21.03.12 13:05:39
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COSTA DEL SOL NEWS
Page 6
COSTA NEWS, March 22-29, 2012
The Brits are coming
VIOLENT DEATH A 29-year-old man died in Málaga on Monday night after allegedly being stabbed by a neighbour. Emergency services were called to the García Grana district of the city where they attempted to stabilise the victim but were unable to save him. National Police have arrested a man who lives in the same block as the dead man who was married with a young child.
Local tourism authorities believe London Olympics will increase Costa visitor numbers By David Eade IN RECENT years the cry in the tourist sector on the Costa del Sol has been, "the Russians are coming". Their numbers in the tourist charts have increased rapidly and Russians have been keen investors in properties here. However this summer the slogan has changed to the Brits are coming - because it seems they want to escape the Olympic Games. Britons have always been the number one supporters of holidays on the Costa del Sol. This year their country is celebrating the Queen's Jubilee and millions of people will flock to the UK to take part in and to see the Olympic Games. To the delight of tourism chiefs here the response of many Britons has been to say they'll flee to the Costa. Local tourism expertsbelieve there will be a five per cent increase in the number of Britons holidaying in Málaga province this summer. Much of the credit goes to the Olympics but also to the increase in
the air tax which makes other popular long haul destinations far more expensive. While the number of Brits expected rises, tourism leaders fear Spaniards may stay at home because of the devastating effects of the economic crisis. Britons too are feeling the pinch but all the indications are that having a holiday is still a priority especially with the Olympics in town. The new UK environmental air tax increases the further you fly so flying to Spain will be much cheaper than going to North Africa and certainly the USA, Caribbean or Far East. Hence the British government has unwittingly refocused holidaymakers' attention on Spain and their favourite destination of old, the Costa del Sol. José Carlos Escribano, president of the hotel association on the Costa del Sol (Aehcos), is in no doubt on the importance of the Olympics in boosting local visitor
EMERGENCY CUTS The SMA medical union has protested over lack of staff at Ronda's emergency unit where two people left but were not replaced, causing lengthy waits for those needing treatment. The union says this is part of a budget cut back by the Serranía health authority, including the closing of the Ronda Norte emergency unit and t nursing hour reductions.
LAND STABILISING Brits are hoping to get away from it all this summer on the Costa del Sol
numbers. He believes many sports aficionados will stay in the UK for the sport's spectacular but equally a lot of other people will flee London and the Metropolitan area because of the queues and con-
Photo: EFE
gestion brought by the international event. The director of the Costa del Sol Tourist Board, Arturo Bernal, agrees with Escribano. He doubts whether the growth will reach two figures
but is confident it will be around five per cent more than the same period last year, which he hopes will bring UK tourist numbers to around the level they were before the economic crisis struck.
The ruling from Judge Óscar Pérez in Málaga's Court of Administrative Litigation number three brought celebrations amongst parents of the pupils when it was made known last Thursday. The judge also ordered all the legal costs incurred by the case to be paid by Benamocarra Town Hall. The move followed an inspection of the school by technicians earlier in the week to check on the claims made by the mayor. Education delegate Antonio Escámez said that the repairs which they had recommended could be carried out while the school was in use by students and teachers. He said that the 54 days during which the school was closed cost the Junta de Andalucía
almost 348,000 euros in transport and the use of the prefabricated classrooms, which he described as "an unnecessary expense." After the ruling was made known, Benamocarra town hall confirmed that it had lifted the closure order with effect from midday last Thursday and urged the education department to undertake the repairs identified in Tuesday's inspection as quickly as possible. Mayor Lucena pointed out that the technical report has identified shortcomings, including cracks in the exterior wall of the gymnasium, and repeated his warning about the walls surrounding the external area of the school, which he claims are in an unstable condition.
Benamocarra school reopens By Dave Jamieson THE secondary school in Benamocarra which has been closed on orders of the town's mayor has re-opened. A ruling from a Málaga court last week lifted the closure order with immediate effect.
La Maroma secondary school was closed for several weeks after Mayor Abdeslam Lucena claimed that there were potential safety issues with the construction. The school had previously been open and operating normally
for about three years. During its closure, the 204 students who attend the school were taken daily by coach to another school in Torre del Mar where they were taught in pre-fabricated classrooms.
Charity makeover day raises 500€ for Cudeca Press release ON MONDAY 5th March, Specsavers Opticas in Fuengirola held a fun fashion and beauty event in aid of Cudeca. Store Directors Judy Borland and Amrik Sappal pledged to match any donations raised during the event and made over 500€. This will help Cudeca continue to offer superb palliative care for patients with cancer on the Costa del Sol. Visitors to the fashion and beauty day included customers, local residents and representatives from Cudeca. Gill Steele, one of Cudeca's most dedicated volunteers was selected to receive a makeover and a free pair of glasses as part of this event. Laura Haggis Sottas from Cudeca explained why she was chosen. "Gill is a wonderful help to Cudeca, giving up
a huge amount of her time to assist our patients and to raise money. Without volunteers like Gill the charity could not run, so it's great to be able to show our appreciation through a bit of pampering."
During the event, Gill and all the other visitors were treated to free hair styling and makeup from Beso Salon. The Specsavers staff were on hand to give advice on which style of glasses suited them most and help guests pick out fashionable frames to go with their new look. To complete their makeovers guests were also able to browse the charity clothing rail for a bargain with all proceeds going to Cudeca. Specsavers will be fundraising for Cudeca throughout the year at the store on Avenida Ramon Y Cajal 6 (near the bus station). You can find out more about Specsavers Opticas in Spain at www.specsavers.es or visit www.cudeca.org to find out more about the charity.
Marbella taxi hike NEWS Staff Reporter TAKE a taxi in Marbella and you’ll not be charged by the old fixed tariffs but by new ones calculated on the time of day and distance travelled. Tariff 1 is from 6am- 10pm with tariff 2 operating during night hours, weekends and holidays. There’s a minimum charge of ¤4.40/ ¤5.50; ¤3 or 3.75 euros marks the start of the journey and the cost per kilometre is 91c or ¤1.06.
Residents of the El Chorro zone of Álora received good news last week with the announcement that work is to begin soon on stabilising the land around their homes, which has shifted due to the fluctuating level of the nearby reservoir used by Endesa for hydroelectric production. The land shifts have caused cracks in a dozen homes.
SCHOOL SAFETY Local police in Nerja are visiting the town's schools to educate students on road safety. They say the object is to instil in the children their role as a pedestrian or as an occupant of a vehicle, whether it is car, moped or motorcycle. The head of the local force, Antonio Navas, described such education as "fundamental."
ILLEGAL WORKERS Former Estepona PSOE mayor, David Valadez, wrote last September to Remedios Martel, the regional government's delegate in Málaga alleging 30 members of PP's youth wing worked on archaeological remains from the CHARE hospital site over three months without any contract or medical and safety cover. The PP administration insists the works were supervised by Málaga University and were above board.
NO PARKING
Luggage supplements are 50c for cases and golf clubs, 10c per shopping bag
Two underground car parks planned for Cártama and Estacíon de Cártama have been put on hold indefinitely. The town hall awarded a contract to build and operate the two garages in 2007, but the change in the economic situation made the €6 million project unfeasible for the company, and the contract has been rescinded by mutual agreement.