€175,000
Ta rg et re ac he d! !!
But the fight goes on...
Full details on pages 16-17 ISSUE NO. 1649
9 - 15 February 2017
A XARQUÍA - C OSTA T ROPICAL
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Mussel madness ‘€47 million hit’ to tourism from coastal farm
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
Fruity friction THE price of avocados has risen due to demand for guacamole from viewers of the American football final, the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, avacado farmers in Axarquia may be concerned by United States President, Donald Trump’s, announcement that he may impose a tax of 20 per cent on all Mexican products. See page 5
Clubbing together A GROUP of over 50 residents have come together to reject company Salsa Lario’s proposal to create an 18-hole golf course and 680 houses in Maro. The company owns
COALITION GROUP: Oppose the project as they fear it will damage tourism.
See page 7
Heroine honoured
By Simon Firth Plans to farm mussels off the Almuñecar coast will mean a €47 million loss to the region’s tourist industry and cost nearly 750 jobs, it is claimed. Opposition to the project, off the coast at Punta de la Mona, is being led by the town’s mayor, Trinidad Herrera. He heads a coalition of business groups linked to tourism, and political representatives, who claim any advantages to the local economy from the new business will be more than outweighed by the scheme’s adverse effects. The farm would generate business worth an estimated €5 to €8 million for the local economy, but, he claims, only about 10 to 20 people would be employed. Herrera leads a coalition
around 250 hectares of land around Maro which includes two million square metres being used for the golf course and housing development.
VELEZ-MALAGA councillors have visited the grave of local philosopher and writer, Maria Zambrano, on the 26th anniversary of her death. The of groups including hoteliers who represent residential-based tourism, sportbased businesses including diving and boating, and a number of councillors who fear it will damage Almuñecar’s international image in the competitive market for overseas tourists. In a lengthy report the scheme’s opponents point to the cumulative financial losses the region will have to withstand based on the knock-on effect of reduced incomes for so many businesses. “It is more difficult to quantify the impact or damage such a project would
have on the brand image of Almuñecar as a tourist destination,” he said. But the presence of the farm places hurdles in the way of those renting or buying a coastal home, anyone considering a berth in the marina or people involved in water sports, all of which damage the marketing image of the area, said Herrera. “Any benefits would only go to enrich the company involved,” he said. The mussel farm platform will be located directly in front of “an important
tourist space for the municipality.” The report opposing the scheme has now been handed to representatives of the Andalucian government’s agriculture and fisheries sectors without whose backing the scheme cannot go ahead.
philosopher, who was born in the town, was exiled from Spain by General Franco for her involvement in the Spanish Civil War. See page 15
Win a Car! YOU CAN STILL BE THE WINNER OF A CAR! SEE PAGES 8 - 9