcase to connect with any type of audience and to give visibility to all types of artists.” 

Assembly and tickets for the previous parties
The assembly of the stages where the Benidorm Fest galas will take place began on January 6 at the Palau d'Esports l'Illa in Benidorm, where around 300 RTVE operators are working to convert this sports space in a futuristic television set, oval in shape and with an area of ​​581 square meters, which is composed of two fundamental parts: the circular central area, which includes a large circular screen on the floor, and two side tunnels that connect with the back of the stage. In addition, it will have an impressive high-resolution LED screen in the center, also oval in shape. 

At the other end of the venue and right in front of the Benidorm Fest stage will be the surface that will house the 'Green Room' – the area where the artists rest after performing their show – and the jury table, all with an extension of 475 m².

Finally, there will also be a space for the public who will be able to follow the galas 'in situ', on the one hand, from the dance floor itself, which will be located between the stage and the 'Green Room' area; while the rest of the audience will occupy the stands located on the sides. The public area will have an approximate area of ​​680 m². 

During the week of Benidorm Fest, between the semi-finals and the final gala, RTVE, the City Council and the Generalitat have organised different activities that will take place throughout the week to attract “Eurofans” and liven up the event. Yesterday, Thursday, RTVE has announced the sale of tickets for the opening party of Benidorm Fest, which will take place on February 28 at the Benidorm Palace. Today, Friday, tickets will also go on sale to attend the 'Euroclub' party that will take place on January 31 at the 'KU' nightclub. Finally, on Friday, February 2, one day before the grand final, there will be a free concert in the Plaza de la Hispanidad, near the Tecnohito, in which Blanca Paloma, Rosa López, Gonzalo Hermida and Sharonne will perform. 

Benidorm encourages EU citizens to register to vote in the European Parliament elections in June

• The deadline to register in the registry and request participation in this process ends next January 30

The Benidorm City Council, through the departments of Citizen Participation and Foreign Residents, has launched a call to residents of the European Union who live in Benidorm and who are not registered to register in the city for the celebration. of the next elections to the European Parliament, which will be held on June 9, 2024. The councilors of both areas, Ana Pellicer and Jaime Jesús Pérez, have recalled that all citizens of EU member countries have the right to participate in these elections who are registered and who have expressed their willingness to exercise the right to vote in Spain, filling out a formal declaration in which they request their inclusion in the electoral roll of each municipality. 

Likewise, both councilors have recalled that the deadline set by the European Union to complete both procedures ends on January 30, which is why they have encouraged all interested parties to go to the Benidorm City Council to register in the registry in the event that they haven't done it yet. 

Regarding the request to be able to exercise the right to vote, the National Institute of Statistics explains that community voters who have been previously registered on the electoral roll will remain registered until they request their exclusion or proceed. to their exclusion for having ceased to meet the requirements for the exercise of the right to active suffrage. In the case of not having previously participated in any appointment with the polls, the process includes the possibility of registering through two ways. On the one hand, at the electronic headquarters of the National Statistics Institute (INE), at the address: Click Here .

To do this, it will be necessary to prove your identity through the Cl@ve system and also that the INE has received your Foreigner Identification Number (NIE) from the Central Registry of Foreigners. On the other hand, there is also the possibility of doing so at the Town Hall of residence, by completing the formal declaration form (DFA model) available in all town halls and which can also be downloaded from the INE Electronic Headquarters, through the same link. 

In the municipal elections of May 2023, the number of European citizens residing in Benidorm who exercised their right to vote amounted to 1,392 people. 

The bay of Benidorm hosts this Sunday the IV Regatta of the SUMA Rowing League

• The participation of 540 athletes from 60 teams from 15 clubs throughout the Valencian Community is expected.

This Sunday, January 21, the start of the IV Regatta of the Banco Fijo SUMA League will take place at the Benidorm Nautical Club, organised by the Rowing Federation of the Valencian Community and the club itself, with the collaboration of the Department of Sports of the Benidorm City Council. The start of the competition will be at nine in the morning.

The forecast points to the participation of 60 teams from 15 clubs throughout the Valencian Community and a total of 540 athletes in modalities ranging from cadets to male and female veterans, in addition to the SCM teams (Overcome Breast Cancer). The Benidorm Nautical Club, which on this occasion rows at home, will participate with four teams: female and male veterans and male and female absolutes, in addition to the Anémona team in the SCM category.

Regarding the weather forecast, a sunny day is expected with winds from the southwest with about eight knots of intensity that, a priori, will lead to a difficult test due to the state of the sea and that the departures of the boats may pose some complications for the referees.

With a large number of fans including athletes and visitors, the planned route will have a length of 5,000 meters for the senior, veteran, youth and SCM teams and 2,000 meters for the cadets. The start will take place near the breakwater so that the beginning of each test can be seen from the port.

From there they will depart to Tío Ximo beach in Rincón de Loix to take the beacons and head back to the port.

The organization has encouraged all fans of the sea and regattas to come to the Nautical Club on Sunday to appreciate the beauty of this tough and exciting sport of rowing.

Street Cleaning begins an extraordinary campaign to remove chewing gum from the streets of Benidorm

• The work, which will be carried out in various areas of the city, will be completed before the celebration of the Fallas

The Street Cleaning Department of the Benidorm City Council has started an extraordinary campaign to remove chewing gum from public roads that will extend to several areas of the city, according to the councilor for the area, Luis Navarro.

This campaign is carried out in collaboration with the environmental section of the FCC concessionaire.

Navarro has highlighted the difficulty of removing these remains of dirt "because they remain stuck to the ground and special machinery must be used to remove them." 

The campaign is carried out first along Mediterranean Avenue, specifically in the pedestrian sections, which are the ones that accumulate the greatest traffic of people and where the greatest amount of chewing gum is found. Subsequently, the campaign will move to Paseo de Poniente and then take place on the avenues of Madrid and Alcoy.

This action is carried out “taking advantage of the fact that we are in the low tourist season, so that the inconvenience is less as there are fewer people on public roads and with the aim of maintaining a good image of cleanliness in the city for when more people arrive. flow of visitors.”

In fact, the extraordinary cleaning tasks on these dates will not be limited only to the removal of gum from the sidewalks, but maintenance work will be carried out on the collection containers and on the elements that may be more damaged such as the pedals, the covers or paint. “What we want is to undertake these tasks now to have them finished before the Fallas, which is when the number of tourists in the city begins to increase significantly,” said Navarro.

For these works, an electric pressure washer vehicle and special products are being used to remove gum from public roads. Likewise, hot water is used by the operator who is in charge of removing and collecting their remains.

Turisme Comunitat Valenciana launches a digital dissemination campaign to support the third edition of the Benidorm Fest

This new campaign is underway until February 3, which includes the dissemination of content in different formats, and the creation of a specific Benidorm Fest 2024 Week website.

The festival's programming and events can be followed on Turisme's social networks with the hashtag #BenidormFest2024

In addition, participating artists from the Valencian Community, as well as their hometowns, will be promoted through this campaign.

Nuria Montes points out that the objective is to “create expectation and encourage people to follow the festival”, consolidated as “one of the great events for the tourism promotion of the Valencian Community”

Turisme Comunitat Valenciana will disseminate through its digital channels the programming and events related to the next edition of the 'Benidorm Fest', the great musical event that the capital of the Costa Blanca will host from January 30 to February 3, and in the that the representative of Spain in Eurovision will be chosen.

In this way, Turisme Comunitat Valenciana has prepared a dissemination campaign in digital media aimed at the regional, national and international market, and which will remain active until the Final Gala, on February 3.

The Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Nuria Montes, who hopes that “possibly this year the best edition of the Benidorm Fest will be held”, reaffirms the consolidation of this event as “one of the great events for the tourism promotion of the Valencian Community”, he assured.

He also highlighted "the essential involvement of the Valencian Government in Benidorm Fest 2024", with a contribution of 1.5 million euros, which will allow "to make this new edition a reality", Montes stressed.

Along these lines, the head of Turisme has stated that with the launch of this digital dissemination campaign to support the third edition of the Benidorm Fest, “we intend to strengthen the Valencian Community as a festival destination” and, especially, “Benidorm as a chosen location for large musical and artistic events,” he added.

In this way, it is intended that with this initiative “expectation will be created and encouraged to follow the festival,” indicated the Minister, who has also reported that participating artists from the Valencian Community will be promoted through this campaign, as well as to their hometowns.

“Given the relevance that the event is expected to achieve – Montes continued, content will be prepared in different formats that will keep the followers of the Valencian Community up to date through its channels and social networks.”

Likewise, the Minister of Tourism has declared that "a specific page has been created that will be completed with all the details and information of the Benidorm Fest Week 2024 , among many other actions."

Other actions of the campaign

This digital campaign promoted by Turisme Comunitat Valenciana also includes updating the news section of the tourist portal www.comunitatvalenciana.com with informative content about the festival, so that anyone interested in attending can find the necessary information.

In addition, a banner has been published that links to the page created ad hoc. For its part, the agenda of the aforementioned portal already has an event with all the necessary information.

Social networks will also echo the festival by publishing, between January 15 and February 3, related information accompanied by the hashtag #BenidormFest2024.

To complete this dissemination strategy, a special thematic newsletter has been prepared with information about the festival and the destination, aimed at the regional, national and international market.

It is worth remembering that Turisme Comunitat Valenciana collaborates with the Spanish Radio and Television Corporation to promote advertising and tourist communication actions of the Valencian Community on RTVE through the organisation and celebration of the 'Benidorm Fest'. In this edition, the amount of the agreement amounts to 1.5 million euros.
 

Benidorm supports the National Police on the 200th anniversary of its foundation

The mayor conveys his congratulations to the commissioner on behalf of the city and appreciates the daily work of the officials of this Corps as guarantors of freedom and security

A space as emblematic as El Castell de Benidorm hosted this afternoon the event commemorating the 200th anniversary of the founding of the National Police, an event organised jointly by the Benidorm City Council and the local Police Station to highlight the history of this Corps. and the work that its officials carry out daily as guarantors of security and freedoms in our country. 

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, accompanied by the mayor of Citizen Security, Jesús Carrobles, and numerous members of the Municipal Corporation, presided over the event together with the local commissioner, Ceferino Serrano Torres. The General Director of Housing of the Generalitat Valenciana, Sebastián Fernández, has also accompanied the National Police in this celebration, along with a large representation of civil society, including the senior judge of Benidorm, Joan Francesc Vives; the chief mayor of the Benidorm Local Police, Luis Arévalo; and other members and commanders of the National Police, Civil Guard and Civil Protection; as well as representatives of business and social associations, or other municipalities in the region, among whom were the mayors of La Vila Joiosa and Callosa d'en Sarrià, Marcos Zaragoza and Andrés Molina; or the councilor of Citizen Security of Finestrat, Beatriz Quintillán. 

The mayor and commissioner were in charge of starting this commemoration by reviewing the police formation, after which they received the flag of Spain and presided over its raising with solemnity and under the strains of the Spanish anthem. Next, it was the turn of the head of the local Police Station, who before giving his institutional speech wanted to publicly express his gratitude to the mayor, Toni Pérez, for the constant collaboration between the City Council and the National Police.

Ceferino Serrano also wanted to thank the municipal support in organizing this event with El Castell as the stage; as well as the congratulation, recognition and public gratitude made this Saturday by the first mayor, through a column in the newspaper with the largest provincial circulation, given his impossibility of doing so in person during the 200th anniversary ceremony by order of the Ministry of the Interior. 

In it, the mayor of Benidorm conveys the city's "admiration, affection, appreciation, recognition and respect" for "the men and women who make up" the National Police, a city that feels "proud of its services." Likewise, Toni Pérez once again insisted at the end of the event on the “special role” of this Corps in a city like Benidorm and for its “attention to residents and tourists, reinforcing the security environment that the city enjoys.”

The first mayor did not want to overlook that "there have been more than 60 years of fruitful relationship since the first temporary Police Detachment arrived in Benidorm in May 1963 for a summer operation" and that he has stated that today, almost 50 years after the construction of the local Police Station on Apolo professional dignity of those who serve in it and the reality of the 21st century.”

A tribute to the national police officers who died in service during all this time and the interpretation of the anthem of this Police Force brought the celebration to an end. 

The cleaning work on the beaches of Benidorm results in a balance of 540 tons of waste collected in 2023

• The city is one of the few in Spain that maintains cleaning or lifeguard services twelve months of the year, with a high number of users even in the low season.
• Almost thirty workers carry out these tasks, with the support of numerous machinery.

Last year, Benidorm City Council, through the concessionaire company for comprehensive beach management, RA Benidorm, collected just over 540 tons of waste from the city's sandy beaches and also from the strip of sea closest to the coast. This is reflected in a statistic released this Thursday by the Councilor for Beaches, Mónica Gómez, who has indicated that these data support “the importance for this City Council of caring for our beaches and the daily work we do to keep them in perfect condition.” 

The councilor recalled that Benidorm “is one of the few cities in Spain that keeps all beach services active, such as cleaning or rescue and lifeguard services, twelve months a year. "We never close for the season here," said Mónica Gómez, who also highlighted that "it couldn't be any other way, if we take into account that even in the low season months the volume of users is very high." 

Thus, the number of workers in charge of cleaning beaches amounts to 28 workers and different machinery, including four screeners and different tractors and other vehicles for different tasks. The councilor has clarified that during the low season the number of workers reaches 13 workers, four drivers, a mechanic, a foreman and a manager, who carry out manual cleaning of the beaches in the morning, from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; and with machinery at night, between 10:30 p.m. and 4:50 a.m.

Regarding the balance of cleaning during 2023, the municipal manager of Playas has explained that the total amount of waste collected amounts to 544,500 kilograms, with manual collection of municipal solid waste being the one with the highest percentage of waste, with a total of 360,750 kilograms. collected in the sandy areas of Levante,

Poniente, Mal Pas and the coves between January and December. This section is one of those that best reflects the intensive use of the beaches during the twelve months of the year in Benidorm since, although during the summer season the figures obviously multiply, "the balance also shows that in the months of lower occupancy "Like January or February, the volume of waste generated is also very high and we continue cleaning both day and night with the same intensity," explained Mónica Gómez. 

Specifically, during the month of January 2023, manual waste collection of urban solid waste reached 11,600 kilograms; in February, 9,060 kg.; In March the quantity increased to 15,220 kg; in April, to 24,300 kg., a figure that was very similar in May, with 24,860 kg. In June there is a new increase until reaching 37,040 kilograms, while in July, August and September the figures shoot up to 67,450, 82,580 and 38,500 kilos, respectively. The last quarter of the year, the figures decreased again, with 25,480 kg. in October, 12,240 in November and, finally, 12,420 kilos in December. 

Another form of waste collection on beaches is carried out by means of screening machines, a system that also works 365 days a year and that throughout 2023 managed to remove 168,360 kilograms of garbage, with quantities which ranged between 5,480 kilos – the month of lowest volume – and 28,100 in the month of greatest activity, which was again August.

The Councilor for Beaches has pointed out that, along with the manual and mechanical work that is carried out on the sand, in the high season months the cleaning of beaches is also reinforced by the sea, by means of a pelican boat to prevent plastics and other type of waste from the sea ends up reaching the coast. This boat, which operates during the months of June, July and August, collected a total of 110 kilograms of garbage: 30, 30 and 50, respectively. 

Another notable data is related to the selective collection of waste deposited in specific bins for packaging and for paper and cardboard, of which 2,280 kilograms were removed, mostly concentrated during the months of April, May, June, July and August. .

Mónica Gómez has pointed out that, in addition to everything mentioned above, other actions are also carried out, such as treatments related to the presence of posidonia remains on the shore. In this sense, the mayor of Playas recalled that in Benidorm the remains of this marine plant that wash up on the shore are not collected, precisely, “because they are the best natural protection barrier of our coastline and a sign of good health. of the water and the seabed. 

Finally, the councilor stated that the data on total waste collection should lead us to “reflect and be aware of the enormous amount of waste we generate”, after which she called for awareness of citizens so that “we also take care of our coastline and try to reduce” the amount of waste that is deposited daily both in the sea and on sandy beaches. 

The Local Police arrest two suspects in almost fifty car robberies in Rincón de Loix

Officers of the Benidorm Local Police have arrested two men as alleged perpetrators of thefts in nearly fifty vehicles committed in recent weeks in the Rincón de Loix area. These are two men, aged 20 and 22, who were located by the agents during a special surveillance operation deployed by the Department of Citizen Security in this neighbourhood, after learning of these criminal actions that had the neighbors worried. 

The arrest of these individuals occurred in the early hours of Saturday to Sunday, during one of the surveillance rounds that the police who participated in this special device carried out in the area. While traveling along one of the streets, the patrol observed that there was a vehicle with its lights on but with no one inside. After approaching it, they observed marks on the windows and other signs that the car had been broken into, so they requested the collaboration of neighbours in case anyone had seen anything suspicious. 

One of the residents provided them with a description of two people he had seen hanging around the area and, with this information, the local police officers finally managed to locate the two accused. At the time of their arrest, both were carrying with them numerous objects that had allegedly been stolen hours before, such as several mobile phones, headphones, cash, several sets of keys to vehicles and private homes, a high-end jacket, a watch, lighters, a flashlight, as well as other elements to carry out the robberies, such as tools and gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints. 

After conducting the pertinent proceedings, the two arrested have already been placed at the disposal of the Benidorm duty court. 

Work begins to transform the Palau d'Esports into the stage for the Benidorm Fest

From a sports field to a television set to host one of the most powerful musical events of the year. Since last Saturday, the Palau d'Esports l'Illa de Benidorm has been hosting the assembly work on all the necessary infrastructure for the celebration of the third edition of the Benidorm Fest, the competition organized by Spanish Radio Television, the Generalitat Valenciana and the City Council of Benidorm to elect the Spanish representative of Eurovision, and which will be held in the city in the week of January 29 to February 4. 

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, visited the sports venue this Monday to check 'in situ' the progress of these works, accompanied by the councilors of Festivals and Events, Jesús Carrobles, and of Sports, Javier Jordá. There, the municipal delegation has known the deadlines that are managed for the transformation of this infrastructure, work that will last for about twenty more days and in which about 150 RTVE operators will work, which will increase to 300 from next week. 

Among the actions that will be carried out in the Palau, the protective floor and some 3,600 square meters of elastic technical floor have already been installed to facilitate the passage of different machinery without causing damage. In addition, lights, stands, stages and other elements will also be enabled to adapt the venue and provide it with all the technical needs of a television set. 

The assembly will last until January 28. Days before that date, the technical tests will begin and, finally, starting on the 26th, rehearsals will begin with the 16 finalists and with the presenters selected by Spanish Television to host the galas for this edition. 

After his visit to the Palau, the first mayor highlighted that in just three editions the Benidorm Fest “has become a benchmark” and that “it has come to revolutionize the musical panorama of our country, capturing the interest of a large audience and also reaping dozens of awards and recognitions”, such as a Special Mention in the prestigious Ondas Awards; two awards from the FestVal de Vitoria; or three Iris awards from the Television Academy, among many others. 

Likewise, Toni Pérez recalled that the Benidorm Fest will hold its two semi-finals on January 30 and February 1, while the grand final gala will be on February 3. This program will be completed with a 'Euroclub' party, which will take place on January 31 at the 'Ku' nightclub, and a free concert scheduled for February 2 in the Plaza de la Hispanidad, as well as a new edition of 'Tapa Fest' in local hospitality establishments. 

The public who cannot watch the competition from the Palau d'Esports but want to experience the competition in Benidorm will also be able to follow the galas live from the screens that will be installed at the Tecnohito. 
In addition to winning the Bronze Microphone, the winner of the Benidorm Fest will have the honor of representing Spain in the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held from May 14 to 18, 2024 at the city's Malmö Arena. from Malmö, Sweden.
 

An off-duty local police officer saves a choking child during the Three Kings Parade

An off-duty Benidorm Local Police officer yesterday saved a minor who was choking during the celebration of the Three Kings Parade. The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. on Ruzafa Street, near Rioja Passage, when apparently the minor, about 2 years old, choked on a sweet. 

As explained by the Local Police, after detecting a crowd of people, the officer approached the area and noticed the presence of a minor "in a cyanotic state" from whom one of his parents was unsuccessfully trying to extract an object from throat. 

Given the situation, the agent took the minor and applied the corresponding maneuver, allowing the child to expel the object, a sweet. 

After the action of the Local Police officer, and with the minor now out of danger, the parents took the child to a health centre. Police sources have indicated that it is a family that was spending a few days on vacation in the city.

Thousands of boys and girls eagerly welcome the Three Wise Men in Benidorm

• More than 800 people participated in the great Parade of Their Majesties of the East.
• Once again this year, Their Majesties the Three Wise Men have arrived in Benidorm, at 6:00 p.m. at Elche Park, from where the great Parade led by Melchior, Gaspar and Baltasar, along with their pages and emissaries, departed.

The royal procession passed through Los Almendros Avenue, Marte, Venus, Ruzafa and Herrerías streets, Christmas Square (Plaza de Sus Majestades los Reyes de España) and ended at the Julio Iglesias auditorium, in the Parque de l'Aigüera, there they have been received by the 4,000 attendees of the meeting, among them thousands of boys and girls who, despite the humidity, have patiently waited for the arrival of the Kings of the East before they began their magical night tour through the city. Also present were the mayor, Toni Pérez; the Councilor for Festivals, Mariló Cebreros; and a large representation of the municipal corporation.

Toni Pérez, welcomed Melchor, Gaspar, Baltasar on behalf of the city and wished them and their emissaries for 2024 a happy stay, the former president of the Penyes Association 'Verge del Sofratge', Ramón Cano; the former soccer player, Antonio López; and the person in charge of the sports schools of the Benidorm Nautical Club, Gabriel Ruiz. 

 “We were waiting for you,” the mayor said. "The most wonderful of stars has brought you here and you have seen the faces of the children of Benidorm full of hope." Toni Pérez asked the Three Wise Men for “Solidarity among peoples, peace in the world, and health and happiness in all hearts” before reminding them that they still had “a lot of work” because they had “a visit to all the homes in Benidorm” left. ”, especially “those who need it most.” The first mayor concluded by wishing you that “your light illuminates a prosperous 2024 that we all hope for.”

More than 800 people and 11 floats have participated in the Three Kings Parade. As is traditional, it has been divided into two parts. In the first, of a playful nature, the protagonists have been characters from movies and television series. In the second, the story 'The story of the Three Wise Men of the East' has been recreated.

The Christmas Star, a role played by the Benidorm stylist, actress, designer, presenter and journalist Cristina Rodríguez, opened the way for the Three Wise Men who, as a novelty, this year have completely renewed their wardrobe. A tour in which the Colla de Xirimiters de la Marina, the Bandeta Tropical and the three local musical societies have provided the musical note: Unión Musical de Benidorm, SM l'Illa de Benidorm and SM 'La Nova', performing the symphonic suite 'The Three Wise Men', by Francisco José Rovira Peretó.

La Cabalgata has staged the six sequences into which the story is divided: 'The Star and the Birth', 'Herod', 'The Shepherds', 'The Arab Souk', 'The Royal Entourage' and, finally, 'The Kings'. Wizards'. The public crowded in the streets of Benidorm has especially applauded the passage of the Orihuela Armed Centuria, the animals, especially the geese, or the living Nativity scene, performed by members of the ACR 'La Barqueta'.

The great Three Kings Parade has ended with a spectacular fireworks display. Next, Melchior, Gaspar and Baltasar gave some presents to the small congregation. Subsequently, as the night progressed, Their Majesties said goodbye to the public to fulfill the mission that Christmas entrusts them each year, to make all the boys and girls of Benidorm happy.

The Three Wise Men also visit the Double Love

Before participating in the parade in their honor in Benidorm, the Three Wise Men have been to the Huerta. At 4:30 p.m. they arrived by train at the Camí de les Coves stop where they were also received by Toni Pérez, Mariló Cebreros and other councilors, including the regional deputy José Ramón González de Zárate.

From there Their Majesties went to the Doble Amor centre where they distributed gifts among its users and, later, they did the same at the Hermitage of Sanç where the children of the neighbourhood were waiting for them.

The Christmas Star will debut costumes in the Three Kings Parade, the work of the Benidorm designer, Marcos Ruiz

The Christmas Star of Benidorm, one of the most iconic and emblematic elements of the city's Three Kings Parade, will debut new costumes today. A dress made by the young Benidorm designer Marcos Ruiz that was presented this morning in the Mayor's office and that today the designer Cristina Rodríguez, a native of Benidorm and internationally recognised, will wear in all its splendor. She will be the person who embodies the star that guided the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem.

Both have expressed their satisfaction for having “such relevant and important roles” in the Parade at the reception they had with the mayor, Toni Pérez, and the Festival Councilor, Mariló Cebreros.

The new costume of the Christmas Star will be one of the main novelties of this Three Kings Parade that will begin today at 6 p.m. in the Elche Park and will conclude in the Julio Iglesias auditorium. In addition to the traditional floats with associations, local entities and children's floats, the Parade will be led by the Star, who will be followed by the royal entourage of Their Majesties Melchior, Gaspar and Baltasar. 

At the entrance to the auditorium there will be the Christmas Star herself who, through a large screen, will explain to the children the role of the royal postman, the animals and even the story of King Herod. “The truth is that I am very happy to be here because this is my town and here are my roots,” said Cristina Rodríguez, who reiterated on several occasions during the reception “the pride that comes with representing the Christmas Star in the Parade of my city.”

Rodríguez recalled that “I have been away for many years, but my city and my town is Benidorm” and that is why he stressed that it is “super important to do things in Benidorm because I feel very homesick and I need to be here. It is a privilege and luck.”

The designer has compared “the love I have for my people and the love my people have for me with winning the lottery. And she touched me with this.” “I hope we have a great time,” she concluded.

For his part, the creator of the Christmas Star costume, Marcos Ruiz, said he was “very excited” because “I am very excited that they trust me now that I am starting out in the world of fashion.” The young stylist explained that for the design of the suit “many ideas came to mind, but in the end it has to be something that can be seen from the float, that is striking.” Therefore, for the design, he specified “we thought of rhinestones so that it would shine as much as possible. Furthermore, a hallmark of my brand is tulle and therefore creating an entire layer of tulle was necessary.” That cape will have a length of four meters while the top part, the dress, will also have a train that is one and a half meters long. Finally, Marcos Ruiz has expressed his “enormous joy” at the fact that it is Cristina Rodríguez who plays the Christmas Star “because on a personal level I have a great bond with her.” 

Benidorm finalises the welcome to the Three Wise Men, who will arrive accompanied by more than 800 people

With just a few days until the Three Wise Men of the East arrive in Benidorm, the city is finalising its preparations to welcome them and to accompany them on their journey through the streets of the municipality. A route in the form of a great parade in which on the afternoon of January 5 their Majesties will be accompanied by more than 800 people, according to what the mayor, Toni Pérez, announced in a press conference in which the councilor of Fiestas, Mariló Cebreros, and the emissaries of Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar. 

The mayor has precisely revealed who are the emissaries chosen this year by Their Majesties to prepare their arrival to the city and organise the distribution of toys and gifts to the homes of Benidorm, "without a doubt, one of the most anticipated evenings for the smaller Benidorms.” 

Thus, King Gaspar has appointed as his emissary the former soccer player Antonio López, who "every year organides a Campus in our city that makes hundreds of boys and girls happy and who, therefore, is very used to preparing events that require “an important logistics” like the arrival of the Magi. 

King Melchor, for his part, has placed his trust in Ramón Cano, who until recently has been in charge of the Penyes Association and in whose hands will be the task of “mobilizing those people who give themselves every year to accompany the Three Wise Men on their arrival to Benidorm.”  

Finally, Gabriel Ruiz Calafell, responsible for the sports schools of the Nautical Club where he is “in permanent contact with many boys and girls from Benidorm”, which makes him “very knowledgeable of what our smallest neighbours expect from the visit of Their Majesties” . 

And guiding their path, the Kings of the East “will have, as always, the Christmas Star, which this year comes with a surprise”; surprise that will be revealed next week. The Christmas Star will be in charge of opening a Parade that, as usual, will be divided into two parts: a first playful one, in which the characters from children's movies and series take center stage; and a second, more traditional one, in which the story 'The story of the Three Wise Men of the East' is recreated.

Toni Pérez has announced that their Majesties' entourage includes four dance groups, the Centuria Armada of Orihuela, 11 floats and five musical groups from Benidorm: the Unión Musical, the Societat Musical l'Illa, the Societat Musical La Nova, the Tropical bandeta and the Colla de Xirimiters de la Marina. 

As is tradition, the musical groups will perform the adaptation of the symphonic suite 'Los Reyes Magos', "which was written expressly for our Parade by the Benidorm composer Francisco José Rovira Peretó." A 'suite', the mayor recalled, which is structured in six parts following the layout of the story: 'The Story of the Three Wise Men', such as 'The Star and the Birth', 'Herod', 'The Shepherds', 'The Arab Souk', 'The Royal Entourage' and, finally, 'The Three Wise Men'. 

On the afternoon of January 5, the Parade will depart at 6:00 p.m. from Elche Park and from there it will run along Los Almendros Avenue, Marte, Venus, Ruzafa and Herrerías streets, Plaza de SSMM Reyes de España and Parque de l' Aigüera until reaching the Julio Iglesias auditorium. 

Toni Pérez explained that “the entrance of the Three Wise Men into the auditorium is absolutely apotheosis”, and added that the large capacity of the venue allows “sharing that impressive moment with thousands of people”. As in previous years, Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar will distribute the first gifts among the little ones. A multimedia show, fireworks and a surprise that will be revealed in the auditorium itself will close the welcome that Benidorm is going to give to the Three Wise Men. 

Camp and Royal Postman
The preparations to receive the Magi from the East will be coordinated from the Royal Camp, which is already installed in the gardens of the Plaza SSMM Reyes de España. The Festival Councilor has announced that several mailboxes have been set up in this camp for people who wish to send their letter to Their Majesties; and she recalled that today 2nd January and on the 3 and 4 the Royal Postman will visit the Christmas Square. On those days, between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., the boys and girls will be able to deliver the letter with their wishes to the Royal Postman so that he can send it to the Three Wise Men. 

Benidorm expects 10,000 people at the big New Year's Eve party on Levante beach

The Benidorm City Council and the Abreca association will organise for the seventh consecutive year the great New Year's Eve party to be held on the Paseo de Levante. An event supported by the Departments of Festivals, Commerce and Major Events for which an attendance of around 10,000 people is expected, as stated today by the Councilor for Festivals, Mariló Cebreros.

The party will begin in the afternoon, from 7 p.m., and will last until 1:30 in the morning with performances by three local DJs, as well as national and international entertainment by a professional speaker. A large number of beachfront entertainment venues have joined this year-end macro-party and will distribute grapes and party favors for the crowd that will gather at midnight to welcome 2024 in one of the most beautiful places. emblematic of the city.

Once the chimes have finished, Spanish time, a great pyromusical show will begin that will combine music and fireworks in a synchronized way. As a novelty, at one in the morning the party will connect with British television to broadcast the chimes from Big Ben in London. “It is a deference that we want to have with tourists of that nationality, who in increasing numbers choose our city to say goodbye to the year,” said Cebreros.

Furthermore, in order to offer greater coverage of the chimes and the performances planned that night, six LED screens will be installed; one on the stage and five more on the beach, from which all those who attend the party can follow the chimes.

As in previous editions, and with the aim of disturbing the neighbors as little as possible, the installed speakers will be directed towards the sea.

Benidorm delivers the prizes for the XXX Christmas Window Dressing Contest

The Benidorm Town Hall Assembly Hall hosted the awards ceremony for the XXX Christmas Window Dressing Contest, which was almost full for the occasion and which served to recognize the best window displays in the city in each of the three competition categories. A gala that was chaired by Mayor Toni Pérez, accompanied by the Councilor for Commerce, Javier Jordá, and members of the corporation. Representatives of the Hosbec, Aico and Abreca associations also met at the event.

In total, there have been 43 establishments that registered for the contest in the categories of the commerce and services sector, the hotel and restaurant sector, and the hotel and tourist accommodation sector. After the evaluation carried out by the jury, the results were as follows:  

In the Commerce and Services category, first prize went to Taima Artesanía with 116 points. Second place went to Verdi Baby, with 109 points and third prize went to Di Marco with 108 points.

In the Hospitality and catering sector, the first prize with 105 points was received by La Cava Aragonesa. The second prize went to the establishment My Bakery Benidorm and the third, with 99 points, went to Loca Lolita.

Finally, in the Hotel and Tourist Accommodation category, the Servigroup Calypso hotel won first prize thanks to its 113 points. After him, the Benidorm Plaza hotel won second prize with 106 points and third went to the Servigroup Venus hotel.

At the event, the Aico Associated Commerce Special Award was also presented to the Aquavisión Óptica trade, with 107 points, and the Abreca Associated Hospitality Special Award to the Florentine Tea Room, which achieved 98 points. 

The gala served to highlight local commerce as the backbone of our economy. The Councilor for Commerce, Javier Jordá, dedicated a few words of welcome and thanked the three associations -Hosbec, Aico and Abreca- that have collaborated in the contest, the jury, and also the participating establishments "and those who make the effort every day to raise the blind, with what that entails.” Jordá added that "from the city council, with the campaigns carried out, we have always opted for hospitality and commerce because Benidorm wins with you."

The event was closed by Mayor Toni Pérez who recalled that “with the aim of supporting the city we began to create things like the #BenidormTeEspera, #LuceBenidorm or #BenidormTeDaMás campaigns, which are efforts to inject economy into local businesses.” Pérez also stressed the City Council's commitment "to boost the local economy, knowing that you are not only the ones who serve us, but also the ones who give soul and light to the street." For this reason, he added that "as in Benidorm the destination is the city, we ask the locals to make those who visit us happy." The first mayor ended his speech by recognizing “the special effort you make to make the city look brighter and better at Christmas.”

The CFMP2024 Christmas Afternoon returns to the Christmas Square in Benidorm on Sunday

The Committee of Festivities Major Patronals of Benidorm 2024, CFMP2024, with the support of the Department of Festivities, has organised for this Sunday, December 24, its traditional Christmas Afternoon Party that will begin, in the Plaza de la Navidad, from 11.00 in the morning.

The Councilor for Festivals, Mariló Cebreros, presented the event together with the president of the Commission, Mª Dolores Cano, who was joined by the vice president of the Association of Penyes 'Verge del Sofratge', Juanmari Díaz.

The Comissió's 'Christmas Afternoon' is a “meeting point” and “prelude to Christmas Eve, which gives us the opportunity to meet with friends before families get together for the central Christmas dinner,” said Cebreros, who encouraged all citizens to participate in an event that “year after year brings together more people in the Plaza de la Navidad” (Plaza de SS. MM. los Reyes de España). 

For her part, Mª Dolores Cano has announced that at the Tardebuena party you will be able to "enjoy the Commission's bar" which will offer "always at popular prices" the traditional montaditos, tapas and mixed drinks, to which we must add "the menjars de la terra' because, with the cold these days, who doesn't want a very hot 'putxero amb pilota'” and all this with the best music with “a great session by GusyDJ69, which will put the finishing touch "in honor of a very special afternoon."

Cano has announced that from that day on, the Comissió will put on sale the Children's Lottery shares of numbers 17,056 and 20,661 "at three euros each" which, he recalled, the Comissió has played uninterruptedly since 1981 and "distributes “more prizes than Christmas.”

New Year's Eve with the Comissió and the Penyes Association
Mariló Cebreros added that “I would like everyone to go out on the street that day to share the moment.” A very special way to “collaborate to make the 2024 festivities better” and then announced the collaboration between the CFMP2024 and the Associació de Penyes 'Verge del Sofratge' in the organization of the 'Tardevieja', on the 31st starting , also, from 11:00 in the morning in which “I hope to see you all”, reiterated. 

In this regard, Cano explained that "to say goodbye to the year, there is nothing better than training with the pre-bells at 12:00 noon and the best atmosphere." At that time, there will be bags with 12 jelly beans. “This is how we rehearse the midnight grapes.” It will be the best “prelude to greet the new year”. 

Finally, Juanmari Díaz has valued “the union” of Comissió and Associació de Penyes and has advocated that “everyone enjoy these endearing dates with us” and has taken the opportunity to wish neighbors and visitors, from his organization “a merry Christmas and a prosperous year 2024.”
 

La Falla Benidorm organises a 'PreTardebuena' this Saturday on calle Olivos

This Saturday, December 23, La Falla Benidorm organises a 'PreTardebuena' at a location on calle Olivos. Starting at noon, there will be music, food and drinks at popular prices and a lot of Christmas atmosphere at this party, a prelude to Christmas Eve, which will serve to raise funds for the upcoming Josephine festivities.

The Councilor for Festivals, Mariló Cebreros, and the president of the Falla Benidorm, Vicente Jorro, have invited residents and visitors to participate in this celebration, in which there will also be a tasting of rice and other dishes, and raffles.

The Archive launches a 2024 calendar with photographs of Benidorm taken by a family of British tourists in the 50s and 60s

There are 300 copies available to those who wish to have them in the Archive offices.

For the third consecutive year, the Benidorm Municipal Archive welcomes the new year with a calendar about the city created from its photographic collection. On this occasion, the department headed by councilor Ana Pellicer has chosen photographs from the fund donated by the Dutch businessman and patron Wim Kuipers and that were taken by a family of British tourists in the late 1950s or early 1960s. 

Pellicer has highlighted that "these are unpublished images that contain a story of chance and altruism, whose protagonist is Wim Kuipers himself." Thus, he recalled that for decades Kuipers has been working to recover the historical heritage of Torremolinos and El Ejido. "In his desire to document the tourist history of both municipalities," he detailed, "Wim Kuipers acquired an album containing photographs of a British family's vacation in the Spanish Mediterranean, locating among the pages several sheets of images captured in Benidorm in a period that we date between 1959 and 1962.”

In total, 86 photographs of the city that are now part of the municipal fund and of which 16 have been selected for this 2024 calendar.  

As Pellicer explained, "due to the content of the images, some of a personal nature and others of landscapes and places in Benidorm, we know that this British family was staying at the Rosaleda Hotel and that during their stay they visited the municipal food market that was settled on Martínez Oriola and Costera del Barco streets, who enjoyed bathing on Poniente beach, who walked through Tomás Ortuño and Carreró dels Gats streets and who visited the port and the Castell.”

As in previous years, the City Council has reserved around 300 calendars to make them available to citizens while supplies last. Thus, people interested in obtaining a copy can go in the next few days, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., to the Archive offices, located on the ground floor of the town hall building. 

The councilor has pointed out that “this calendar bears witness to part of our recent history and it also does so with some very well-crafted photographs that return us to a Benidorm of low houses, tarrafas in the sand and dirt streets that were already beginning to give way. examples of the tourist leader he would end up becoming.” 

The mayor of Benidorm accompanies Hosbec at his traditional Christmas meeting

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, participated this Friday in the traditional Christmas meeting organised by the Hospitality Business Association of the Valencian Community, Hosbec. At the meeting, which was held at the Esmeralda hotel in Calp, the first mayor of Benidorm shared a Christmas toast with the president of the hotel association, Fede Fuster; the general secretary of the entity, Mayte García; the board of directors and a large representation of businessmen, as well as the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón; the Minister of Tourism, Nuria Montes; Senator Agustín Almodóbar; and other public positions. 

In his capacity as president of the Provincial Council of Alicante, Toni Pérez applauded during his speech the repeal of the tourist tax, thus responding to “a claim from the entire sector as a whole, because this tax was still an ideological tax and sectarian that penalised regulated accommodation.” For this reason, he has defended that "the elimination of this tax has been excellent news and the fact that it has been a quick and effective process by the Generalitat has offered security and confidence to both the agencies, tour operators and businessmen, as well as to travelers". Once this stage has been overcome, according to Toni Pérez, “now one of our main lines of action must be sustainability, one of the fundamental pillars on which the municipalities of the province are betting, with the support and sustenance of the Provincial Tourism Board.” , as well as “promote public-private collaboration to make cities and small towns friendly and sustainable destinations, both for citizens and tourists.” 

Finally, he congratulated Hosbec for the “constant and exemplary work” that it has been developing for more than 40 years and that has made it “the great representative of this industry of happiness and hospitality that offers so many economic benefits to the province and the entire Valencian Community.” 

The president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, has highlighted the commitment of the tourist industry of the Valencian Community to continue advancing in new goals such as achieving "the AENOR certificate as the first sustainable destination", a milestone that a sector is working towards "very professional, advanced and self-demanding" that goes for "the highest level of world tourism".

Along these lines, he thanked the sector "for never standing still" and not being satisfied with the positive data, but continues to look for new goals because it is an "ambitious" industry. 

Mazón made these statements during the awards ceremony of the Hotel and Tourism Business Association of the Valencian Community (Hosbec) where he was accompanied by the Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism , Nuria Montes, and the president of Hosbec, Fede Fuster.

During his speech, the head of the Council called for the abolition of the tourist tax, one of the main demands of the sector in 2023. In this sense, he highlighted the "ambition" of the tourism industry to take on new challenges and projects to continue to be benchmarks, especially in terms of sustainability, where an important strategic bet is being made that is obtaining great results.

The president has also insisted on working for reasonable conditions of the Imserso, as well as the "reformulation of the good trip" to adapt it to the current moment in order to promote "deseasonalization" and encourage it to "reach more people".

The head of the Valencian executive highlighted the coordination between the various administrations because "we are convinced and committed" to the tourism sector since "we are a land of open doors" that is demonstrating its capacity for sustainability and its sporting or gastronomic cultural bet. Along these lines, he recalled that it is still necessary to do pedagogy with those who are not convinced that this Community will either "be touristic or not".

President Carlos Mazón has also indicated that the Generalitat will continue to offer incentives to the sector through fiscal efforts such as the repeal of the tourist tax, the abolition of inheritance or donation tax, or new fiscal initiatives to to enhance the sustainability of the tourism sector.

The Benidorm Fest presents the 16 songs that are competing to win the Bronze Microphone

The competition will hold its two semi-finals on January 30 and February 1, while the grand final will be on February 3

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, and Councilor for Events, Jesús Carrobles, participated this Thursday in Madrid in the presentation of the 16 songs that will participate in the third edition of the Benidorm Fest to win the Bronze Microphone and be able to represent to Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest. The press conference in which the topics were announced, directed by the director of Participation and Communication of Spanish Radio Television (RTVE), María Eizaguirre, has had the participation of almost all the artists selected for this edition, except for two who are outside Spain due to professional commitments, as well as with the co-directors of the Benidorm Fest, Ana María Bordas and César Vallejo, and it has been broadcast live through RTVE Play. 

The mayor of the city has highlighted that, with the dissemination of the selected songs, "we take another step towards the celebration of a Benidorm Fest that, with only two editions, has come to revolutionize the musical panorama of our country, reaping also many awards and recognitions” and has trusted that this third edition “will serve to consolidate it as one of the great musical events of the year.” Likewise, Toni Pérez has reiterated once again that this contest is “one of the great bets of this government team and our city” and has conveyed his congratulations “to the organization and all the participants” for the level of the compositions. 

The songs that will compete to be the winners of the contest cover a wide variety of musical genres, from urban rhythms to pop, pop-rock, Latin music, melodic or electronic sounds. For this reason, both Pérez and Carrobles have agreed that all of this will allow “we to be able to experience three very varied galas, with many scenographic proposals and with a spectacular level.”

Likewise, the Councilor for Events has also highlighted that, among the cast of artists who will star in the 'Fest' "there is also a lot of diversity: from new artists to others with long careers in the world of music and with fame behind them", which in his opinion “guarantees that the festival will once again generate a lot of interest from the public, as also demonstrated by the speed with which tickets are being sold.” 

The songs and artists selected as finalists for the Benidorm Fest are: Miss Caffeina, with 'Bla, blah, bla'; Yoly Saa, with 'I don't forget'; the singer and composer from Villena Almácor, with 'Brillos platino'; Angy Fernández, with 'I know who I am'; Dellacruz, with the song 'Kiss in the morning'; Jorge González, with 'Caliente'; Lérica, which presents 'Astronauta'; the Mantra trio, of which Carlos Marco from Alicante is a part, with 'Me vas a ver'; María Peláe, with the song 'Remitente'; Marlena, with her 'Summer Love'; the also from Alicante Nebulossa, with 'Zorra'; Noan and her song 'I miss you'; Quique Niza, with 'Prisionero'; Roger Padrós, who presents the song in Valencian 'El temps'; Sofía Coll, singing the English title 'Here to stay'; and finally, st. Pedro, with 'Two strangers'. All of them can be heard now on the Benidorm Fest website and starting at midnight tonight they will also be on the main streaming music platforms. 

The Benidorm Fest will celebrate its two semi-finals on January 30 and February 1, while the grand final gala will be on February 3. Likewise, RTVE has announced today that the programming will be completed with a 'Euroclub' party, which will take place on January 31 at the 'Ku' nightclub, and a free concert scheduled for February 2 in the Plaza de la Hispanidad, as well as a new edition of the 'Tapa Fest' for local hospitality establishments that want to participate. In addition, the public who cannot get a ticket to see the competition from the Palau d'Esports but want to experience the competition here, in Benidorm, will also be able to follow the galas live from the screens that will be installed at the Tecnohito. 

In addition to winning the Bronze Microphone, the winner of the Benidorm Fest will have the honor of representing Spain in the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held from May 14 to 18, 2024 at the city's Malmö Arena. from Malmö, Sweden.

Benidorm hosts a new edition of the San Silvestre 'Christmas Run' on Sunday

Next Sunday, December 17, Benidorm's Paseo de Levante will host a new edition, the 13th, of the San Silvestre 'Christmas Run', which will depart from the intersection of Avenida de Europa and Paseo de Levante at ten in the morning. tomorrow. The five kilometer route will run entirely along the Paseo de Levante so the runners will enjoy the public, sea and sun throughout the race.

Registration can be made through the website grupobrotons.com in various modalities such as running, walking, Nordic walking and children's races.

For those who register online, the organisation will give them a bag with gifts that will be available until the 14th at 11:59 p.m. The organisers also anticipate in-person registration up to 30 minutes before the race.

Participants will be provided with supplies, photographs and massages for a recovery as quickly as possible and a souvenir of their participation. The race aims to combine tourism and sport, combining the traditional Christmas costume contest with an athletic test with different participation formats accessible to everyone. The test will be timed and will have several categories, prizes and trophies for the best.

La Barqueta opens the doors of its traditional nativity scene made up of more than 300 pieces

Coinciding with the Day of the Immaculate Conception, the La Barqueta Cultural and Recreational Association has fulfilled one of its traditions by opening the doors of its traditional nativity scene this Friday, one of the classics of the Christmas holidays in Benidorm and which represents one of the essential events of these dates. The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, has participated in the official inauguration of this nativity scene, together with the mayor of Fiestas, Mariló Cebreros, and other members of the Municipal Corporation, including the regional deputy José Ramón González de Zárate. In this way, they have accompanied and supported the president of this entity, Francisco Llorens Orts, Rosera, and the rest of the members of La Barqueta in the work they do to keep local traditions alive. 

The event was also attended by Angélica Morenilla Such and Daniela Talavera Ventura, queens of the Patronal Major Festivals of 2023, along with their courts of honor and mayorals of the Festival Committee of 2024, headed by its president, María Dolores Cano. The festive representatives, together with the first mayor, have been in charge of turning on the lights of this nativity scene and the first who have been lucky enough to be able to see it. 

The La Barqueta nativity scene has more than 300 pieces, more than twenty of them mechanized, which represent different scenes from the nativity scene tradition, such as the Annunciation to the Virgin; the search for an inn with Joseph and Mary on the back of a donkey; the Nativity scene; the annunciation and adoration of the shepherds; Herod's castle; the different jobs of the time; or the adoration of the Three Wise Men, among others. Likewise, it faithfully reproduces some spaces from antiquity, such as the famous El Tesoro temple in Petra. 

It can be visited at the ACR La Barqueta headquarters, located at number 62 Tomás Ortuño Street, every day of the week from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., until next January 6 . 

Inauguration of the Municipal Nativity Scene
The one at the ACR La Barqueta is one of the four nativity scenes that can be visited during these dates in Benidorm, along with the monumental one installed in the Plaza de la Navidad; that of the Casa de Andalucía, at its headquarters on Mercurio Street; and the Municipal Nativity Scene, made by the Nativity Scene Association of the Marina Baixa. The latter opens this Sunday, at 12 noon, in the lobby of the City Hall. 

Benidorm approves the bases of the fourth consumer bonus campaign #BenidormTeDaMás

The Local Government Board (JGL) of the Benidorm City Council has approved the rules that will govern a new edition, the fourth, of the #BenidormTeDaMás consumption bonus campaign, which will run from December 15 to 31. All people registered on December 1, 2023 and who are over 18 years of age on the 31st of this month will be able to benefit from this campaign, as has been advanced by the mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, who has indicated that with this campaign “we fulfill our commitment to continue supporting families and our business fabric.”

The financial allocation enabled by the City Council for this fourth #BenidormTeDaMás campaign amounts to 2,097,278 euros and will allow 65,847 citizens of Benidorm to benefit from it with five bonuses of ten euros each. Of that amount, the Provincial Council of Alicante contributes 647,278 euros and the City Council, the remaining 1,450,000 euros.

Tomorrow, Friday, December 8, the deadline opens for local establishments that wish to join the campaign, for which they will have until December 29, although their participation in the campaign will be effective at that time. in which the Department of Commerce confirms your license status or pending file. Last year, the number of establishments participating in #BenidormTeDaMás was 678, as reported by the Councilor for Commerce, Javier Jordá.

In the case of citizens who want to obtain their vouchers, the deadline begins on the 15th at 9:00 a.m. both to download the consumer vouchers and to exchange them. In any case, the City Council will make the email benidormtedamas@benidorm.org available to citizens to resolve any questions or incidents that may arise. Likewise, starting on the 15th, public service hours will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the municipal Assembly Hall.

The rules also indicate that even if the beneficiaries have participated in previous consumer bonus campaigns, they must register and register on the website www.bonobenidormtedamas.es . Thus, once inside the website, you will have to access the Consumer Area where the user must register, providing the DNI or NIF and setting a password. Once registration is complete, you can request your vouchers from there or download them in pdf format and print them if you wish.

From the BuyBono mobile application – available in the Play Store and Apple Store – bonuses can also be requested once users have registered on the website. To do this, they must install it on their mobile device and access their Private Area from the Consumers section, entering the ID and password with which they registered on the website. 
Once this step is completed, you will be able to download the consumer vouchers. The application will create the QR code of the vouchers and offer all the information about them, so that during the campaign the beneficiary can consult the vouchers they have redeemed and the establishment or service where they did so.

Furthermore, from the 'app' itself, users will be able to enter their profile and view the list of participating Benidorm establishments in which to redeem the vouchers. This feature is also available on the web.

The Councilor for Commerce has indicated that, as in previous editions, the same dynamic is maintained. That is, beneficiaries will be able to download a maximum of five vouchers of 10 euros each to exchange at participating establishments. The vouchers will be used as a discount on purchases and drinks equal to or greater than 20 euros in the establishments and services participating in the campaign, with the voucher payment not being able to exceed 50% of the purchase, Jordá detailed.

For his part, Mayor Toni Pérez has stressed that with this campaign "we fulfill our commitment to continue supporting families and our business fabric in our city." Pérez has stated that Benidorm "injects a significant amount of its own resources into these consumption bonds, adding them to the subsidy granted by the Provincial Council, because we believe that it is a very beneficial measure for citizens and companies."

“The Christmas bonus has many more positive things than a simple bonus because the business reinforces its turnover for the end of the year, the city gains atmosphere and our neighbors can buy on very important dates,” defended Pérez, who has delved into in which “all people over 18 years of age will be able to benefit from this bonus under equal conditions until December 31.” 

Pérez has indicated that “in view of the good results of the previous editions of #BenidormTeDaMás, we adopt the commitment to continue this consumer voucher initiative, in which our city was a pioneer and which has been replicated, with certain differences, in the majority of towns in the province of Alicante.”

Benidorm officially begins Christmas in a crowded Plaza de SS. MM. Los Reyes de España 

It's officially Christmas has arrived in Benidorm. On Saturday afternoon, Santa Claus arrived at l'Hort de Colón where he will spend, like any other tourist, his Christmas holidays. It was at 6:00 p.m. when l'Hort de Colón opened its doors to the queens of the Festes Majors Patronals, Angélica Morenilla and Daniela Talavera, to their courts of honor and to hundreds of neighbours and visitors who gathered there.

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, the Festival Councilor, Mariló Cebreros, along with other members of the municipal corporation have accompanied the top representatives of our festivals on their tour. The regional deputy, José Ramón González de Zárate, the new president of the Commission, María Dolores Cano, and the president of the Association of Penyes 'Verge del Sofratge', Ramón Cano, did not miss the meeting either.

After the reception at l'Hort de Colón and the relevant photos with Santa Claus, the queens and authorities went to the Plaza de Sus Majestades los Reyes de España where, shortly before 7:00 p.m., the countdown to the inauguration began of the Plaza de la Navidad, the epicenter of the Christmas festivities, which will remain open until January 7. Like other years, hundreds of people gathered and were waiting to enjoy a show of light, fire and color that filled all attendees with excitement, especially the little ones. 

The queens of the Festes Majors, together, have declared the Christmas Square inaugurated together with the mayor Toni Pérez by pressing the protocol button to turn on the Christmas lighting, which has been accompanied by great applause from the attendees and which has ended with the launch of a fireworks display.

The Christmas Plaza has shone in all its splendor with its ice skating rink, its children's attractions and its food stalls, which have been at full capacity to the enthusiasm of the minors and families who have gathered.

The varied and complete BeniNadal program can be consulted online from the Benidorm City Council website, by clicking on the following link:  Click Here

Benidorm hosts the first massive simultaneous flight of drones at European level in an urban environment

Benidorm has hosted the first massive simultaneous flight of drones at national and European level, a demonstration framed in the European project U-ELCOME, in which public and private initiatives come together. 27 drones took part in the flight and it took place in an urban environment.

The demonstration was attended by Mayor Toni Pérez, accompanied by the Councilor for Citizen Security, Jesús Carrobles, and by Israel Quintanilla, professor at the UPV, and Daniel García-Monteavaro, head of the UAS Business Development Department of ENAIRE. Representatives of the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) also attended.

The objective pursued by the European U-ELCOME project is to integrate and validate the first U-Space services on the continent. That is, it organizes and manages the drone airspace so that these aircraft can develop their full potential and applications. “It is about opening the way so that, in a short period of time, they can coexist in safe conditions in the airspace, for example, the transport of goods, emergency assistance, first aid operations and inspection tasks,” said the mayor.

Pérez highlighted that Benidorm "is once again a pioneer in drone technology by hosting this flight, an event that will mark a turning point in airspace management." He has also highlighted the importance of “teamwork”, with the U-ELCOME project being “an example and reflection of a joint and collaborative action in which Benidorm has the best partners”, among which he cited Eurocontrol, Enaire, the UPV “and up to 51 partners from Spain, France and Italy.”

Toni Pérez has highlighted that Benidorm is a “pole of attraction” for millions of people and that now “it is also a pole of attraction for the development of drone technology” because the skyline, telecommunications services, the maritime and mountainous environment, etc. “It makes us the best testing laboratory to test protocols, operations and technologies.”

Since the foundations of the current Local Police Air Unit began in 2016 until now, Benidorm “has not only consolidated the use of this technology as a public service, but has positioned itself in the field of drone technology and in the configuration and management of safe airspaces, which will be decisive for the future development of communications, transportation and assistance in much more sustainable conditions.”

It was at the beginning of 2020 when the urban environment of Belgium Avenue was used for Vodafone 5G flights, which served as a model for the Delorean project flights in 2021 and 2022. And just a week ago also those of the SONORA project. “Today it is the U-ELCOME project that makes the leap from paper to action with this massive simultaneous flight,” the mayor stressed.

Pérez also wanted to thank the twelve municipalities (Finestrat, La Nucía, Altea, La Vila Joiosa, El Campello, Paterna, Gandía, València, Jávea, Denia, Elche and Cullera) that have moved their Local Police to the city for this simultaneous flight, as well as the Air Safety and Protection sections of the National Police of Alicante, Valencia and Murcia, the PEGASO team of the Alicante Civil Guard, the Regional Police, the Valencian Security and Emergency Response Agency, to the Valencia Firefighters and to the civil operators of the UPV and the companies UAV Works, General Drones, Mediterracinema and Blau Comunicaciones.

Finally, the mayor reaffirmed "our commitment to technology and innovation at the service of progress, facilitating the use of our Urban Lab for this project and for any future initiatives proposed in the field of drone technology." "This 'project has the stamp of Benidorm well stamped, not only because it is the scene of this massive flight, but also because the Air Unit of the Local Police and two local companies participate in this operation that constitutes a milestone in the field of drone technology” has ended.

Daniel García-Monteavaro, for his part, stated that the project being tested now “will serve to harmonize Europe” and highlighted that “we are the only country that is carrying out projects on several platforms at the same time.”

Finally, Israel Quintanilla explained the U-ELCOME project and clarified that for drones to fly simultaneously “they must have an approved flight plan.” “That's what the project does, coordinate the drones,” he pointed out. Quintanilla has also emphasized the suitability of Benidorm to carry out these tests "due to its characteristics, since it has everything in its environment."

Today, Wednesday, the deadline to request new municipal aid for SMEs, small business owners and the self-employed opens.articipate in the Benidorm Half, the sports festiva.

Today, Wednesday, the 29th, the deadline opens to request new municipal aid to SMEs, micro-SMEs, self-employed workers and professionals to minimize the economic impact caused by the current energy crisis and increased costs caused by the war in Ukraine. This was reported today by the Councilor for Employment and Local Development, Mónica Gómez, who detailed that "this call is endowed with 647,278 euros, financed 100% by the Provincial Council of Alicante, and provides for a maximum aid per applicant of up to 3,000 euros”. 

Gómez has indicated that "this is an 'extra' economic injection for the productive fabric and entrepreneurs of Benidorm at a time of great uncertainty, not without difficulties and in which prices are clearly and constantly escalating." 

According to the rules of the call, published today in the Official Gazette of the Province, with this aid the expenses paid between July 1, 2022 and June 30 of this year for the rental of the premises or office may be subsidized. , the interest on loans for the acquisition of the business premises, half of the amount paid for electricity, gas and fuel, as well as the self-employed fee. 

As the councilor has explained, applications must be processed electronically through the Electronic Office – https://sede.benidorm.org - before 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 5. 

The Councilor for Employment and Local Development, Mónica Gómez, has stressed that “the support and attention to companies and self-employed workers has been a constant of this government team and will continue to be so”, while thanking the Provincial Council that “its sensitivity to the productive fabric of the province and the circumstances it is going through.” 

At this point, he recalled that "the obligation of public administrations is to promote an environment in which companies and self-employed workers can continue to generate employment, providing the necessary aid to facilitate their activity and for it to translate into jobs." “Employment – ​​he stressed – is the best social policy and that is why we must collaborate in its creation and maintenance.” 

4,800 runners participate in the Benidorm Half, the sports festival

Athletes from all over Spain and many other nationalities, among which the British stand out, with around 1,600 registered, have taken the start at 5:30 p.m. from the Avenida de la Comunidad Valenciana to carry out the two routes ending in the Plaza de Sus. Majesties the Kings of Spain, next to the City Hall.

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, was in charge of launching the starting shot, accompanied by the Councilor for Sports, Javier Jordá, and a good part of the municipal corporation.

After half an hour, the athletes began to arrive at their destination. Some more tired than others, but all in a very good mood. In fact, a good number of athletes have traveled the distance in costume.

The first to reach the finish line in the men's 10K was Antonio Abadía, with 30 minutes and 16 seconds; the second, David Palacio, with 30:20; and the third, Cristhian Zamora. In the female category, Mª Luz Tesuri won with a time of 34:02; in second position, María Fuentes, 34:41; and then Cristina Juan, with 36:04.

Regarding the Half Marathon, Cristian Martínez came in first place with a time of 1 hour, 8 minutes and 52 seconds. In second, David Narborough, with 1:10:51. In third, Diego Bringas, 1:12:08. The women's podium has been taken by Mª José de Toro, 1:18:57; Pilar Rubio, 1:20:14; and, finally, Mª Ángeles Magán, 1:23:32.

The Queens of the Festes Majors Patronals, Angélica Morenilla and Daniela Talavera, together with Toni Pérez and Javier Jordá have been in charge of presenting the awards to the winners in the main categories

Benidorm finalises the technological deployment to begin testing the Low Emissions Zone from January 1

Benidorm City Council is finalising the deployment of technological elements that will allow the implementation tests of the Low Emissions Zone (ZBE) to begin as of next January 1, 2024, a mandatory project for all municipalities of more than 50,000. inhabitants and which aims to “improve urban mobility and the environmental quality of cities.” This was announced this Tuesday by the mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, who appeared publicly alongside the mayor of Mobility, Francis Muñoz, and a technician from this department to explain all the details of the project, which will cover a total area of 74 hectares of the urban area and with which Benidorm is once again a pioneer "developing actions to contribute to improving the lives of our citizens." 

Toni Pérez recalled that the Ministry has not yet ruled on the request for a moratorium promoted by many town councils throughout the country, but has pointed out that "regardless of whether it is granted or not, Benidorm has done its homework and will start from January the tests of the Low Emissions Zone. The mayor has indicated that this testing phase “will last at least until after the summer – perhaps beyond if the moratorium is finally decreed – and that it will serve to test the new technology, to regulate and adapt access, circulation and management protocols. of the ZBE, as well as to introduce possible improvements” that come from the hand of citizens, groups or groups, within a participatory process that will be kept open for this project. And, in addition, he has sent a message of calm, indicating that its application will be “progressive, flexible and will adapt to the needs of residents, tourists and the transport sector.” 

The first mayor recalled that the implementation of the Low Emissions Zone is contemplated in Law 7/2021 on Climate Change and Energy Transition, which includes the obligation for all cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants to apply different actions. aimed at promoting more sustainable urban mobility, coming into force from January 1, 2024.

Likewise, he highlighted that the City Council "has been working for a long time in line with what this law includes." Not in vain, in 2016, five years before its approval, “this City Council already approved its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS) to organize mobility in our municipality under premises that have allowed us to recover spaces for pedestrian, improve accessibility, promote the use of more sustainable means of transport such as bicycles, generate thousands of deterrent parking spaces and facilitate the recharging of electric vehicles.”

The implementation of the PMUS, therefore, led Benidorm to “anticipate what the law now requires of us, outlining a Low Emissions Zone that encompassed part of the first line of Levante and Poniente, part of the urban center, and the accesses to the Tossal de la Cala y la Cruz", as well as "operating access restrictions and pedestrianization measures in the old town and the El Calvari neighborhood", all of this "to reduce the presence of vehicles in these areas and promote traffic pedestrian”, as Toni Pérez has highlighted. 

In parallel to the work that had been previously carried out, Benidorm City Council obtained a subsidy of 3,170,250 euros in February 2022 from the Next Generation funds, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, of which 1,422,000 Euros were allocated “directly and entirely to the implementation of the Low Emissions Zone.” These investments include the work on Armada Española Avenue, the creation of single-platform streets in the Maravall area, or the implementation of new streets with pedestrian preference, while access and circulation controls have been maintained or established in the old town or both promenades.

Finally, the mayor has stated that during the next month the installation of the last necessary infrastructure related to the ZBE will be completed, such as the new license plate reading and recognition cameras, to which devices already installed will be added, such as the environmental sensors that They will allow us to know the evolution and results of the measures; and others that will come into operation in January, such as an 'app' that will allow users to manage access permissions from their mobile phone, know the best itineraries or available parking spaces and receive all the information related to this project. 

Affected surface

The ZBE will cover a total area of ​​74 hectares of the municipal area, divided into three zones: Levante, with 31 hectares, covering the section of Mediterranean Avenue from Europa to Plaza de la Hispanidad, the surrounding streets and the old town; the Central area, which covers 35 hectares, between the avenues of l'Aigüera and Jaime I; and the Poniente area, which corresponds to the 8 hectares that make up the first line from Jaime I to Vicente Llorca Alós. 

Finally, the first mayor clarified that with the implementation of the ZBE “no new restrictions will be introduced” beyond those already in force in the affected areas and that the final objective of this project is “to reduce CO2 emissions, having less noise pollution, that on our streets there is less risk of accidents,....” In short, Pérez added, “to improve the lives of thousands of people, who have already seen a before and after in their neighborhoods in the last five years, and who will continue to see it from now on.”  
 

The 'Fancy Dress Party' fills the streets of Rincón de Loix with colour and costumes with around 40,000 participants

Some 40,000 people gather throughout the yeserday at the 'Fancy Dress Party', most of them costumed British tourists who have taken over the main streets of Rincón de Loix through which they usually move. With colour and a good atmosphere as their flag, attendees gathered at this grandiose and gigantic costume party, the largest in Europe, and which, once again, has flooded this neighbourhood of the city with imagination and humor.

Since the morning, hundreds of tourists dressed in their costumes have been seen distributed throughout the local establishments. But it was at 3 p.m. when the most anticipated moment of the day began; the spectacular parade of floats, accompanied by bands, batucadas, DJs, dance groups, etc.

The mayor, Toni Pérez, went there, who enjoyed the parade together with the Councilor for Events and Citizen Security, Jesús Carrobles, and some members of the corporation.  

Around twenty floats have paraded through Lepanto, Derramador and Gerona streets, raising the applause of attendees along the route. This celebration, which had its origins in the idea of ​​local businessman Manuel Nieto, has already become a reference for British tourists, many of whom book their holidays with this event in mind. The organisers have indicated that this year the attendance figure for 2022 has been reached and perhaps exceeded, the year in which pre-pandemic figures were exceeded.

More than 4,600 peñistas take to the streets of Benidorm last night in the festive 'Entrada de Penyes'

More than 4,600 peñistas will took to the streets of Benidorm tonight to participate, once again, in the now traditional 'Entrada de Penyes', the event with which the revelers anticipate one night the beginning of the city's big days wearing their blouses and other elements, such as wigs, colorful glasses or costumes, which make it one of the most anticipated events of the year. T

The parade, organised by the Associació de Penyes Verge del Sofratge, will departed at 10 p.m. from Ruzafa Street in the direction of Martínez Alejos, where the supporters clubs that are part of the 260 associated clubs will be received by Mayor Toni Pérez and the rest of the councilors of the Municipal Corporation, as well as the queens of the Festes Majors Patronals, Angélica Morenilla Such and Daniela Talavera Ventura; their courts of honor, mayorals and members of the board of directors of the clubs. 

Before that, different events related to the Holidays will took place. At 6 p.m., on Martínez Alejos Avenue, there was the official lighting of the lighting that will decorate the main streets of the city these days, by the queens of 2023, the courts of honor and the local and festive authorities. From there, the delegation will travel to the Porrat installed on the Emilio Ortuño road, where it will visit some stalls selling traditional products, before moving to the Fairgrounds to proceed to the official opening of the amusement fair. 

After this 'aperitif', today, Saturday, the Festes Majors Patronals will officially begin in honor of the Mare de Déu del Sofratge and Sant Jaume. The day will start at 10 in the morning in the Church of San Jaime and Santa Ana, where the patron saint's mass will be celebrated, after which the Church's Doors will Open to sing the Joys to the Virgin. It will be followed by the General Ringing of Bells and the Entrance of Bands, which will travel through the most central streets towards the Plaza de SS MM los Reyes de España. 

The musical groups will begin to arrive at this square from 1 p.m., when they will enter it and, once gathered, they will proceed to the Joint Interpretation of the festive pasodoble 'Fiesta en Benidorm', directed by the composer of the work , the teacher Rafael Doménech Pardo. 

At 5 p.m., on Poniente beach, the Staging of the Finding will take place, declared a Festival of Tourist Interest in the Valencian Community, by the La Barqueta Cultural and Recreational Association. In this event, which has been held uninterruptedly since 1971 - except in 2020 due to the pandemic - the city remembers the events that occurred in March 1740 related to the arrival of the image of the patron saint to the beaches aboard a ship that sailed without crew already adrift and was burned for fear of the plague. The saving of the image of a Virgin and Child from the flames and its transfer to the church, which is also revived after the Finding with the traditional Pilgrimage, are the central event on which the Major Patron Saint Festivals of Benidorm revolve. 

This Pilgrimage will begin at 6:30 p.m., after which thousands of Benidorm residents will offer their flowers to the patron saint. Next, the queens of the Festival will recite a verse and a few words, followed by the Official Proclamation, which this year is given by Magdalena Simarro Cantos. Finally, the president of the 2023 Festival Committee, Vicente Solaz, and Mayor Toni Pérez will speak, who will be in charge of putting the event to a close. 

The Festes Majors Patronals will continue with dozens of activities of all kinds until Wednesday, November 15. The complete program of events can be consulted on the municipal website of the Benidorm City Council, through the following link:

https://benidorm.org/es/ayuntamiento/concejalias/fiestas/fiestas-mayore… ;

Four giant screens will allow more audiences to follow the staging of the discovery live.

The Comissió de Festes Majors Patronals, in collaboration with the Benidorm City Council, will install four giant screens this Saturday that will allow more audiences to follow live the event of the Staging of the Finding of the Virgin of Suffrage, the central axis of the Festes Majors Patronals and has been declared a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest of the Valencian Community. This has been announced by the Councilor for Festivals, Mariló Cebreros, and the president of the 2023 Committee, Vicente Solaz, who have trusted that this measure “will allow for greater dissemination of an event that is carried out every year by the Cultural and Recreativa La Barqueta and that gives meaning to our Festivities.” 

The Staging of the Finding is celebrated on Festival Saturday on the sand of Poniente beach, in front of the Elche Park, at 5 p.m. It represents the historical events related to the arrival of the patron saint of Benidorm, the Virgin of Suffrage, to the municipality in the year 1740 aboard a ship that was sailing without a crew and adrift and that was towed by three Benidorm residents to the beach. . For fear that the ship could contain the plague, it was burned, saving the image of a virgin with a child from the flames. 

The four screens will be installed throughout the entire Elche Park and the live broadcast of the Finding will be broadcast on them, for which five cameras will be used, a camera integrated between the actors and a drone from which they will be captured. aerial images, as explained by Solaz. The festive representative has pointed out that "until now the space available to watch the event was very limited" and has also indicated that, with the new giant screens, the public will be able to follow this broadcast from the vicinity of Elche Park, mainly from the streets. of Mayor José Such Ortega and San Pedro, “where many clubs and festive entities gather to participate in the Offering.”

“All the contribution we can make to praise this act is little,” added Vicente Solaz, who recalled the “relevance” of the Staging of the Finding in our celebrations. 

For her part, the Festival Councilor thanked the Festival Committee for “its involvement in making one of the most valuable and beloved events of our Patron Saint Festivals even bigger.”

Likewise, Cebreros has applauded the “tireless work” that ACR La Barqueta carries out throughout the year” and has shown all the municipal support so that it can continue to be held. 

The X Outlet Fair starts in Benidorm with around twenty shops and high public participation

The plaza de Sus Majestades los Reyes de España,where the Benidorm City Council is located, will host a new edition of the Outlet Fair this Friday, organized by the Independent Association of Merchants of Benidorm and the Region, AICO, in collaboration with the Department of Trade. The mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, participated this afternoon in the official opening of the fair along with the president of AICO, Raúl Parra, and other members of the merchants' group and the Municipal Corporation. 

After taking a tour of all the exhibitors in which around twenty local companies participate, the mayor highlighted the “satisfaction of all the merchants with how these first hours of the fair are going and the high public participation and sales volume. ”. Toni Pérez has encouraged the residents of Benidorm and other parts of the region and the province of Alicante to attend this event, which he has defined as “a benchmark at the regional level for what a trade fair is.” Likewise, the mayor of Benidorm has also trusted that this “satisfaction with the public attendance in the first stages of the fair will be maintained throughout the weekend and will allow us to break a record in sales, attendance and billing.” 

About twenty local establishments participate in the edition, exhibiting their 'stock' spread across about 30 tents until next Sunday. The products cover a wide commercial range: from fashion or footwear to sporting goods, household appliances, textiles or home goods. All of this to “be able to empty our warehouses for the Christmas campaign, so all items for sale will have a minimum discount of 50%,” recalled the president of AICO, Raúl Parra. 

Both today and tomorrow, Saturday, the fair's hours will be extended between 10:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., while on Sunday it will also open from 10:30 a.m. but the closing time will be brought forward to 8 p.m. During this time, in addition to the products at discounted prices, the public will also find children's inflatables and a bar, which will be managed by the Comissió de Festes Majors Patronals. 

Among the main novelties this year, people who make their purchases in any of the establishments at the fair will obtain one hour of free parking in the Municipal Parking of l'Aigüera for the purchases they make, thanks to the collaboration of the Benidorm City Council with this event. 

Benidorm City Council acquires eleven vehicles to renew the Local Police fleet

Benidorm City Council is going to acquire eleven new vehicles to renew part of the Local Police fleet. This has been agreed by the Local Government Board of the Benidorm City Council, which has given the green light to the proposal made by the technicians of the Contracting area for the award of the financial leasing supply contract through the leasing system of said passenger cars, with a duration of four years and whose total amount will reach 641,319.36 euros, as explained by the councilor of the area, Aida García Mayor. 

The contract is divided into three different lots. On the one hand, 'Lot 1' includes the acquisition of four urban SUV tourism vehicles, with police badges, for which a total of four companies opted in the bidding procedure called by the City Council. Of them, the proposal best valued by technicians is the one made by a dealer for a total amount of 231,855.36 euros, with VAT included. 

The second of the lots, called 'Lot 2' involves the acquisition of three urban SUV tourism vehicles without police markings. The technical evaluation carried out on the four aspiring companies has left the best offer as the one valued at 148,104 euros, as detailed in the award proposal. 

Finally, 'Lot 3' includes the acquisition of four other urban SUV tourism vehicles with police badges and an arrest kit. The company that obtained the best score is the one that offered a total price of 261,360 euros for the four years, as explained by the Councilor for Contracting. 

Aída García Mayor has stated that, once the award proposal has been approved and, after verifying that the companies have deposited the final guarantee and have provided all the required documentation, the companies will proceed with the supply of these eleven new vehicles in accordance with the provisions of the list of administrative clauses and technical prescriptions that govern the contract.  

The 'pink tide' of Anémona fills the streets of Benidorm

Around 6,000 people participated last Sunday in a new edition of the Solidarity March organised by the Self-Help Group for Women with Breast and Gynecological Cancer, Anémona Marina Baixa, which covered the distance of about 4.5 kilometers that links Casco Antiguo and the Paseo Marítimo de Poniente and that of Tamarindos, with Benidorm City Hall as the starting point and destination. The mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, has led the march together with the president of Anémona, María Botella; the mayor of Equality, Ángela Zaragozí, as well as other members of the Municipal Corporation; the queens of the Major Patronal Festivals, Angélica Morenilla Such and Daniela Talavera Ventura, along with their courts of honor; and many people who have participated or supported this “pink tide” as it passes through the streets of the city.

The march has begun, to the rhythm of batucada and with a dozen classic motorcycles at the head, at around 10 in the morning in the Plaza de Sus Majestades los Reyes de España, in the direction of Paseo de Tamarindos, at the end of the Paseo Marítimo de Poniente, where a refreshment point has been located. It lasted for more than two hours, when the last of the thousands of people who participated in this initiative returned to this place, "supporting Anémona anonymously, and in solidarity, so that the affected people and their families "face the disease with greater guarantees of success," as the first mayor of Benidorm has highlighted.

Toni Pérez has guaranteed that "the City Council will continue to collaborate with Anémona in the fight against breast cancer, a challenge in which we must work from all areas, starting with public administrations and ending, as we have seen today, with each of the us at an individual level, supporting advances in research and improving the quality of life of those affected.”

At the end of the Solidarity March, the day continued with a 'Zumbathon' and, to regain strength, the public was offered sandwiches, drinks and a rice tasting, so the festive day was extended until after noon, at despite the light rain that fell at some points in the morning and that has not at all dampened the public's spirit of collaboration. With this day of vindication, sport and coexistence, Anémona has put an end to a week full of events to commemorate International Breast Cancer Day.

Nearly 28,000 people have used the accessible beaches, beach libraries and play centres of Benidorm during the high season

The Benidorm City Council has visited more than 500 hospitality establishments in the city as part of the information campaign that began at the end of last September to regularise the situation of these businesses and restore normality in the installation of chairs and tables in the public roads, after the lifting of all the restrictions that were once implemented due to the pandemic.

This was announced this Wednesday by the Councilor for Commerce and Municipal Inspection, Javier Jordá, who highlighted that, in addition to the circular that has been sent to all establishments, municipal inspectors are also visiting them personally to inform them of the obligation. of adaptation of their terraces to the conditions established by Municipal Ordinance number 2 on Uses of Public Use Areas, as well as Fiscal Ordinance number 20 regulating the Rate for Private Use or Special Use of the Local Public Domain.

The mayor explained that this campaign, which has the support of the ABRECA Association of Bars and Restaurants, will last until the end of this year and has invited establishments to regularise their situation in the shortest possible time. Likewise, Jordá has also recalled that next November the deadline begins for bars, restaurants and cafes with chairs on public roads to present the documentation to renew their licenses until 2024, as established by the ordinances themselves.

A little more than 15 days since this campaign began, the information managed by the municipal Commerce area reflects that there is already a high number of hoteliers who have completed all the procedures to return to normality on the terraces. According to Javier Jordá, this figure amounts to nearly 250 premises, of which just over 170 submitted all the procedures even before the City Council reported its decision to reactivate the municipal and fiscal ordinances on this matter, while the rest have submitted the applications in these last two weeks.

This return to normality in the installation of nightstands is going to imply several things. On the one hand, recover the number of furniture authorised in the years prior to the pandemic, without the extensions that were temporarily allowed to help businesses alleviate the losses caused by the restrictions and closure of the hospitality industry due to Covid-19. Likewise, the rest of the conditions established in Ordinance number 2 will also apply, including the spaces where the placement of chairs and tables is authorized and where it is not. Javier Jordá explained that, as a result of this last measure, there are already almost fifty establishments in areas such as Paseo de Levante, Jaime I or Mediterráneo that have not been taking tables outside since last Sunday, when the measures began to be implemented. measures. 

Do not harm the sector

As he already did during the presentation of this campaign, Javier Jordá recalled that October 15 was chosen as the date for the return to normality in this sector due to the "will of the local government to wait until the summer season was over and the festive 'bridges' of October 9 and Hispanidad, dates on which Benidorm has attracted hundreds of thousands of people, so as not to harm hoteliers at the best time of the year."

Likewise, the mayor recalled that this decision comes "after a high season that, as all the indicators indicate, has been very positive in terms of occupancy and economic terms for our city", to which is added the fact that "we We are at a time when all the restrictions derived from the pandemic have disappeared and it did not make sense to continue prolonging these extraordinary measures that we adopted in March 2020 for any longer.” 

Until that date, the number of establishments authorized by the Benidorm City Council to install nightstands as established by municipal ordinances amounted to 391 cafeterias, bars and restaurants, with about 2,000 tables on public roads. 

The municipal inspection visits more than 500 hospitality establishments in Benidorm for the campaign to regularize chairs and tables

Nearly 28,000 people have used the accessible beaches, beach libraries and play centres of Benidorm during the high season

Nearly 28,000 people have used the services of accessible beaches, beach libraries and play centres on the sand in Benidorm during the high season, according to figures provided today by the councilor for the area, Mónica Gómez. A high season that “due to the practically summer temperatures of recent weeks has been extended until the Puente de la Hispanidad, which we enjoyed this week. In fact, every day our beaches are showing an image very similar to the one they exhibited during the month of June.” 

More than a third of users are concentrated in the accessible beach service, “in which Benidorm was a pioneer in the year 2000, which has three different points operating throughout the year and which makes bathing easier for people with disabilities. functional or mobility problems. Gómez stressed that “it is a service with demand throughout the year, with staffing adapting to the influx at all times.” Thus, during the months of July and August each point has been attended by three lifeguards, while since September there have been two people in charge of managing each of the accessible beach facilities. 

Specifically, from June to September, 9,475 people have passed through the accessible beach points, a figure to which are added the 598 who have used these facilities from October 8 to 15, taking advantage of the two long weekends this month, the Day of the Valencian Community and Hispanic Heritage. In this way, during that period there have been close to 11,000 users. 

As usual, the busiest and most popular point of accessible beaches is the one located near Elche Park, which has brought together half of the users of the service -5,565-; followed by the one located in Levante –very close to the intersection with Avenida de Europa and with 3,293 people-, and La Cala -1,215-.

The person in charge of Beaches recalled that "the accessible beach points, like the rest of the services and facilities on our beaches, are permanently audited by external organizations that certify their quality." In fact, the Parque de Elche and Levante points have the Universal Accessibility certificate UNE 170001-1 and UNE 170001-2. In summer, each point is attended by three workers from the beach concession company, RA Benidorm. 

Also very significant are the data on users of the biblioplayas, "another of the services in which Benidorm was ahead of the vast majority of tourist destinations." In total, in the months of July, August and September, 16,351 users have passed through the biblioplayas. The one on Levante, located at the intersection of Madrid and Europa avenues, is the one that attracts the most people: 7,681 people during the summer. Poniente, for its part, added 5,781 users and La Cala 2,889.

Gómez explained that "in addition to books from the municipal bibliographic funds in different languages, these biblioplayas, in which Benidorm was once again a pioneer, also offer daily regional, national and even international press service, as well as publications and magazines on different topics, also functioning as a meeting point for lovers of reading on the same sand.” 

Another meeting point, in this case for the little ones, are the play libraries, which are located next to the Levante library beach, in front of Paseo de Colón and next to the Delfín hotel. A total of 1,382 minors have passed through these spaces, operational during the high season, during the months of June - in the case of Elche Park -, July and August. 

The councilor highlighted that "all these services, which have been provided for decades, contribute to improving the experience of users of our beaches, which have permanent activity and are one of the few that maintain rescue and lifeguard services during 12 months of the year, adapting at all times the staffing to the needs of the service and their occupation.” 

Thus, at this time and once the months of maximum attendance on the beaches have passed, this device is made up of 25 personnel: five lifeguards in Levante, five in Poniente and one in Mal Pas; six on accessible beaches –two for each operational point-, two beach managers, a skipper and a lifeguard on a boat, two health care points and two ambulances. 

Regarding the water temperature, the analyzes carried out weekly from the Municipal Laboratory show an average of 25.32 degrees during the first days of October, a value somewhat higher than that recorded throughout the month of June. which was 23.57º. However, the maximum water temperature has been practically identical: 25.60º in June and 25.50º at the start of October. 

The Royal British Legion celebrates the 'Poppy Appeal' in Benidorm

Shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, on Avenida de Castellón, the traditional parade of banners began, accompanied by the 'Torrevieja Pipes and Drums', which added color and melody to a day dedicated to remembrance. The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, participated in the event along with the president of the Council of Members of the Legion, John Boisson; the military attaché of the British Embassy, ​​Captain Stephen McGlory; the vice consul of the United Kingdom in Alicante, Sara Munsterhjelme; Legion representatives Bob Chambers and Nicholas Keen; and the Anglican priest, Richard Seabrook.

The march ended in the Ricón de Loix, on Avenida de l'Atmella de Mar. There, the tribute ceremony was held in which the banner of the Madrid Group was officially welcomed, which would join the upcoming events and celebrations and which included the intervention of Toni Pérez who welcomed the attendees and highlighted the “ties of extraordinary friendship” that unite the Spanish and British peoples.

The mayor highlighted the poppies that all attendees wore as the “symbol of sacrifice” with which to “honor the fallen and support those who have loyally served their flag and their country” and has claimed Benidorm as the “field of remembrance where red poppies of hope sprout, pinned to the breast; “closest to the heart.”

Toni Pérez recalled the “need to sow peace in our days”, in the face of the conflicts that the world is experiencing today and has advocated for “the coexistence of peoples without distinction of creeds, borders or languages”.

After the official speeches, the national anthems of Spain and the United Kingdom were played and the banners made the final march, after which they broke ranks and the event came to an end.

The Royal British Legion is a non-profit organisation that distributes 25 million fabric poppies through the celebration of the 'Poppy Appeal'. It has more than 700,000 members around the world, of which there are about 4,000 in Spain and more than a thousand in the province.

The Festival Committee finalizes preparations for its traditional October 9 Fair

The Comissió de Festes Majors Patronals de 2023 finalizes the preparations for the traditional Fira del 9 d'Octube that is held every year in the city on the occasion of Valencian Community Day. On this occasion, the event will last for three days, from Saturday morning to Monday evening, and will take place in Elche Park, as explained by the Festival Councilor, Mariló Cebreros. The councilor has wished the mayors of the commission that this traditional market "will attract a large audience and allow a good amount of euros to be raised for the organization of the Patronal Major Festivals", which will take place from November 11 to 15.
 

The Fira will have a 'porrat' of typical products, with more than 25 stalls, in which gastronomy and artisan products will be the protagonists, as explained by the president of the 2023 Committee, Vicente Solaz.
 

The official opening ceremony will take place on Saturday, at 9:30 am. From then on, the stalls will open so that citizens and tourists who want to collaborate with the festivities can buy different traditional products, such as basketry and wickerwork, salted meats, bakery items and pastries, ceramics, mistela or chocolates, among others. In addition, “rodabalcons” with the image of the Virgin of Suffrage and Saint James will also be on sale, and there will be stalls making artisanal “paparajotes” and pumpkin fritters.
 

To complete this offer, the Festival Committee has also organized several tastings of different products, such as vermouth, which will be on Sunday and Monday; or paellas, which will also be on Monday, with the collaboration of various restaurants in Benidorm, to whom the Commission thanks their selfless help.
 

In addition, the Mayorales will have their traditional bar where they will cook their sandwiches and offer drinks at popular prices.
 

The President of the 2023 Commission, Vicente Solaz, has invited all the residents of the region and visitors “to enjoy a Fair on October 9 in which the entire Commission has been involved, so that with the work of the mayorales , and the help of the public, a lot is raised for the nearby Patron Saint Festivals of Benidorm.”

Thousands of people gather in the streets of Benidorm to witness the Mora y Cristiana Entrance

Several thousand residents and tourists gathered over the weekend to witness the Entry of the Moors and Christians, which took place from 8 p.m. through the main streets of the centre of Benidorm, with an itinerary that started from Tomás Ortuño and ran through Venus, Ruzafa, Martínez Alejos and Gambo to the Plaza de la Hispanidad

.

The platform was located in Martínez Alejos, at the height of Pal Street, and was chaired by Mayor Toni Pérez, the Councilor for Fiestas, Mariló Cebreros, members of the local corporation, the president of the Festes Majors Patronals, Vicente Solaz and representatives of the UNDEF among other personalities.

The parade began with the float of the Moorish ambassador, who was followed by the different 'filaes': Tuaregs, Tagarins, Benidarhims and Nasrids, who preceded the pageantry of the Moorish queen and the queen's float.

On the Christian side, the float paraded with the Christian warden, the Filá Cruzados and the Filá Cavallers de la Baronía, to which the Christian queen belonged, who appeared with her pageantry made up of the queens and ladies of the Festes Majors Patronals, Angélica Morenilla and Daniela Talavera.

Benidorm begins the renaturalisdation of Els Tolls

Benidorm City Council has started this week the renaturalization works of Els Tolls, an action framed in the Sustainable and Integrative Urban Development Strategy (EDUSI) that seeks to improve the environmental footprint of the neighbourhood. These works, co-financed between FEDER funds and the council, consolidate the improvement of accessibility and mobility of the Els Tolls sidewalks with an intervention on the road that will completely renew the sewage network and plant new trees; a tree stand that will be irrigated with regenerated water from the treatment plant.  

“This succession of interventions that we have carried out in the Els Tolls – Salt de l'Aigua neighborhood are creating a transformed residential space,” explained the mayor of Benidorm Toni Pérez, during a visit to today's works. “Now we are addressing a new phase, the renewal of the subsoil and the renaturalisation.” 

The renaturalisation works of Els Tolls, whose budget exceeds one and a half million euros, will act in the basement of the neighborhood: they will update the water networks by expanding the rainwater collectors, renewing the sanitation network and installing an irrigation network for the new plantations. In Italy, England, Holland and Portugal streets, new tree pits will be installed to create new shaded areas. The works that begin now will take special care with the sidewalk renovation actions already carried out, which will be respected in detail, acting very punctually on some very specific elements and points. 

“We have acted so far with great force in accessibility, improving pedestrian traffic and safe school routes, and now we are going to act on roads and increase the number of trees in a neighbourhood that is already green,” added Toni Pérez.  

“Renaturalizing the city means bringing better climatic conditions, improving the health index, improving coexistence in the summer periods with an investment that is part of the EDUSI Benidorm,” added Mayor Toni Pérez. “We renew rainwater and wastewater to connect with other types of actions, which will follow this one, such as the generation of that large roundabout at the confluence of Alfonso Puchades Avenue.” 

The works, like the rest of the EDUSI actions, will have minimal effects on road traffic. “Like all works, they will generate some inconvenience, but this action has been designed to inconvenience the residents as little as possible by allowing the connection of road traffic with all areas of the neighborhood,” explained the mayor. The renaturalisation works of Els Tolls will be carried out in different phases to avoid inconvenience to the neighbours. 

The improvement project in Els Tolls responds to the seventh line of action of Benidorm's DUSI strategy, which seeks to “improve the environmental quality and ecological footprint of the urban and peri-urban area” of Benidorm. The budget, which amounts to 1,524,487.68 euros, has aid from European ERDF funds of 762,243.84 euros.

ABOUT THE EDUSI OF BENIDORM:

The Pluriregional Operational Program of Spain 2014-2020, and the Sustainable Growth Operational Program (POCS) promote the DUSI strategy, of Sustainable and Integrated Urban Development, of which Benidorm, as established in the Resolution of May 4, 2018 published in The Official State Gazette (BOE) of the Order of the Third Call HFP/888/2017, has managed to opt for and obtain FEDER aid financing of 10 Million Euros, through its EDUSI BENIDORM strategy.

The EDUSI BENIDORM is made up of a series of thematic, specific, strategic and operational objectives, encompassed through 13 Lines of Action, whose social, environmental, economic and urban impact on the city aims to transform a delimited urban area of ​​​​the city into the to intervene and regenerate comprehensively, in order to produce a global impact and improvement in the city. 

Benidorm reinforces social and infrastructure investments in the first 100 days of administration

The Benidorm government has completed its first 100 days in office after the takeover of the local corporation on June 17, following the municipal elections held on May 28. One hundred days in which the acquired commitments advanced by the city's mayor, Toni Pérez, have been maintained and intensified as soon as he was elected.

Those commitments had to do with the vocation to continue building “a welcoming, open, inclusive and supportive Benidorm” with a development that is based on actions based on “sustainability, innovation, accessibility and governance” with the aim of advancing “towards social, environmental and economic sustainability.” Hence, the mayor stressed today that the purpose is to “achieve accessibility at all levels” and government action is closely linked “to contact with citizens.”

In these first hundred days, the mayor indicated, the “reinforcement of social investments has continued with aid to the groups and entities that need it most, as well as the improvement and renewal of infrastructure necessary to have an increasingly better city. ”. For this reason, Pérez has described this first balance as “very positive and in complete harmony with the commitments made.”  

Thus, in terms of aid, the granting of these has reached the main groups and entities in Benidorm. Among them, in this 100-day period, they have been granted to vulnerable families, SMEs and the self-employed and the funds for entrepreneurial projects have been doubled. Appropriations have also been allocated for the expenses of business entities, for the purchase of school supplies, for music schools and students, for health entities and an amount has even been allocated for cooperation with developing countries. This aid chapter includes the million euros directed to the hotels that participated in the 2022 Imserso campaign.

Meanwhile, local infrastructure has continued with the same pace of improvement and renewal that had already begun years ago. In relation to the Water Cycle, in these hundred days an action has been initiated in Bernat de Sarrià to reduce the risk of flooding, accessibility has been improved and the infrastructure of Beniardá Avenue has been renewed, renovation works are being carried out of the pumping of wastewater on Severo Ochoa Avenue, new electric power generation motors have been installed in the WWTP and the rainwater drainage works in the Xixo and Foietes ravines have been completed.

The local public space has also experienced significant improvements and actions with the creation of a new green area in La Cala, the improvement of pedestrian accessibility on Murcia Street, maintenance and conservation actions for urban furniture, new charging points for electric vehicles (Severo Ochoa) or emblematic actions such as the commissioning of the new Levante catenary.

Equally notable are the actions that have been carried out to reduce electricity consumption and in favor of the use of renewable energies. Among them, the completion of the installation of photovoltaic panels in eight schools, in the Palau d'Esports and in the Guillermo Amor sports city stands out, the latter thanks to the achievement of European funds.

Precisely, good management when it comes to obtaining money from the European Union has allowed, among other actions, to begin work on the Mediation Center, to have approved the renovation of the public space between Maravall and Jaime I streets, the acquisition of seven flats for social housing or the next actions to reinforce fires in the El Moralet area.

But, without a doubt, the most successful management in this sense has been the achievement of three million euros of Next Generation funds for the execution of a macro renaturalization project called 'Green and Water: Rooting Benidorm in its Natural Environment'. A project that includes more than 15 actions to increase green surfaces, protect the entire forest mass, and permeate the urban edge with orchard and crop areas. In short, the mayor explained, “a renaturalization project to continue making Benidorm a more resilient city against the effects of climate change.” The one from Benidorm was one of the 19 proposals selected nationally from among the 64 presented.

On the other hand, the contract for the Bus Station has also been awarded after years of litigation and the drafting of the new contract for parks and gardens and the contract for cleaning municipal buildings has begun.

Benidorm, likewise, will continue to be a reference in Europe thanks to its commitment to intelligence. For this reason, the city will be part of the European network of smart cities and will incorporate a flow monitoring system on the beaches that will make it possible to know the degree of occupancy of the beaches every day of the year. The project, which is already in the first phase of implementation, has operated during the months of July and August on a stretch of just over 1.5 kilometers of Poniente beach.

Other areas in which notable action has been taken in these hundred days are those of Mobility and Road Cleaning with initiatives such as the reopening of the underground containers of Carrascos or campaigns to clean rural roads and cliffs, as well as other extraordinary cleaning of neighbourhoods during the summer or a washing plan with reused water from private pools. In terms of Mobility, the implementation of a map of the time spent on pedestrian or bicycle trips, an intelligent parking system for bicycles or the improvement of mobility at the confluence of Europa Avenue with Jaén Street stands out. Furthermore, in this sense, Armada Española Avenue has been reopened after the completion of the hydraulic infrastructure renovation works.

Finally, the government team has undertaken other actions that cover other areas such as the completion of 96 niches in the San Jaime cemetery, the installation of the new artificial grass in the field attached to the Guillermo Amor stadium, the celebration of the 'Exemplary Neighbor' award, the accessibility and security of the surroundings of the Ermita de la Virgen del Mar have been improved and the 'castellum' of Tossal de La Cala has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest.

Similarly, in other areas the local government has promoted the carrying out of training actions organized by the AMPAs, has renewed the lighting in the Horta area and has managed to renew the 'Q' and 'S' flags of the ICTE for the beaches of the city, as well as innovative exhibitions, conferences, photographic exhibitions and shows included in the cultural programming. 

Benidorm advocates reducing the carbon footprint of tourist activity as much as possible

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, and the Minister of Tourism, Nuria Montes, participated in the central event of the activities organized by the City Council on the occasion of World Car-Free Day, within the European Mobility Week. Both have been part of the conference "Tourism and sustainable mobility. The Benidorm model", which took place in the Torrejó Municipal Building and where they defended tourist activity, and especially the local tourism industry, as "one of the most committed” to respect and care for the environment. Along with them, the general director of Transport of the Generalitat Valenciana, Manuel Ríos, was also present. 

The first mayor of Benidorm has been the first to speak to defend the mobility policies that the City Council has been developing in recent years and that have contributed to making Benidorm “an increasingly friendly destination, especially in actions such as the implementation of low-emission zones, giving priority to pedestrians, soft speed, or the promotion of public transport or travel on foot", which "has translated into awards and recognitions", such as those collected yesterday by the mayor at the headquarters of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. “But these awards are worthless if in your daily life you are not committed to, from mobility, acting locally,

Toni Pérez took advantage of this context to give attendees a reflection: “Life happens on foot and it is on foot when we share, when things happen and when tourist activity occurs.” At this point, the mayor of Benidorm recalled that tourism "has been working for years to make its activity as safe as possible and to generate the least impact on our territory and our planet", "especially after that strategic plan that we configured in the fall of 2015 and that has allowed us much more sustainable mobility in the city, which is at the same time the destination.” 

After this intervention, the Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Nuria Montes, recalled that Benidorm “was not only visionary and pioneer in its definition as the first tourist destination in our country, but also began to talk about sustainability and mobility practically when no one still handled these concepts.” For this reason, the regional official has said that "when you go to other cities, you realize everything that has been done in Benidorm and done well", giving as examples the fact that it is "a very comfortable city to walk." ” or the layout of an “absolutely pioneering and safe” bicycle lane for users of this two-wheeled vehicle. 

The councilor has reviewed actions in favor of sustainability that have been developed with municipal impetus but also from the private sphere in many tourism companies, but has recognized that tourist transport continues to be the cause of 8% of all emissions. CO2 that are carried out throughout the European Union and that represent “around 4.5 million tons per year.” And although she has defended that airline companies are “working to reduce their carbon footprint, as the hotel industry has been doing for years,” the head of Tourism has defended that “there is still much to do.”

Finally, Nuria Montes has highlighted the charging network for electric vehicles deployed by Benidorm throughout its entire urban fabric, something that, in her opinion, will be a differentiating element so that "many tourists who are users of electric cars come to visit Benidorm" and has provided "all the support" of the Carlos Mazón Consell to continue deploying more charging points and "to contribute to actions that make our tourism and hotel industry even more sustainable." 

The last to participate was the general director of Transport of the Generalitat, Manuel Ríos, who has claimed the urban and sustainable mobility plans (PMUS) as the instrument to develop a series of actions so that cities consume less fuel and there are fewer cars, after which he has put Benidorm as a paradigm: “It has the great advantage that its City Council already has its homework done with the Low Emissions Zone. "It has been pioneering because there has been a very important technical and political team, which has worked hard and has had a very clear union to make decisions and solve problems." 

Closure of thede Armada Española and free transfers

In addition to this day on sustainable mobility and tourism, during this Friday restrictions will also be applied to road traffic on Avenida de la Armada Española, where from 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. residents and public transport will be restricted, within the events on the occasion of World Car-Free Day. 

Likewise, in a joint initiative between the City Council and the public transport concessionaire Grupo Avanza, transfers between urban bus lines within the municipality of Benidorm will be free.

Benidorm will launch new aid for SMEs and the self-employed

Benidorm City Council is going to launch a new aid package for SMEs and the self-employed, in this case through a subsidy of 647,278 euros from the Provincial Council of Alicante and which "aims to compensate companies and entrepreneurs for the effects that the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine has had on economic activity.” 

This was announced today by the Councilor for Employment and Local Development, Mónica Gómez, who reported that "the bases that will govern this call for aid are already being prepared, which will set, among other issues, the maximum amounts to which can be opted, the eligible expenses and the requirements that the beneficiary SMEs and self-employed workers must meet.” 

Gómez recalled that “the support of the Benidorm City Council for the local productive fabric has been constant in the last three years in which the economy has been severely shaken first by the pandemic and later by the exorbitant increase in the price of energy and of the Ukrainian war. 

“Since March 2020 – he pointed out – the City Council has mobilized more than 20 million euros to, in successive calls, help companies, self-employed workers, SMEs and micro-SMEs from all economic sectors in the city; a direct economic injection to which are added the municipal rates and public prices that have been subsidized or stopped being collected.”

The councilor added that "during this time, financial support has also been received from the Provincial Council, which has made it possible to increase the resources made available to the local productive fabric to contribute to recovery." m, Nuria Montes; and the general director of Transport and Logistics of the Generalitat, Manuel Ríos.

Mobility measures on a map the time it takes to walk from one area of ​​Benidorm to another to promote pedestrian travel

Benidorm City Council has presented an innovative project that seeks to promote pedestrian or bicycle travel through the city, within the events framed in the European Mobility Week. It is called 'Metrominuto / Biciminuto' and has consisted of the preparation of a plan in which different urban routes have been drawn, with common and very common itineraries among citizens, which incorporates the time that a pedestrian and a cyclist. They may take time to travel through them. The mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, and the Councilor for Mobility, Francis Muñoz, have been in charge of presenting this initiative, which aims for "the average citizen to know the journeys and know how much time it will take to go from one point to another”, under the motto “Benidorm. “Cities that walk.” 

The mayor of Mobility has detailed that this plan has been prepared as a result of joint work between the municipal departments of Mobility and Engineering, to complement other projects such as the Low Emissions Zone. Likewise, he has indicated that now, once presented, it will be distributed on the screens throughout the municipality and will be posted on the municipal website, from where any citizen will be able to download it on their mobile phone to have it at their fingertips and go following many of these routes. 

Specifically, the plan includes more than a hundred routes and itineraries throughout all the neighborhoods of the city, from the Tamarindos promenade, in La Cala, to La Cruz or Punta del Cavall, in the natural park of La Cala. Serra Gelada, also passing through the surroundings of the theme parks or the Hermitage of Sanz. Muñoz explained that itineraries have been designed “that are not closed, but climbable, so that distances are interspersed.” According to the mayor, this formula “allows each route to be segmented and each citizen can refine it according to their preferences or hobbies.” 

In addition to pedestrian traffic, the map "also relies on the cycling infrastructure that Benidorm has with the Moralet Park cycle paths, the city's cycling ring and the Serra Gelada cycle paths that take us to Albir", he highlighted. Francis Muñoz. In short, according to the mayor, the objective is “to make people aware that walking or cycling is not only healthy but also will not take much time.”

Other scheduled activities

Among the activities that the Benidorm City Council is carrying out on the occasion of the European Mobility Week, this Tuesday the 'Brico Bici' workshop was also held for the students of the Bernat de Sarrià and Beatriu Fajardo de Mendoza institutes.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, the 20th, the activities will focus on 'Road Education for the little ones' and will begin at 9 a.m., at the Salt de l'Aigua Children's Traffic Park. The 'Brico Bici' will move during this day to the IES Pere Maria Orts i Bosch and on Thursday the 21st, to the IES l'Almadrava.

Finally, Friday, September 22, will be 'Car-Free Day' in which, from 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., traffic on Paseo de Poniente will be restricted to residents and public transport. Also at 10 in the morning, the El Torrejó Municipal Center will host the meeting 'Tourism and sustainable mobility, Benidorm model' in which the mayor of Benidorm and president of the Alicante Provincial Council, Toni Pérez, will participate as speakers; the Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Nuria Montes; and the general director of Transport and Logistics of the Generalitat, Manuel Ríos.

Bicycle Sunday in Benidorm within the European Mobility Week

Benidorm joins, once again, the European Mobility Week, which is celebrated every year between September 16 and 22, in which almost 3,000 cities and towns from across the continent collaborate to promote public transport and other forms of transportation. more sustainable mobility.

The theme chosen by the European Commission for the 2023 campaign is 'Energy efficiency' and the motto for this and future years will be 'Combine and move!'

The councilor for the area, Francis Muñoz, has today unveiled the program of activities that will begin to take place tomorrow to "instill to residents the advantages of using sustainable transport and its benefits for health and the environment, in particular public transport, bicycle and traveling on foot” with an eye toward building “a better, more comfortable and friendly city for everyone.” 

The program will start today, Saturday the 16th, with a tour of the cycle-pedestrian paths of El Moralet Park, starting at 10:00 in the morning. The weekend activities will be completed on Sunday, a day dedicated to cycling, with a route that will depart, also at 10:00 a.m., from Avenida de Madrid to the Torre de les Caletes in the Serra Gelada Natural Park.

On Monday the 18th, the Plaza of Their Majesties the Kings of Spain will be the setting where, within the 'Green Car Day', in an open day, the clean vehicles of municipal public services will be exhibited, starting from 11:00 a.m. Likewise, on Monday the 'Brico Bici' will begin, a traveling workshop of tips and basic mechanics aimed at the youngest, taught by Tao Bike, which will take place every day between 12:00 and 14:00, this time at the IES Mediterranean.

The day on Tuesday the 19th will be dedicated to pedestrians with the presentation, at 11:00, in the morning of 'Metrominuto / Biciminuto'. An information panel that explains to residents how long it takes to walk the distance between two specific points in the city. The 'Brico Bici' will be aimed at the students of the IES Bernat de Sarrià and Beatriu Fajardo de Mendoza.

On Wednesday the 20th, the day's activities will focus on 'Road education for the little ones'. The activities will begin at 9:00, in the Salt de l'Aigua Children's Traffic Park. The 'Brico Bici' will move this day to the IES Pere Maria Orts i Bosch and on Thursday the 21st, to the IES l'Almadrava.

Friday the 22nd will be 'Car Free Day' in which, from 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., traffic on Paseo de Poniente will be restricted to residents and public transport. Also, at 10:00 in the morning, the El Torrejó Municipal Center will host the meeting 'Tourism and sustainable mobility, Benidorm model' in which the mayor of Benidorm and president of the Alicante Provincial Council, Toni Pérez, the councilor of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Nuria Montes and the general director of Transport and Logistics of the Generalitat, Manuel Ríos.

Benidorm takes part in the European Mobility Week 2023

Benidorm joins, once again, the European Mobility Week, which is celebrated every year between September 16 and 22, in which almost 3,000 cities and towns from across the continent collaborate to promote public transport and other forms of transportation. more sustainable mobility.

The theme chosen by the European Commission for the 2023 campaign is 'Energy efficiency' and the motto for this and future years will be 'Combine and move!'

The councilor for the area, Francis Muñoz, has today unveiled the program of activities that will begin to take place tomorrow to "instill to residents the advantages of using sustainable transport and its benefits for health and the environment, in particular public transport, bicycle and traveling on foot” with an eye toward building “a better, more comfortable and friendly city for everyone.” 

The program will start today, Saturday the 16th, with a tour of the cycle-pedestrian paths of El Moralet Park, starting at 10:00 in the morning. The weekend activities will be completed on Sunday, a day dedicated to cycling, with a route that will depart, also at 10:00 a.m., from Avenida de Madrid to the Torre de les Caletes in the Serra Gelada Natural Park.

On Monday the 18th, the Plaza of Their Majesties the Kings of Spain will be the setting where, within the 'Green Car Day', in an open day, the clean vehicles of municipal public services will be exhibited, starting from 11:00 a.m. Likewise, on Monday the 'Brico Bici' will begin, a traveling workshop of tips and basic mechanics aimed at the youngest, taught by Tao Bike, which will take place every day between 12:00 and 14:00, this time at the IES Mediterranean.

The day on Tuesday the 19th will be dedicated to pedestrians with the presentation, at 11:00, in the morning of 'Metrominuto / Biciminuto'. An information panel that explains to residents how long it takes to walk the distance between two specific points in the city. The 'Brico Bici' will be aimed at the students of the IES Bernat de Sarrià and Beatriu Fajardo de Mendoza.

On Wednesday the 20th, the day's activities will focus on 'Road education for the little ones'. The activities will begin at 9:00, in the Salt de l'Aigua Children's Traffic Park. The 'Brico Bici' will move this day to the IES Pere Maria Orts i Bosch and on Thursday the 21st, to the IES l'Almadrava.

Friday the 22nd will be 'Car Free Day' in which, from 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., traffic on Paseo de Poniente will be restricted to residents and public transport. Also, at 10:00 in the morning, the El Torrejó Municipal Center will host the meeting 'Tourism and sustainable mobility, Benidorm model' in which the mayor of Benidorm and president of the Alicante Provincial Council, Toni Pérez, the councilor of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Nuria Montes and the general director of Transport and Logistics of the Generalitat, Manuel Ríos.

Tickets for the Cyclocross World Cup to be held in Benidorm on January 21 are on sale

Tickets for the UCI-Benidorm Costa Blanca Cyclocross World Cup, which will be held in the tourist capital on January 21, are now on sale, as reported today by the organization of the event. After its successful premiere on January 22, with the participation of stars of the caliber of Wout van Aert, Mathieu Van der Poel, Fem van Empel and Marianne Vos, the El Moralet and Foietes parks will once again host an event that brought together in debut to some 13,000 people to enjoy a Sunday of party and sport under the Alicante sun. 

“The public has been asking us to open ticket sales for a month or more,” says Pascual Momparler, head of Momparler Cycling and the UCI Cyclocross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca. “There was a desire for Benidorm, and that is important because it shows that something was done well last year. People liked the atmosphere, they liked the participation, they liked the organisation... and that makes us proud. That's why we prepare for the next edition with more enthusiasm if possible. This year there will be more Fan Zones and new VIP zones. In addition, we are working to once again have the best cyclists in the world on the Costa Blanca. I encourage everyone to buy their tickets and come enjoy an authentic weekend of cycling with us.”

For his part, the Councilor for Sports, Javier Jordá, has pointed out that “for Benidorm it is a pleasure and a challenge to once again host this world event that left such a good taste in the mouths at the beginning of this year among the fans who followed the event. live from the El Moralet and Foietes parks, and also among those who enjoyed it on television.” “The city is going to give its best again so that the best national and international cyclocross cyclists can enjoy the route of the event and Benidorm,” he added. 

As reported by the organization, in the 2024 edition of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca there will be three types of tickets for adults: the General, which will cost 15 euros from today until December 20; the VIP, with food, drinks and a privileged location with views of the finish line; and the Super VIP, which includes 'gourmet' products and parking next to the circuit. Children between 7 and 14 years old will pay entry for the VIP and Super VIP areas, while for all children under 14 years old who want to access the General area and children up to 7 years old who want to enter the areas accompanied by an adult VIP and Super VIP, a Children's ticket of only 2 euros will be available, the proceeds of which will be donated entirely to local charitable associations.

Tickets for the Cyclocross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca 2024 can be purchased on the portal Click Here , as well as on the official site of the race, https://benidormcx.es. ;

The first edition of the event ended with victories for Fem van Empel and Mathieu Van der Poel in the Elite women's and men's races, respectively.

More than 8,100 children and adolescents return to classrooms in Benidorm

More than 8,100 children and adolescents have returned today to the Infant, Primary and Secondary Education classrooms in Benidorm after the summer holidays, in a day that has developed without incident and that has been marked by the excitement and nerves of many families. Mayor Toni Pérez has welcomed this 2023-2024 academic year together with the Councilor for Education, Maite Moreno, at CEIP Els Tolls, the school with the most students in the municipality. 

This centre is one of the eight schools in which the Benidorm City Council has carried out in recent months the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof to generate energy for self-consumption, with the aim of saving on the electricity bill and further reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere of 375 tons per year. The project, which has also been developed in four other municipal buildings, including the Les Fontanelles Municipal Nursery School, has involved an investment of 1,045,450.06 euros. 

Likewise, the Local Government Board has approved this Monday an item of 157,794.40 euros to subsidize school transportation for students in Infant, Primary, Secondary and post-compulsory education at the centers located in the Salt de l'Aigüa school complex – the public schools Mestre Gaspar López and Gabriel Miró and the IES Pere Maria Orts i Bosch, Bernat de Sarrià, L'Almadrava and Beatriu Fajardo – and the IES Mediterrània that do not meet the requirements to benefit from the Generalitat scholarships. The expense will be applied in two phases: from this month of September to December 31, 2023, with a total expense of 63,963.93 euros; and from January 1, 2024 until the end of the next academic year, for which another 93,830.47 euros will be invested. 

These investments are added to other aid that the City Council has already implemented, implemented or will be implemented to reduce, as far as possible, the expense that returning to school represents for many households. "At the City Council we maintain our commitment to the families of Benidorm, making help and support measures available to them, and increasing them according to needs, especially where no other administration reaches," said the mayor. 

More Kindergarten and Primary classrooms

The first day of classes took place without any notable incidents in the thirteen schools and five public institutes in the city. In them, just over 8,100 minors, 5,500 in Infant and Primary Education and another 2,600 in Secondary, to which are added those who are enrolled in post-compulsory Baccalaureate or Vocational Training, have reunited with their friends after the summer holidays or have incorporated for the first time into the classrooms, in the case of 2 and 3-year-old Early Childhood Education boys and girls. 

The public schools of Benidorm have expanded their educational offer this year with the creation of three new Early Childhood Education units: one for 2-year-olds at CEIP La Cala; one for P4 at CEIP Vasco Núñez de Balboa and another for P5 at CEIP Miguel Hernández, as explained by the Councilor for Education, Maite Moreno. In addition, the mayor has indicated that the creation of another Primary classroom has also been requested in the CEIP Mestre Gaspar López and that a response is awaited by the Department of Education.

Hundreds of people celebrate Benidorm Pride with a massive parade

Hundreds of people have filled the streets of Benidorm this Saturday to witness or parade in the Parade, the central act of Benidorm Pride, celebrations organized by the LGBTIQ+ collective and which represent the culmination of the most important Pride weeks in Europe. The mayor Toni Pérez, together with the Valencian Generalitat Tourism Minister, Nuria Montes, have joined this protest parade, which they have followed from various points along the route together with other members of the municipal executive. 

Rainbow flags, costume, floats, trucks and many people walking have shown the most diverse and welcoming face of Benidorm, a European benchmark for LGBTIQ+ tourism. Not in vain, the City Council, Visit Benidorm and the organisation have estimated the number of visitors who have come to the city expressly to experience these days of festivities and vindication at more than 20,000 people, mostly from the United Kingdom, but also from other points of Spain and Europe, with stays that in many cases extend up to fifteen days. 

The parade has covered a stretch of Paseo de Levante and Avenida del Mediterráneo, Plaza de la Hispanidad and Parque de l'Aigüera, until it reached the Julio Iglesias Amphitheatre, where the party continued throughout the evening.

Among the participants, one of the most photographed floats has been that of the Benidorm Fest, on board of which was Sharonne, the famous 'drag queen' who participated in the last edition of the contest and who has shared the limelight with a replica of the microphone which is given to the winners of this contest. The mayor of Festivals and Events, Jesús Carrobles, explained that the Benidorm Fest wanted to be present at it to "accompany an audience that is traditionally enthusiastic about Eurovision and also about the Fest and that year after year participates massively in Benidorm Pride". 

Likewise, the city has also illuminated the new section of the Paseo de Levante catenary with rainbow colors, as a sign of recognition of a local group and a tourist market loyal to Benidorm for decades and which is part of the city's success. as destination. 

After a week of parties and various activities, Benidorm Pride comes to an end tomorrow, Sunday, with the Pride at the Palace party, which will take place in the emblematic Benidorm Palace party room. 

Benidorm implements a monitoring system to measure the influx of people to its beaches

Benidorm City Council has implemented a monitoring system through cameras to measure the influx of people to its beaches, thus knowing the degree of occupancy of the beaches every day of the year. The project, which is in the first phase of implementation, has already operated during the months of July and August on a stretch of just over 1.5 kilometers of

Poniente beach, as explained this morning by the mayor, Toni Pérez. , during the presentation of the project and its first results. A presentation that was made in the Smart Office of the City Council and in which the councilors of Beaches and Innovation, Mónica Gómez and Aida García Mayor, participated; the chief engineer Vicente Mayor; and Mª Carmen Azorín, municipal Innovation agent.

The mayor explained that this first phase of the project 'Image and data analysis system in areas of high tourist influx' is included in the Tourism Sustainability Plan 'Benidorm DTI + Seguro', has involved an investment of 150,000 euros and places the city at “the forefront of innovation”. 
 

The measurement of flows of people on the beaches, Toni Pérez has stated, “is one of the actions and options that are talked about in many congresses” but that in Benidorm “materializes as a use case”, delving into “the path undertaken with our conversion into the first certified Smart Tourist Destination in the world.” 

The project has consisted of “the installation of 20 capacity control cameras in the stretch of Poniente beach that goes from Paseo de Colón to the Vela Blanca ravine, at the confluences of Armada Española and Vicente Llorca Alós avenues.” 

As detailed by the technicians, the cameras have built-in object counting and control software, which, anonymously, detects moving people until they leave the camera's viewing range.