Facelift for costa del sol beaches
The Costa del Sol, one of the pioneers of beach holidays in Europe, is keen to keep its standing as one of Spain's top tourist destinations and favourite relocation spots...
At a time when tourists are tightening their budgets, local and regional authorities recognise that staying at the forefront can only be done by making substantial investment in the area's main attractions. And the first recipient of the funds are the beaches.
Between them, the Andalusian regional Government and the Western Costa del Sol Association of Municipalities have agreed to make a joint investment of €5.6 million in the Costa del Sol's miles of golden sands. Over a dozen beaches stretching from Torremolinos - the place where package tourism began - to a rising star in residential tourism, Casares, are set to receive a share of the funding.
According to the Head of Tourism in the regional Government, Luciano Alonso, the Western Costa del Sol is "undoubtedly Andalusia's top tourist spot" and the investment will go some of the way to ensure it remains so.
The authorities are quick to point out that the investment is not being made to regenerate the beaches - often necessary after winter storms - but to make them more attractive. Exact improvements vary from one municipality to another - individual councils have prioritised requirements for their own beaches - but will mostly include the upgrading of facilities on the beach such as showers, the building of walkways or the installation of lighting. Some council, such as Fuengirola, will be using the funding to give all the resort's beaches a facelift and ensure they all look the same.
Work will start during the next few weeks and the Western Costa del Sol's beaches are expected to be showing the results of their facelift by Easter, one of the busiest times in the resorts. "This investment comes as a welcome boost to tourism in this part of Spain," says James González, Market Analyst at Obelisk. "Measures like this means the Costa del Sol can maintain its attractiveness among holidaymakers, an essential consideration for buy-to-let investors. And with 2009 showing signs of being ideal for opportunistic buying in Spain, better beaches at some of the best-known resorts make investment in the country more appealing."