There is quite a lot of anger among ex-pats out in Spain at the moment ... in fact, we’re seething on two counts.
The first is the way some heavy-handed local authorities are preventing visitors and residents from enjoying themselves and, secondly, the BBC’s Last Brits Standing that is a mockumentary which, in our opinion, was totally wrong and negative throughout. The Costa is booming, not dying.
Last week hundreds gathered in the sunny Fuengirola port, as they have done for more than two years, for the usual Sunday refreshments and free music. The packed plaza was firstly entertained by brass bands accompanying a massive Norwegian Day parade. Then to one side of a bar two regular (licensed) buskers performed their skillful session, followed later by a singer at another bar opposite.
While in full swing the audience of mixed nationals with families were stunned and outraged as a Guardia Civil car pulled up and officers silenced and fined the buskers 500 euros on the spot and the bar opposite 4,000 euros. They said it was “for too much noise and no licence!”
Showing the police their licences, the buskers were curtly informed that “this licence is for the town not the port. You have 10 days to pay up.”
Once again, those in power are shooting themselves in the foot by stopping live entertainment for those who are spending money and creating employment here on the Costa. Both bar owners are considering their future there and it has left a very bitter taste with the many visitors to this port. What are some mayors doing with this iron-fisted approach? Live music is quite rare now on the Costa.
That one-sided documentary Last Brits Standing depicts the Costa del Sol as an unsuccessful area with rows of rundown empty tower blocks left abandoned due to the financial crisis. We can confirm that most of those blocks shown were created long before the worldwide crunch. On the contrary, the Beeb could have reported that the entire 500Km coastline is bustling and growing daily.
The first package holidays came to Torremolinos in the 1950s when Malaga’s dirt track runway attracted 850 passengers. By 1970 a record one million travellers came over and last year 13.7 million passengers passed through the monolithic new terminals.
Hotels are booming and property sales are rising. There are several extraordinary projects in the pipeline – for example, a Ferris wheel almost as big as The London Eye is to be placed in Malaga port as a welcome feature for the growing number of cruise liners which now visit it. And on the outskirts of Marbella a new 62,000 sq metre water park is planned with some never before seen features which is certain to create jobs and, hopefully, will attract up to a million visitors every year.
For decades there have been dozens of ex-pat cultural and recreational groups serving large areas of the coast, but more may probably need to be set up to accommodate a new influx of 55-plus retirees, replacing those who in recent months decided to repatriate back to the UK. This new breed of pensioner armed with substantial sums of money following the UK government pension reforms are withdrawing large chunks from their savings to purchase a property and live their days out here in the sun.
The Costa del Sol is likely to benefit from a new agreement allowing tourists from the United Arab Emirates to travel to EU countries without a visa. This would mean that UAE citizens could stay for up to 90 days within a six month period – lookout Marbella estate agents!
This open invite reminds me of a story told to us by someone connected with a large, secluded and secured villa near Estepona when a frequent visiting Arab gentleman brought along four friends. He bought brand new top of the range black Mercedes Benz cars for his colleagues to enjoy and on leaving the villa gave them to the staff as a gift!
And a touch of bling is soon to hit the sleepy village of La Cala with the opening of a restaurant by TOWIE star Elliot Wright. He recently took over one of the coast’s best-known venues which closed down some years ago and is totally re-vamping it. The beach side oasis is sure to attract some celebs and TV wannabes to the area.
Meanwhile, with Spain among the top few countries having a high population of obese people, the local authorities here are positioning hundreds of ingenious roadside fitness machines for young and old to work out on. They are used on a daily basis and they are hoping to get people out of the cafes and bars to exercise regularly.
Joggers, dog walkers and even drivers can be seen pumping away on some remote street corner.
