Celtic Invasion for Valencia

Benidorm today is preparing the last details for the Glasgow Celtic Supporters Convention 2006, which some 40,000 fans are expected to attend.

Yesterday, several thousand supporters were already in the holiday town, visiting the beaches and bars, as the final touches were being put on the huge marquees that have been erected around the Foietes stadium.

Benidorm Security councillor, Jose Ramon Gonzalez, stated that the Local and National Police forces were on special alert for the event, and they also counted on reinforcements from the Scottish police.

The convention will last a week.

Some 3,900 barrels of beer await the fans, who are expected to consume 180,000 litres during the event

Hoteliers Hit by Tourism Figures

The latest report from tour group Exceltur has revealed a change of habit in the hotel stays of foreign tourists.

According to the group, the average stay of any foreign tourist was 12 days in the year 2000.

However, that has now decreased to just nine days last year, with the consequent losses of some 106 million Euros in income for hotels on the Costa Blanca.

In Spain as a whole, the reduction in hotel stays led to losses by the various establishments of 884 million Euros last year.

These figure contrast with those presented yesterday by Milagrosa Martinez, the regional Consellera for Tourism, who stated that foreign visitors to the Valencian Community have increased last year by 9.5% - three percentage points above the national average.

First Russian Orthodox Church in Spain

The Russian Orthodox Church of the Archangel Michael in Altea, Spain, under the patronage of Maestro Mstislav Rostroprovich will be the first-purpose-built Russian Orthodox church in Iberia constructed of wood in Archangel North Russian style. It is located on Spain’s Costa Blanca where there is a new Russian community.

LOTERIA NACIONAL: The Spanish National Lottery

LOTERIA NACIONAL: SPANISH NATIONAL LOTTERY DRAW

December 22nd draw started this morning. As a visitior you may have wondered about the radio broadcasts & speakers in towns in Spain with children singing out numbers. Now you know that is the draw for the National Lottery. With 1000's of winning combinations & gigantic prizes be sure to log on to www.onlae.com , enter your ticket number & check if you are a winner! Good Luck to all!

14 confirmed cases of Legionella in Torrevieja

The Health Conselleria of the Valencian Government has confirmed that there are fourteen cases of legionella confirmed in Torrevieja, a vast number of whom are foreigners.

Of the fourteen, ten are in hospital, two in intensive care, two are being treated at home whilst a fifteenth case is still under analysis.

It is believed that the cases came about due to a problem with the local water purification plant, and as a preventative measure all the fountains of the town have been cordoned off and a decree has been issued preventing watering by spraying.

Costa Blanca Healthy Population Growth

Figures recently published by the national Statistics Institute have revealed that the Marina Alta area of Alicante Province has seen a considerable rise in population over the past five years, now totaling 175,000 people.

At the same time several towns in the area have seen their populations increase by more than 50%. Top of the list is Lliber where the population has risen by 69%, followed by the Poble Nou de Bentitatxell with a 64.7% increase, Murla where the population has risen by 54.7% and Calpe, which has noted a 50.5% increase.

Other towns in the area have also increased their population, but not so notably. Denia, the capital of the Marina Alta, only saw a 32.3% increase, Javea rose by 22.1%, Benissa by 18.4%, Teulada/Moraira by 28.5%, whilst Pego only saw a 6% increase.

150 years of package holidays...and going strong

William Green from the Yorkshire Posts article is an interesting overview:

EVEN though the modern holidaymaker can book cheap flights at the click of a mouse, the package holiday is as popular as ever 150 years after being launched.

Back in 1855, Leicestershire cabinetmaker Thomas Cook arranged the first-ever package holiday for 40 people, visiting Germany, Belgium and France by sea and rail.And despite current trends for destinations off the beaten track, about 20m holiday packages were taken last year – roughly the same number as for the previous four years and accounting for a third of all trips booked abroad.

The package holiday has also survived the rise of low-cost airlines and cheap web deals which experts were only a few years ago predicting would sound the death knell for traditional high street travel agents.The findings have emerged from a survey by travel firm Thomas Cook to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first overseas package holiday.

The top destination for tourists from Yorkshire is Majorca, followed by Tenerife, Lanzarote and the Algarve. Gran Canaria, Costa Blanca, Zante, Ibiza, Turkey and Cyprus are also in the top 10 destinations.

Manny Fontenla-Novoa, chief executive of Thomas Cook UK & Ireland, said: "Everyone is always quick to say that the package is coming undone but that is simply not true."Our data shows that, far from dying a death, the package holiday is experiencing something of a renaissance."He said people appreciated the benefits of booking a package with a bonded travel company, in light of recent natural disasters and international terrorism.

Tony Hopkins, the firm's tour operations director of product and publishing, said: "The package holiday is not limited to two weeks in Torremolinos anymore. Today's sophisticated package holidaymaker is more likely to be going to Croatia, Turkey, Brazil, or Cuba."He said British travellers increasingly wanted the best of both worlds, adding: "On one hand, they want to holiday off the beaten track... But, on the other, they want to be in a comfortable environment where as much is sorted out for them as possible. So the modern package holiday has many benefits."

Car Give-Away at This Is Spain Exhibition

THIS IS SPAIN EXHIBITION - 2nd, 3rd, 4th December, 2005
NEW VENUE IN LOS MONTESINOS, 200 METRES FROM THE TOWN HALL

Hundreds of exhibitors offering everything from property to pools, from solar panels to security systems and from languages schools to diving schools. There will be a top prize giveaway of a brand new Kia Picanto

This is the fifteenth THIS IS SPAIN exhibition organised by Christine Roche and her team. Previous exhibitions have taken place in La Zenia, Benijófar, Calpe and Javea.

They are unique in the South Costa Blanca area and are constantly increasing in size and importance. At this exhibition there will be more than 150 stands and it is hoped that there will be between 10,000 and 12,000 visitors.

FRIDAY 11 a.m.- 6 p.m; SATURDAY/SUNDAY 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
For all details of this event please call 627 409 881 or 965 325 564
e.mail: vivachristine@yahoo.co.uk
www.thisisspain.info

Green Prize for Welsh developers

WELSH developers building environmentally-friendly homes in Spain have won an international award for their 45m project.

The Harrial Group, which is headed by husband and wife partners Linda and Andrew Jones from Abergavenny, believes inland Spain is about to experience a property boom.

Their development in the south-eastern city of Murcia has won in the Best Architecture category in the 2005 Bentley International Property Awards.

They have now begun their most ambitious project, Las Torrentas, a 150-home development in the Spanish countryside town of Calasparra.

Property prices are about 15 to 20% less than on the Costa Blanca.