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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.

The cameras collect information and display it in real time on a 'dashboard' in which the number of people entering or leaving the beach is counted.

Benidorm Fest will be present at the Pride parade

Benidorm Fest will be very present this Saturday in the city's Pride parade, as it will have its own float that arrives "with surprises", according to what the Councilor for Festivals and Events, Jesús Carrobles, announced today. A parade, the Parade, which brings together thousands of people along its route, which will begin at 5:00 p.m. from Rincón de Loix and will run along Paseo de Levante and a section of Mediterranean Avenue until reaching the Julio Iglesias auditorium in the Parque de l'Aigüera. Already at the venue, the main Benidorm Pride party will be celebrated. 

Although these surprises were not revealed, Carrobles has slipped that "on the Benidorm Fest float there could be a face linked to the musical contest" that will again be held in the city at the end of January and beginning of February, thus marking its third edition. 

The mayor explained that "the Benidorm Fest wanted to be present at this festive event and to demand the support of the LGBTIQ+ collective, an audience traditionally enthusiastic about Eurovision and also about the Fest and that year after year participates massively in Benidorm Pride, an event that has been celebrating since last Monday, which closes the European Pride calendar and brings together more than 20,000 people in the city.” 

The Espai d'Art of the City Council hosts a painting exhibition within Benidorm Pride

The Espai d'Art of the Benidorm City Council, located in the lobby of the Town Hall, hosts the painting exhibition Vibe Arte, by the Bulgarian-born artist Martin Georgiev Binev, starting this Tuesday. It is part of the program of events organized in the city on the occasion of the Benidorm Pride Festival, which is expected to attract more than 20,000 people to the city throughout this week, both nationals and those arriving from different European countries. 

The mayor of Igualdad, Ángela Zaragozí, was in charge of opening this exhibition in the company of Santos Torres, one of the organizers of “Pride”, and the artist himself. The exhibition is made up of around twenty abstract art paintings, made with mixed techniques, where Martin Georgiev uses lines, strokes and colors of different tones to express feelings, dreams and emotions, with works that go from the warmest and softest tones to others with strong tones and personality. It can be visited at the Espai d'Art throughout this week. 

During the inauguration, the Councilor for Equality thanked the organizers of Benidorm Pride for their commitment to also programming cultural events throughout this week beyond the purely festive ones and those to promote the LGBTIQ+ community and encouraged the public to visit the exhibition . 

Aside from this activity, the events of the Benidorm Pride Festival are taking place throughout this week, with themed parties, numerous events in the more than 40 'gayfriendly' venues scattered throughout the town center and the great Parade, the parade-demonstration. which will be held the afternoon of next Saturday, September 9, and in which the participation of more than twenty floats, American heads and vintage cars and motorcycles is planned. As in previous editions, the Parade will depart at 5:00 p.m. from Rincón de Loix and will travel along Paseo de Levante and a section of Mediterranean Avenue until reaching the Julio Iglesias auditorium in Parque de l'Aigüera, where the main festival of the event will take place. Benidorm Pride. 

With the “Pride” of Benidorm the European calendar of Pride festivities closes. 

Pradas announces the processing of the new  a new natural resources management plan of Serra Gelada

The Minister of Environment, Water, Infrastructure and Territory, Salomé Pradas, has announced that the Generalitat "is going to start the procedures to approve a new Natural Resource Management Plan for the Serra Gelada Natural Park, which had expired since the year 2015".

Pradas made this announcement after his visit to Benidorm City Hall, where he explained that the Council's commitment is "to draw up a new document that has the maximum consensus and combines aspects as important as conservation, utilization and enjoyment ordered from this protected space".

Along these lines, the Minister has pointed out that "the defense of the environment cannot be incompatible, and it is not, with the development and agricultural uses of our territory. Therefore, we will analyze the council's proposal to allow the creation of rafts for agricultural use in the surroundings of the natural park".

80 million to improve the railway infrastructure

During the work meeting, Salomé Pradas informed that the Generalitat will execute the comprehensive tram connection of La Marina. A project - he said - "was kept in the drawers and will now be worked on and promoted from the dialogue with the affected municipalities to make it a reality this legislature". 

Proof of this - he indicated - "is that we are already improving the infrastructure of these lines, as a preliminary step to the future connection of La Marina". In this sense, Pradas has informed that this September "three major actions will be awarded with a budget of 80 million euros that will provide the Alicante TRAM railway service with greater capacity, regularity, and will improve the frequencies of passage and will be more environmentally friendly".

This is the duplication of track and electrification on lines 1, the electrification of line 9 and the technical crossing and track duplication of the Albir-Altea section. Actions that, as indicated by Pradas, "will have a great environmental benefit because it eliminates the use of the diesel engine on line 9, which will generate less greenhouse gases and reduce the acoustic impact".

Another of the projects that has been unlocked is that of EPSAR to start the adaptation works of the drives and pumping stations between Benidorm and Alfàs del Pi. "After 8 years of inaction by the previous Council, we will start these works which have a budget of 3.3 million euros and which will begin when the high summer season ends in Benidorm at the request of the council", said the councillor.

After his working meeting with the mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, Pradas visited the Serra Gelada Natural Park and the municipality of La Nucia. 

Salomé Pradas has pointed out that "this Council is going to attend to all the municipalities of this Community above dogmatism and ideological impositions". the management of the previous Council, which governed with its back to the province".

"Today we come with tangible commitments such as the regulation of the a new 'Natural Resource Management Plan' after 8 years, an investment of 80 million in the modernization of the FGV railway infrastructure in the Marina Baixa, the urgent putting into service of the metropolitan transport that was in danger for more than 200,000 users, as well as new sanitation improvements blocked during two legislatures", he added.

The head of Medio Ambiente has indicated that this visit is "one more step in our attention to municipalism, because it means giving priority to the interests and needs of citizens"., which has expired since 2015, and undertakes to execute this legislature the integral tram connection of La Marina

Benidorm Local Police withdraws 5 electric scooters in August for failing to comply with the regulations in a campaign of random controls

Benidorm Local Police has withdrawn five electric scooters so far in August for not complying with current municipal regulations. These actions are part of a campaign of random controls arising from an agreement between the local City Council and the Directorate General of Traffic.

The controls have been carried out randomly throughout the month and lasting ten minutes in different parts of the town. The result has been that of five scooters withdrawn by the agents after detecting that they were not complying with the regulations in cases such as lacking compulsory insurance or exceeding the maximum speed established for this type of vehicle due to having been tampered with.

The Councilor for Citizen Security, Jesús Carrobles, has indicated that these controls "add to the ordinary activity of the Local Police who denounce the owners of scooters when they do not comply with the ordinance for different aspects such as speeding, driving through improper places or not wearing a helmet, for example”.

Carrobles recalled that Benidorm is a "pioneering" city in the regulation of these vehicles "thanks to the municipal ordinance approved in 2019". In this sense, he has stressed that in Benidorm scooters must have insurance, rear light, front bell and users are required to wear a vest and helmet, in addition to driving through areas such as the bike lane where they do not coexist with pedestrians.

It is also prohibited to drive with headphones connected, to do so at a speed greater than 30 km/h or to drive on sidewalks, paved walks, parks or pedestrian areas.

The ordinance also establishes that the minimum age to ride a scooter is 16 years and its use is for one person. In the event that people are transported with an approved device such as type C1, the drivers must be of legal age.

The councilor has affirmed that "we work so that the use of scooters is in accordance with the ordinance in all cases" and on this he added that the controls "are not only made on the drivers, but also on the scooter rental companies because they also have to comply with the regulations”.

On the other hand, according to data from the Local Police, so far in August eight accidents involving scooters have been reported.

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