Date Published: 06/11/2021

Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Nov 6

It seems the change of month has well and truly brought in the winter weather now, with grey skies and showers a common occurrence across all areas of Spain this week. We were overdue a bit of winter by now after an uncommonly long warm spell hanging on after the summer, and it’s no surprise that the rain and clouds should come in all at once. After all, changing climate and shifting seasons seems to be becoming a more regular thing with each passing year, and is one of the most visceral effects of the destruction we’re reaping upon our planet by burning fossil fuels and cutting down its forests.

It should also come as no surprise then, that in the midst of all this Águilas in Murcia was the hottest place in Spain on Monday. The municipality in the southwest of Murcia sweltered with temperatures upwards of 30ºC over the bank holiday weekend, and other Murcian municipalities weren’t far behind with Cartagena (28.4ºC), Mazarrón (28.3ºC) and Fuente Álamo (27.9ºC) all coming in the top 10 hottest places.

Makes sense, then, that this week tourism in Spain and moving to live in Spain are on everyone’s lips…

¡A España!

London was hosting the World Travel Market this week, a trade fair for tourist associations to promote themselves and their regions and make deals to ensure increased tourism. From Spain, all the major delegates were there hoping to capitalise on British hoilidaymakers’ traditional obsession with travelling to Spain, a market share that they can’t afford to miss out on. According to data presented by the Association of British Travel Agencies (ABTA) at the conference, of the 62% of British people intending to travel abroad in 2022, about 29% of them plan to visit Spain.

The Region of Murcia was present at the WTM, trying to attract Brits to the region after a year in which it effectively ignored this lucrative market and sidelined the Brit community. Up until now, they have preferred to look inwards at domestic tourism as a means to solve the short-term problem of travel during Covid-19 instead of focusing on the bigger picture of fomenting long-term links with the international community that sustains the region.

It now seems they’ve cottoned on that one in every four international tourists who visited Murcia in the first eight months of 2021 was British, and the UK was the country that generated the highest tourist expenditure in this period (50.2 million euros!). Now the regional government is trying to backtrack and cater to the many British tourists already coming through their doors. Indeed, tourism figures have now exceeded pre-pandemic levels in terms of hotel bookings in Murcia city, where visitor accommodation between September 1 and October 12 reached an average occupancy of 64.28% and from October 15 to October 24 it rose to 71% – 9% higher than in 2019.

In addition, the Region’s capital city has launched new tourism campaign aimed mostly at national tourists which highlights Murcia’s natural history and culture. Posters for the campaign have been strategically positioned at two major metro stops in Madrid and the Alicante AVE station and more will soon be placed in Barcelona, Valencia, Albacete and Almería.

Andalucía is a region that has always recognised the importance of foreign tourism, and as such was an inevitable attendee. Andalucía is a popular destination with Brits, typically receiving a quarter of all UK tourists who arrive in Spain. If current tourism trends continue and no new restrictions are introduced, British travel agencies believe that Andalucía could welcome 1.2 million travellers from the UK in the first quarter of 2022 alone. In order to meet rising demand, Spanish delegates met with the main British airlines that operate flights to the south of Spain on Tuesday November 2, and it was agreed that they could put on the same number of flights as back in 2019.

Jet2 plans to offer about 400,000 seats on their aeroplanes to Andalucía next year, with 58 weekly flights to Málaga and ten to Almería from the UK, while discussions are ongoing about offering more connections with other airports in Andalucía. easyJet will also increase the number of planes in Málaga next year from two to five, while a similar guarantee is expected from Ryanair at the Tourism Innovation Summit (TIS) in Sevilla next week.

The town of Benidorm in Alicante province also made great efforts to attract Brits. Following a crippling 18 months in which Benidorm’s tourism sector has been brought to a standstill, the town’s Mayor attended the WTM with “the knowledge that the hospitality sector has worked well on the positioning of the resort’s brand since 2020,” in the words of an official communiqué from the town council.

This same statement said, “The sector has developed excellent protocols to ensure Benidorm is a destination that offers safety and a high level of confidence amongst British holidaymakers” but they have to make these assurances, of course, after last week’s announcement in Benidorm of a situation of “extreme risk” of coronavirus due to a 14-day cumulative incidence rate that is more than four times higher than the average in the Valencia region and the awareness raising programme for anti-Covid measures aimed specifically at British holidaymakers.

As if that weren’t enough of a blow for poor Benidorm’s tourist industry, which saw 20% of hotel reservations cancelled over the long bank holiday weekend, it seems that now regional politicians in the Valencian Community are determined to force shops, bars and other customer-facing businesses to address their public in Valencià. The new proposal would require them to speak in the Valencian language instead of Spanish, English or any other language their customers may speak.

Naturally, local business organisations are outraged and have reminded the regional parliament that they are not their personal serfs but are actually free to speak whatever language they like. It has also not been revealed quite how parliament expects foreign tourists to communicate with local shop owners, restauranteurs and hoteliers in the local Valencian dialect. It can be safely assumed that this ridiculous suggestion will be voted down before it is actually passed as law… but then again, who knows based on the way tourists are variously treated with sticks and carrots by this country.

So much for those who go to Spain on vacation, but what’s the best place to choose to live in Spain permanently?

According to a new study by Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) of the best and worst places to live in Spain, the north of Spain comes out pretty well: Navarra has been voted as the region with the best healthcare while Aragón tops the list for working conditions and Cantabria is considered the safest community.

For their part, people in Murcia are the ones who complain the most about noise and pollution (Mar Menor, anyone?), but they are also the ones who apparently find the most meaning in life overall. This should come as sweet music to the ears of anyone who has decided to live in Murcia, and they know full well the reasons for it. Life as an expat here is sweet.

In terms of purely material factors like income level, poverty and equality, however, Murcia comes out badly, as does Andalucía. Monetarily speaking, these may not be the most affluent areas, but it’s clear that these factors have nothing to do with how happy people are.

“As long as you’ve got your health,” people used to say, but worryingly healthcare and sanitary conditions in Murcia and Andalucía also came out the worst in Spain! Which brings us to…

Coronavirus

Spain continues to be one of the best countries in the world in terms of the Covid-19 situation right now. Daily cases hover around the 2,000 mark, and there are only around 56,664 active cases right now. Compare this with the UK or the USA, which have 1.5 million and 9 million active cases, respectively, and it seems that Spain is a great place to be right now (despite any supposed shortcomings in the regional healthcare systems).

As the first week of November comes to a close, however, Spain has been hit with the sad news that the country has re-entered the medium-risk level for Covid, surpassing the WHO’s 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants barrier.

Despite this, and after a rather slow start, the country’s vaccination campaign is still steaming ahead, with 88.7% of the target population now double jabbed. This fact warranted Spain’s mention in the English-language scientific journal The Lancet this week, with experts suggesting that the nation could be creeping toward the all-elusive herd immunity.

Regarding Covid vaccinations, the Ministry of Health made two important decisions this week. The first is that, for the time being at least, children under the age of 12 won’t be vaccinated. According to the powers that be, the jab simply carries too many potential side effects for youngsters compared to the benefits, and this population segment has thus far proven extremely resilient against the virus.

Secondly, there are no immediate plans to offer a third dose of the vaccine to the general population. At the moment, booster jabs are only being administered to people at increased risk, with the experts preferring to offer excess doses to third-world countries with a low vaccination rate.

In the Region of Murcia, authorities continue to take steps towards normality by removing coronavirus restrictions. This week, it was announced that customers in bars can now stand up and drink at their table instead of always having to be seated while taking a sip. If you’re having your coffee at the bar, though, you’ll have to be seated, and if you’re getting up to walk to the toilet you need your mask on. A lot of people probably didn’t know about the sitting/standing/drinking rule anyway when things already feel so normal in bars and restaurants now and you see people mostly doing what they want, even sitting down and smoking while sitting on the terraces again. Maybe it’s this sense of a return to normality that is leading the regional government to remove ‘restrictions’ that weren’t being abided by anyway.

Despite slightly higher daily figures over the past few days, the 14-day cumulative incidence rate in the Region of Murcia is still decreasing and now stands at 50.5 cases per 100,000 residents, slightly below the national average in Spain, while hospital admissions remain steady.

The government continues to plough ahead with third Covid vaccine doses in the Region for the old and infirm, and from November 1 residents over the age of 70 have also been able to request their annual flu jab, which is being administered alongside the coronavirus inoculation.

As for those who are still experiencing the effects of long-term Covid, a Cartagena-based company has devised a plan to cure some of the most common aftereffects: loss of taste and smell. The company, Marnys Natural Quality, has devised a training plan designed by medical specialists to help recover lost senses using aromatherapy.

Whilst the Valencia region had already moved into medium risk last week due to a Covid rebound, a study carried out by the Valencian Research Program on behalf of the Ministry of Health this week revealed up to 3,000 lives have been saved in the region and 7,537 infections prevented as a result of Covid jabs. Researchers also concluded there have been 981 fewer hospital ward admissions, 180 fewer ICU admissions and 171 fewer deaths due to vaccinations.

The Andalucía region recorded a total of 422 new cases of coronavirus on Friday November 5, the highest daily figure since September 25 when there were 425 new infections. This figure is significantly higher than the number of new daily infection registered the day before and the 338 new daily infections from this time last week.

Weather

There is a huge disparity in weather patterns throughout the country, with much of the south still experiencing sunny days while the northern half of Spain is battered by driving rain. The unsettled weather conditions are set to continue over the weekend with ten provinces on alert for weather warnings, according to the State Meteorological Agency, Aemet. Up in León, there’s even been a snow warning issued!

No rain or snow is forecast for the Region of Murcia this weekend, just a big dip in night-time temperatures. The southern half of the Region will narrowly avoid some of the more drastic temperatures drops, with temperatures reaching the mid to high teens along the coast, while further inland temperatures are expected to be between 6 and 12 degrees throughout the day, dropping even further in the early hours of Saturday morning. By Sunday and going into next week, temperatures at night are expected to plummet to well under 10ºC, with minimum temperatures as low as 0º in some inland areas, meaning that this weekend is definitely the time to get the duvets and blankets out!

In Alicante, following a month of storms, rain and wind, Alicante bid farewell to October with the warmest Sunday recorded since 2013. Several towns, including Benidorm and Rojales, exceeded 30ºC on Sunday October 31.

However, Aemet has issued a yellow alert for showers and occasional storms in Alicante throughout the weekend, with an accumulated rainfall of up to 20 mm/hr on the north and south coast of the province. In southern and central coastal areas, cloudy skies with probable showers and thunderstorms are likely, whilst the rest of the province can expect cloudy intervals, and the overcast and wet weather looks likely to continue into next week.

It’s a windy weekend in Málaga province in Andalucía, but not a wet one. While no rain is forecast for the Costa del Sol, temperatures will drop as low as 3ºC in places like Antequera and Ronda over Saturday and Sunday and going into next week, though the coastal towns of Fuengirola, Marbella and Torremolinos shouldn’t dip below 10ºC.

Murcia

As always, the news headlines in Murcia were dominated by the Mar Menor crisis this week, as the government vowed to invest 300 million euros into the lagoon, but the regional president, Fernando López Miras, remained sceptical, stating that not a single cent of the supposed budget has reached the Region yet. However, on a more positive note, a photograph taken of jellyfish in the lagoon landed Spanish photographer Ángel Fitor with a first-place win at the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards, showing just how valuable and beautiful the Mar Menor really is, even with all the political squabbling and recent contamination scandals.

There has been no shortage of misdemeanours in the Region this week, ranging from petty theft to fake propaganda to more serious crimes. By far the most shocking crime was that of a woman in Mazarrón who was part of a scam to exploit elderly British residents living alone. The carer, who was also British, had targeted a 90-year-old expat who was living alone in the municipality and who had no immediate family. The vulnerable victim was coerced into signing over her house and adding her supposed carer onto all of her bank accounts, allowing the woman to take over all of her savings and use them for her own expenses. Luckily, the Guardia Civil stepped in and the criminal has been charged with aggravated fraud, falsification of documents and unfair administration, but the police are still investigating the company who employed this woman as they believe there could be more victims in the area. Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Nov 6

At the beginning of the week, meanwhile, police in Torre Pacheco made two arrests after a spate of car thefts in the municipality caused alarm amongst residents and in Mula a man was arrested for mugging two pizza delivery men on two different occasions, after luring the unsuspecting employees to an isolated area of the municipality and threatening them with a knife.

Police officers also had to deal with widespread panic caused by a fake message circulating on social media and messaging applications which claimed that partygoers had been injected with AIDS at two nightclubs in Murcia city, but the authorities were quick to determine that there was no truth at all to these claims and have urged members of the public to remain calm and avoid re-sharing the false message, which could lead to unnecessary alarm.

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Spain

The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, joined dozens of other world leaders at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow this week to agree on practical actions to help the environment. Representatives of some 100 nations flew into Scotland on their private carbon-guzzling jets to commit to a series of measures aimed at “halting and reversing deforestation and land degradation” in the 85% of the planet’s forests which their countries covered by 2030. Meanwhile, Mr Sánchez himself pledged to allocate 1.35 billion euros to the climate fund from 2025.

The timing of the climate change summit is significant given that electricity prices in Spain reached an all-time high on Monday due to a continuing energy crisis. Electricity bills in October were 16% more expensive than the previous month, but suppliers have insisted that there is no truth to the rumours that there will be a power shortage this winter, nor blackouts like those expected in Austria. Even so, shoppers have been stocking up on gas-powered stoves and devices, just in case.

As part of the commitment to the fight against climate change, Spain has agreed to prohibit the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2040. A recent study found that 62.9% of Spaniards believe that their country should rely exclusively on electric vehicles by 2035, perhaps as a direct result of the soaring energy prices. The biggest supporters of electric travel are those aged between 18 and 24, who will come into car-buying age shortly.

They may be better off taking public transport, though, as the DGT Spanish traffic authority has once again had a busy week outlining the various traffic infractions that can lead to hefty fines here in Spain. They are currently remaining eagle-eyed against a common violation: driving too close to the car in front. Failing to maintain a safe distance on the road can land drivers with a nasty 500 euros fine as well as six points off their licence.

There are also several infractions that can land drivers in hot water without them even knowing. The DGT has outlined four breaches for which fines may not be issued immediately, such as when a car registration is caught on camera. The traffic authorities have recommended that people jump on their website to double-check if they believe they may have an outstanding fine.

It’s not just fines that are troubling drivers either, as the automotive industry in Spain is forecasting a ‘dark year’ for sales. A global shortage of semiconductors – essential microchips for most electronic equipment – has led to long delays in production, and car registrations in this country have dropped by 33% so far this year. In fact, last month was the second-worst October this century for car sales.

Proving that a drop isn’t always a bad thing, the positive news is that unemployment also fell in October for the first time in 46 years, with experts cautiously optimistic that that Spain is on the path to financial recovery.

Scientists on the Canary Island of La Palma are also rejoicing this week as the first indications that the volcanic eruption may be subsiding have been recorded. Sulphur dioxide levels in the air and seismic activity have both reduced, leading the experts to believe that the ordeal, which left thousands homeless, could be coming to an end. Meanwhile, so-called volcano tourists continue to flock to the island, clogging up the roads and posing great challenges for emergency services.

Two blood pressure drugs have been recalled from the market in Spain this week. The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS), which is overseen by the Ministry of Health, has issued an urgent recall for the drugs Coaprovel and Karvezide, both used to treat blood pressure. According to the agency, the medications have been withdrawn from market “for not meeting quality standards”.

Finally, expats and residents alike have been affected in one way or another by the merger between Bankia and Caixa Bank, and online banking customers are in for another upheaval this month as the old Bankia app is set to be replaced by the all-new CaixaBankNow system. While the change-over will happen automatically on November 12, the bank has warned that some features, such as the popular money transfer platform Bizum, could be out of action for a couple of days.

Alicante

While he was over in London at the WTM this week, president of the Alicante Provincial Council Carlos Mazón met with the Spanish Ambassador to the UK, José Pascual Marco, to address the situation of British expats on the Costa Blanca post-Brexit. One of the main topics on the agenda was the current 90-day limit (in a 180-day period) that means UK second-home owners face fines of up to 2,500 euros if they stay in Spain longer.

Mazón explained that “British residents are a source of wealth for us and one of our best ambassadors for UK tourism on the Costa Blanca”, adding that they are “essential” and should be allowed to stay in the region for six months in a row “in the same way Alicante and Spanish people can do in the UK”.

On a tragic note this week, two people were killed in separate road traffic accidents. In the first incident, a young man, whose age has not been released, died and his 18-year-old friend was rescued 20 hours after their car plunged 60 metres into a ravine in Alcoy. Twenty-four hours later, a 56-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed on the N-332 – one of Spain's most dangerous roads – in Pedreguer. The man sadly died at the scene and police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident.

All Saints’ Day of remembrance on Monday November 1 will be remembered for all the wrong reasons in Torrent after a man was shot dead and another suffered a fatal heart attack during a “gypsy clan” shooting in which a 20-year-old also sustained a bullet wound to the leg.

Elsewhere in the province, two employees were hospitalised following a toxic ammonia leak at an ice factory in Gandia Port. The two workers were trapped in a “difficult to access area” and, once rescued, were taken to hospital with a “guarded prognosis”. People living in and around the port were advised to close all windows and doors and remain inside as a precautionary measure due to the threat of a possible ammonia cloud. All access to the port was also closed and public spaces and terraces evacuated.

The region’s stunning beaches, landscape, castles and wineries are proving to be a huge hit with UK and US film producers who are currently scouting the Costa Blanca for ideal set locations. Alicante Provincial Council has organised a ‘familiarisation trip’ with international location scouts to showcase the region’s potential, visiting coastal towns such as Altea, Benidorm and Benissa.

Orihuela is also likely to be on the list of destinations boasting 11 Blue Flags for its beaches, and praise for the “excellent quality” of its waters in a recent report from the Institute of Coastal Ecology.

In contrast, environmentalists in Denia have warned that El Raset beach has become a “huge ashtray” after one million cigarette butts were recovered from just a small section of coastline. Determined to turn a “mountain of shame” into hope, the mound of fag ends are being recycled into notepads, flowerpots and coasters.

“In just two months we collected more than one million cigarette butts, 88 facemasks, mounds of rubbish and glass, and this was only in the area between the Red Cross post and the shrubbery near the breakwaters,” said Sustainable Culture Denia, warning: “El Raset has become the biggest ashtray and rubbish dump in Denia.”

Lastly, it’s all systems go on the creation of a new residential and commercial area in Alicante. The first phase of the 4.5-million-euro project to transform 130,000m2 of land for shopping centres, restaurants, gyms, schools, health centres, parks, residential use and parking in the Avenida de Benidorm area of Sant Joan d'Alacante got underway on Friday November 5.

Andalucía

In Andalucía’s Guadalquivir valley, there are fears of restrictions to water usage due to a drought that was declared earlier this week. Normally in October, the area along Andalucía’s longest river sees plenty of rainfall to fill up reservoirs and aquifers, but this year, only 10.2 litres of water per m2 has been collected and reservoirs are at just 27% capacity. Within the next 10 days the government is expected to announce a decree limiting the water usage for 4.3 million people in the communities of Andalucía, Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura, which are all served by the Guadalquivir’s water stations.

Down in Málaga province, though, they don’t seem to have any problems with resource management. In the city of Málaga, they’re happy to turn on the town’s Christmas lights later this month. Regardless of rising electricity costs, Málaga city plans to switch on its Christmas lights on the last Friday of the month as they do every year, which this year is November 26. The city has awarded a contract worth 3,690,787.80 euros to the Ximenez lighting company to do it for them, the same company that is doing the Christmas lights for Córdoba.

Visitors to the city will be able to see the traditional Larios lighting with its famous ‘Christmas Forest’, which will be up for a full 40 days in Málaga city, showing enormous arches with colourful angels, suns and Christmassy motifs.

The city is also bringing it’s finest selection of locally sourced and produced foods to three of the most popular weekly craft markets – La Merced, Soho and Muelle Uno. Look out for the ‘Sabor a Málaga’ stands for all manner of tasty local food from chorizo and embutidos to cheeses and olives.

Sad news in the provincial town of Pizarra where a 22-year-old Romanian died last weekend in a tragic car crash. The accident happened at around 8am on the A-357, at kilometre 44, when a car and a van collided head on. It’s not yet known what led to the accident, but apart from the man who sadly died four other people were injured in the crash, two of them in a critical condition in ICU at Málaga Regional Hospital.

Better news in the nearby town of Marbella, though, where it was reported this week that two tiny newborn puppies were rescued from inside the foundations of a house after getting stuck in a hole. Apparently the mother tried to hide her young to protect them from danger, but they got stuck. When the dogs’ owner realised what had happened, they called firefighters to come and dig a tunnel under the house. Within just 40 minutes, the adorable little puppies were free and unharmed.

You may have missed…

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Most fines reach drivers almost immediately when they break traffic laws, but there are a few that can leave people in blissful ignorance for months until the pesky fine arrives.

2. Movember fundraising event in Torre Pacheco: November 21.

As part of the international Movember campaign, Torre Pacheco has organised a fundraising day on November 21 in collaboration with local hairdressers to raise funds for prostate cancer research.

3. New smoking regulations in Spain consider raising the price of cigarettes.

To counteract the increase in smoking, Spain has submitted a number of measures for the update on anti-smoking legislation with the aim of reducing tobacco consumption by 34%.

4. Watch a palm tree bursting into flames in Murcia.

Incredible footage released by the emergency services in San Pedro del Pinatar shows the moment quick-thinking firefighters averted disaster by rapidly extinguishing a palm tree that had burst into flames.

5. Spangles Chorus winter and Christmas concerts in Murcia and Alicante.

The popular ladies a capella singing group is back for a series of gigs from now to the end of the year in bars and clubs across the Murcia Region and Alicante!

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See you next week, and happy Guy Fawkes’ weekend!

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