Edition 234
www.thecourier.es
Friday 14th August 2015
COSTA BOOM TIME
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ALEX TRELINSKI
A
licante-Elche airport’s figures reached a recordbreaking best last month, whilst Costa Blanca’s hotels are expected to be 90 percent full this August in figures not seen since 2008 when the recession started to kick in. July’s passenger figures for the airport at El Altet were the best ever monthly returns since the facility opened in the mid-sixties, with one and a quarter million passengers passing through its doors, a four percent increase on the same month last year. Domestic flight travellers went up by just over six percent, with a three point six percent rise in international passengers. Over half a million travellers were to and from the United Kingdom, way ahead of the next foreign group which was 100 thousand
Norwegians, and 77 thousand Germans. Over three thousand flights operated to and from Britain, followed by thirteen hundred domestic flights within Spain. Almost six million people have used Alicante-Elche airport in 2015, a three point six percent rise on the figures for 2014, which in themselves were record breaking. Hotel occupancy figures
for the Costa Blanca based on the first two weeks of the month coupled with future bookings are projecting a three percent rise on July, which in turn saw a two percent rise on last year’s returns. 2015’s figures overall are so far showing a five percent hike on what was produced over the same period last year. Increased bookings are being account-
ed for by more domestic tourists and a boost in visitors from Scandinavia. Another consequence of the busier hotels is that more people are being employed within the sector in the Costa Blanca region, with local hotel federation HOSBEC saying that almost three and a half thousand new jobs have been created locally in the first six months of 2015.
COSTA U TURN O
rihuela’s coastal councillor, Sofia Alvarez, has had her full local powers and title restored, just a few weeks after the new council led by mayor, Emilio Bascuñana, had watered down her responsibilities. The move comes
on the back of recent meetings between the Federación de Asociaciones de Orihuela Costa and Sofia Alvarez who produced a list of 45 things that needed doing urgently in the area including calls for better cleaning
services and infrastructure developments. The ruling Partido Popular in turn pledged to deal with some of the problems as a matter of urgency, including the criticisms about the lack of cleanliness in the area. The coastal councillor’s responsibilities were reduced and centralised in Orihuela City after the new PP-led administration took control after May’s local elections, with Alvarez having the title of councillor for Beaches, Tourism, International residents and Urban transport. The council says that the aim of the
COMING SOON Check out page 13 of this week’s Courier for details of a great new competition where your pet can win some great prizes in Pet Idol 2015, coming soon to The Courier newspaper and the website, thecourier.es
WHATSON’S TV VIEWS
The Courier TV Pull-out The latest news from tele-land 14th August - 20th August
Starts page 19
move is to provide better access to local services for the Orihuela Costa, as well as improving the structure of the organisation and the actual service they get.