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Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin April 8
FEATURE ARTICLES: "Balearic Islands scraps hotel freebies as part of new tourism law" and "Benidorm skyline continues to grow with plans for three new high-rise apartment blocks"
The long-awaited Easter bank holiday is upon us – the first big celebration in Spain since the Three Kings in January – and what better way to spend it than catching up on all the latest news and happenings. And it’s been a busy week. The sun might be shining but that doesn’t stop the shenanigans, and we’ve got it all right here.
From planes, trains and automobiles (well, dodgy bus drivers, anyway) to badly behaved tourists, it’s all been happening in Spain this week.
Shop til you drop this Easter – in the sun no less
It’s hard to believe this time last year we were watching cars being swept away by floods and homes being evacuated in torrential storms. The weather couldn’t be more different this spring, with almost constant sunshine in most of the country and record-breaking temperatures well into the 30s.
If you’re one of the lucky ones to be hanging up the work boots this long weekend then you’re in for a treat, since the forecast is nothing short of glorious in much of Spain. The DANA which threatened to dampen spirits and impact the Semana Santa parades looks set to pass off the southern coast, leaving mostly dry and sunny weather in its wake.
It could be a little cloudy or overcast in parts, but as the days roll on the mercury is only going up, and the south in particular is set for a scorcher on the big day, Easter Sunday. There’s pretty much no rain on the horizon this weekend, and while the thermometers won’t reach the lofty heights of a couple of weeks ago, when Murcia was hotter than Egypt, it’s still nothing short of beach weather.
In Murcia, there will be a slight wind chill along the coast caused by easterly breezes but as Saturday rolls into Sunday, the thermometers will begin to creep up, hitting a summery 30ºC at the height of the day.
Over in Alicante, conditions have heated up considerably as the week has progressed, and thermometers look set to rise further over Easter weekend.According to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), the province can expect clear skies for the most part, with the odd intervals of low cloud, and only a slight chance of scattered rain in the north of the province on Sunday.
Andalusia has not experienced an Easter Week without rain since 2017, and the hot and dry conditions look set to continue into the weekend. Like the rest of the south of the peninsula, Andalusia is still immersed in one of the most intense periods of drought and anomalous temperatures since records began.
The Andalusian atmosphere has been dominated by high pressure and dry and sunny conditions that will continue into the middle of next week when there could be a short period of rain, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
Over the weekend, thermometers will rise by between 2 and 4 degrees throughout the region.
Easter in Spain is traditionally a family time, and relatives travel home from far and wide to spend the holiday together. And since nothing says ‘celebrations’ like a slap-up meal, most of us will need to get some shopping in before the big event.
In Spain, the dates for Easter week, or Semana Santa as it’s locally known, vary year to year but in 2023, the bank holiday begins on Holy Thursday, April 6, stretching through April 7 (Good Friday) and into the coming weekend. Both of these dates are holidays throughout Spain which means that the supermarkets will invariably change their opening and closing hours.
Luckily, Spain’s favourite store Mercadona will remain open on Saturday April 8, giving people plenty of time to get in those last few bits, but it will be closed on Easter Sunday. Other popular supermarkets like Carrefour, Lidl and Aldi have different operating hours over the long weekend depending on the location, which is why we’ve created a handy little guide that you can find here.
Things are a little different in Malaga, however, since the Junta de Andalucía has recently approved 16 Sundays and public holiday openings for 2023. But while all of the big supermarkets and shopping centres remained open on both Maundy Thursday (April 6) and Good Friday (April 7), most will still shut up shop on Easter Sunday (April 9).
Across Malaga province, the following shopping centres are authorised to open throughout Easter Week: Miramar in Fuengirola, Rincón de la Victoria, Puerto Marina Shopping in Benalmádena, El Corte Inglés centres in Mijas and Marbella, La Trocha (Coín), La Verónica (Antequera), La Cañada (Marbella), El Ingenio in Vélez-Málaga, and Costasol Centro in Torremolinos.
Big stores such as Carrefour, Media Markt, Ikea, El Corte Inglés, Leroy Merlin, Conforama, and Verdecora and Muelle Uno shops will also stay open.
Back on track
We’ve all seen movies and read stories about the wonderful romance of the Orient Express, travelling cross country in luxury and style. But did you know that you can have a similar experience right here in Spain? Believe it or not, the state’s rail operator Renfe offers no fewer than three opulent overnight tourist services that take passengers on a magical journey across different regions of Spain.
Renfe’s sumptuous overnight tourist trains are just about to hit the tracks and will be up and running for the 2023 season on Saturday April 8. This year will mark the 40th anniversary of Transcantábrico Gran Lujo and the rail operator has promised that travellers will be highly impressed with the new and improved Al Andalus, which now offers a new route through Malaga.
The Transcantábrico Gran Lujo has been in service for 40 years now and in this time has made 1,511 departures lasting 8 days each, with a total of 60,510 passengers and 10,577 overnight stays on board the train.
This year, Renfe is offering travellers a luxurious 7-night tour along the Cantabrian Coast, between San Sebastián and Santiago de Compostela.
The modernised Al Andalus resumes its 7-day (6-night) trips on April 9 for its Andalucían itinerary which, in the 2023 season, includes the city of Malaga.
The trip runs in both directions between Seville and Malaga and on its route it passes through the Andalucían provinces of Cádiz, Granada, Jaén and Córdoba.
And finally, on May 20, Renfe’s third luxury offering, the Costa Verde Express, will take to the tracks, operating a 5-night trip between Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela.
If your travel requirements are on the more modest side there’s also plenty of good news, as passengers can still go absolutely free on all of Renfe’s Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distancia services.
The company has been offering complementary season passes in four-month cycles, and interested customers can already apply for the next stint, which will apply between May 1 and August 31.
In addition, users of Renfe’s Avant trains can benefit from a 50% discount, with new routes included on the medium-distance services between Ourense and A Coruña, Madrid and Salamanca and Murcia and Alicante.
As has been the case since the free travel measure was introduced, passengers will be asked to pay a 10 or 20 euro deposit, redeemable at the end of the four-month period.
It’s important to note that deposits will only be returned to passengers who have made at least 16 trips during the subscription period. Deposits made with credit cards will automatically be refunded while passengers who have paid with cash will have to apply at a station ticket office.
When the scheme was first launched, problems arose due to passengers booking seats on multiple trains and failing to cancel them. To prevent this issue, Renfe has implemented certain control measures: passengers will only be allowed to make four trips per day on the same route, and users will not be able to book two trips in the same direction until enough time has passed after the departure of the first.
If Renfe believes a passenger is abusing the system, for example by not cancelling unused seats, their season ticket will be suspended and their deposit won’t be returned. Customers will receive two warnings before their pass is cancelled.
There’s been much excitement in Andalucía this week since the operator announced it’s finally launching two brand new services to Madrid, one from Malaga and the other from Seville. The high-speed, low cost Avlo trains will run to the city twice per day from June 1 but tickets go on sale on April 12.
All of the Avlo trains will stop at Renfe’s intermediate stations – Antequera Santa Ana, Puente Genil, Córdoba, Villanueva de Córdoba, Puertollano and Ciudad Real.
One good reason to opt for a train this summer is that it will keep you off the roads, a good idea if you want to avoid crazy bus drivers like the one that was filmed in Murcia earlier this week.The outrageous and reckless antics of a bus driver going to extreme lengths to avoid being overtaken on a busy motorway in Lorca went viral this week, racking up more than 375,000 views in just 24 hours.
In the shocking clip, the motorist can be seen zig-zagging across lanes without indicating and hogging the middle of two lanes preventing other drivers from passing safely on the A-7 in Lorca, near La Torrecilla district. It's not clear whether or not the police are looking into the incident.
And it seems that train travel may well be the sensible option at the moment, since travel experts are already forecasting a huge bump in the cost of plane tickets long before the summer season arrives in Spain.
At the end of last year, the European Council agreed to tougher regulations on CO2 emissions for both the air and maritime transport sectors, with airlines warning that flight prices in 2023 could increase by around 5.5%. This week, S&P Global Ratings has done the math and warned holidaymakers of just how much air travel is set to cost.According to their figures, a plane ticket between London and Barcelona will soon go up by about 18 euros while travelling from the UK to New York will become a whopping 90 euros more expensive, and that’s each way.
The trouble, S&P believes, is that there’s really no cheap alternative to fossil fuels and as the cost of jet fuel rises and the EU cuts down on free polluting allowances, airlines have no choice other than tacking on the extra expense to tickets.
This situation leaves European airlines all European airlines "widely vulnerable," the expert added, and in all likelihood, carriers will begin focusing on destinations outside the European Economic Areas, such as Iceland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, to cut down on costs.
Tourism highlights
As if flights weren’t expensive enough, tourists travelling to the popular Balearic Islands will now have to fork out for toiletries that most take for granted as free in hotels, like shower caps, disposable razors, individual soaps and shampoo.
Hotels on the Spanish islands will now have to find less polluting alternatives to these single-use plastic containers and products as part of the new Law for Circularity and Sustainability in Tourism of the Balearic Islands.
With an eye on environmental and social sustainability, packs of disposable welcome products such as combs and toothbrushes that generate a large volume of waste and inevitably contribute to climate change will be eliminated.
The law goes beyond personal care products though and will also affect the free food and drinks usually found in hotel rooms, such as bottled water, tea and coffee sachets and chocolates. And that’s not all, as stationery amenities like pens, notebooks and pencils will also be removed from rooms.
Change of a different kind continues in Benidorm with the resort's skyline set to change drastically with the addition of three new high-rise apartment blocks.
Residential buildings are going up all the time in the Poniente area of Benidorm, an urban development sector that has been under construction at an almost frenetic pace since 2018 with the sight of huge cranes having become commonplace in recent years.
And this growth doesn't appear to be slowing down with the three new apartment towers adding almost 400 homes to the resort's portfolio scheduled for completion in 2025.
Similar to those that have been erected in recent years in the 2/1 Poniente sector, all three buildings will be high-rise, and one of them is set to become one of the tallest in Benidorm.
The largest of the three will be 40 storeys high, with the others reaching 30 and 24 levels and are part of the two new TM Real Estate Group projects.
In addition to its marine heritage, culture and cuisine, the Region of Murcia boasts an enviable climate and stunning beaches, so it’s hardly surprising international tourists spent the longest breaks in Murcia than anywhere else in Spain in February.
The average length of stay for overseas travellers visiting the Region was 12.52 days, almost double the national average of 7.55 days. A total of 41,431 foreign tourists arrived in February, compared to 35,504 during the same period in 2022, an increase of 16.7%, and they spent a whopping 43.7 million euros.
Murcia
The Region of Murcia possesses a rich marine heritage, due for the main part, to the long history of Cartagena itself as a trading port, and important focal point of military naval activity.
The whole of the Mediterranean basin provided a natural trade route for traders linking into Africa and the Middle East as well, as throughout the Mediterranean nations, allied to which was the natural abundance of raw materials within the Iberian peninsula: mineral ores, esparto grass, marble, shellfish which could be used to make dyes. And then there's the abundance of fish to make into sauces, all attracted the attention of the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Carthaginians.
And locals and visitors alike can find out more about this incredible heritage and more at ARQUA, Cartagena's Marina Archaeology Museum.
Located in the Paseo del Muelle Alfonso XII, next to the cruise ship terminal, this museum has been designed as a window into the world of underwater archaeology, the cutting edge building housing not only museum space but also storage, restoration and research facilities, in its role as the Spanish national centre for marine archaeology.
It holds an impressive collection of artefacts recovered from sites in the Region, and also acts as an educational facility, teaching visitors about the processes of marine archaeology, the techniques employed to locate, map and excavate an underwater site, as well as the technology used to catalogue, conserve or restore the remains recovered during the archaeological process.
The Region is also famous for its fertile land and is often called the "vegetable garden of Europe" - a mecca for foodies. And this week, Mazarrón town Hall launched a new gastronomic publication entitled 'D'Gusta Mazarrón' containing details of 58 restaurants across the municipality, from Los Llanos to Cañada de Gallego, and along the coastline from El Alamillo to Bolnuevo, including Puerto de Mazarrón.
The magazine aims to raise the profile of fresh local produce as well as promoting the eating establishments in the area. Texts are in both Spanish and English in order to make the information accessible to as many people as possible, and the publication is available from featured restaurants.
For more events like this coming up soon in Murcia and Alicante, check out our EVENTS DIARY:
Spain
Passengers on a Jet2 flight from Tenerife to Manchester were left traumatised this week when one of their fellow travellers tragically died on board. A medical emergency was declared around three hours into the flight on April 2 and the plane was diverted to Newquay in a desperate attempt to save the woman’s life.
One holidaymaker aboard the Jet2 LS756 flight described the “emotional” scenes: "Quite a few people were visibly upset and emotional by what was going on. She passed out, and they had oxygen on board and a defibrillator on board and started performing CPR. They did this for around an hour until we landed at Newquay”.
Two ambulance crews were waiting when the plane touched down on the tarmac in Newquay and the patient was carried off on a stretcher. A Jet2 spokesperson later confirmed that the woman sadly didn’t survive the ordeal.
It’s a tale as old as time, but countless unfortunate tourists still get caught out by holiday rental scams in Spain, where criminals advertise non-existent villas and apartments to hapless visitors in order to swindle them out of their well-earned cash.This time around, the Guardia Civil arrested 29 people and is investigating another 13. Dubbed operation ‘Rent Scam’, the investigation was launched last September after officers noticed a huge increase in the number of complaints related to fake rentals.
So far, 30 men and 12 women have been collared during coordinated raids in the provinces of Madrid, Toledo, Ciudad Real, Pontevedra, A Coruña, Valencia, Alicante, Castellón, Ibiza, Bilbao, Santander, Huelva, Cádiz, Málaga, Granada, Murcia, Barcelona and Tarragona.
In a swindle that has now become all too familiar, the fraudsters reportedly took photos of random properties and advertised them for rent on well-know online forums at much cheaper prices than the going rate. They would then demand payment up front, before the would-be holidaymakers ever set foot in Spain.
The mastermind behind this nationwide operation was a career criminal who is currently serving time behind bars for computer fraud crimes.
Alicante
This week saw a horrific crash that left one man dead and eight others injured when a work van carrying nine men careered off the AP-7 the Vega Baja region of Alicante province, and rolled over several times, landing on its roof with the occupants trapped inside.
The tragic accident happened as the men were heading to work in Pilar de la Horadada, and claimed the life of a 28-year-old who died instantly. After being freed by Alicante firefighters, six occupants were treated for slight injuries at the scene and two males, aged 19 and 28, were taken to the Vega Baja de Orihuela hospital.
In a separate incident, three people were hurt and seven vehicles damaged after a drink-and-drug driver crashed into a double-parked car in the centre of Torrevieja.
Elsewhere in the Vega Baja area, plans are afoot to rid a central part of Orihuela of traffic, or at least 80% of it, by giving Calvo Sotelo promenade a pedestrian-friendly makeover.
Traditionally, the only time the promenade is closed to traffic is when weekly street markets are taking place, and for the last century, the area has maintained the appearance of a 'boulevard' with narrow pavements on both sides and a central area, again flanked by roads on either side.
However, this is all about to change. Orihuela Council plans to completely remodel the area, and put an end to what has been panned "a pedestrian-unfriendly configuration".
The renovation is budgeted at 642,000 euros, of which 471,600 euros will be financed through a European 'Next Generation grant to support markets and commercial urban areas.
Staying in Orihuela, furniture chain JYSK this week opened a new outlet with discounts of up to 75% until April 12.
Since 2009, the Danish retailer has continued to grow internationally, and the latest opening in Orihuela Costa's Calle Ontario marks the Danish retailer's 111th shop in Spain, generating more than 1,200 jobs in total.And the furniture giant plans to continue its growth in Spain, with a goal of reaching 300 outlets in the not too distant future. As well as physical stores, the chain has an online shop, JYSK.es.
IMAGE OF JYSK HERE "In each (store) there is a clear Danish aesthetic and a marked Nordic line in line with the latest trends," said Carlos Haba, Country Director of JYSK in Spain and Portugal., adding that the company does not want to lose its Scandinavian essence, while at the same time offering "highly competitive prices".
Andalucía
In a shocking turn of events in Andalucía this week, British gang members Aaron Asquith, 25, and Edward Taylor, 39, have been released on bail by the Spanish courts despite being charged with the 2019 hit on British businessman Andrew Williamson.
The pair flew to Malaga in November and riddled the 39-year-old father of two as he left his Costa del Sol villa. Prosecutors believe Asquith fired the kill shot from a 9mm pistol while sitting in his Audi, as Taylor waited a short distance away in a getaway car.However, despite the serious charges, both men have now been released pending trial. They have had to surrender their passports and will need to sign in with the courts every two weeks.
They have both been charged with murder and unlawful weapons possession, although the gun used in the gangland slaying has never been found. According to the indictment, Williamson was killed as part of an ongoing feud between rival drug gangs.
In a tragic turn of events, a young Spanish amateur footballer has died after being stabbed in the chest "with a large knife" in a horrific, random street attack in broad daylight in Cádiz.
Francisco J. Naval Perez, 24, played for Chipiona CF, and was walking along a street in the town when he was stabbed at around 2pm on Saturday April 1. A 20-year-old suspect, also from Chipiona, has been arrested.
Investigators are struggling to find any connection at all between the victim and his attacker, as it appears the two didn’t know each other and had never even met.
The married father-of-one, known as Paco, was rushed to hospital but sadly died at around 2.30am on Sunday April 2.
The police have not released any further details, but according to a report in local newspaper La Voz de Cádiz, "Paco was talking to some friends in the street and was suddenly subjected to a brutal and deadly attack".
You may have missed…
- Irish government warns tourists against getting boozed up in Spain.
Ahead of the summer season, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has detailed a number of things that holidaymakers from Ireland should be wary of and top of the list? You guessed it: it’s alcohol. - Pubs, bars and hotels in Murcia can extend their opening hours during Easter and Spring Festival.
In a nod to the importance of Semana Santa for the tourism trade in the Region of Murcia, the Tourism Ministry has decreed that hospitality venues will be allowed to stay open two hours longer than what is stated on their licences during Holy Week and the Murcia Spring Festival. - Five forest fires tear through Alicante and Valencia countryside over the weekend.
Unseasonably high temperatures and a lack of rain have seen a series of forest fires destroy acres of vegetation in just 24 hours on the Costa Blanca. - More travel disruption ahead as air traffic control strike in Spain continues into April.
The Usca union has extended the partial strike of workers in the privatised air traffic control towers at airports across Spain to seven days in April, commencing on one of the busiest days of the year for the tourism industry, Easter Sunday. - Public holidays in the Region of Murcia agreed for 2024.
Public holidays for 2024 in the Region of Murcia have been approved with 12 non-working days confirmed, and a further two that will be determined by each of the region's 45 town councils.
Thanks for reading, as ever. That’s all we’ve got for you this week, but we’ll be back with more next week.
Have a great Easter!
