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State of the beach of La Venus, in Marbella. SUR
Frustrated hotel owners demand action to improve state of some Costa del Sol beaches
Tourism

Frustrated hotel owners demand action to improve state of some Costa del Sol beaches

The tourism sector said the shores are one of the main draws of the destination but pointed out that there are some beach stabilisation projects that have been subject to three years of delays

Tuesday, 16 April 2024, 17:19

Hotel business owners on the Costa del Sol are frustrated over the state of some beaches along the coastal strip, claiming some projects to stabilise the shores have been delayed for up to three years.

The association that represents the sector (Aehcos) is calling on the Spain's ministry of environment to speed up the process, saying the destination's beaches are one of the main drivers for tourism in Malaga province and contribute significantly to the local economy.

Aehcos pointed out some of the projects that have been stalled since 2021 such as the Marbella beach between Venus and or the San Pedro beach, which has been at a standstill since October 2020. Aehcos said there are even longer delays with improvement work in Mijas (Playa del Bombo), which was recently badly affected by a storm on 9 March. Urgent action is also needed at Ferrara beach, in Torrox, and at the Baños del Carmen, in Malaga, Aehcos added.

Awaiting reports

"The tourism sector watches with great concern the inability of the administration to implement such necessary projects for the Costa del Sol and especially for Marbella," said Aehcos, which is particularly concerned about the situation of the Venus and Ancon projects, which went on public view in May 2021, and San Pedro since 2020. "These two projects, after more than three years' of delay, have been awaiting a report from the Junta de Andalucía for eight months. On the other hand, a third project, a breakwater in the central part of La Venus beach, promoted by Marbella town hall began its process in December 2022, although just a fortnight ago the Coastal authority issued a report which requires it to be put on hold," the association said.

Aehcos president José Luque said: "it is unacceptable that it is taking years for the environmental reports which slow down the projects enormously, and that the ministry is blocking the actions which do not seem to be getting resolved this year either".

Stagnating

Luque also pointed out that last October, tourism business associations set up a special beach committee, offering solutions for the coastline. "As a result of a meeting, last March the various tourism associations sent a letter to the Secretary of State Hugo Morán to invite him to come to Malaga to see the situation and to hear first hand about the projects to be carried out in the province. To date there has been no response," Luque said. "While other Mediterranean destinations are providing solutions to protect their beaches, projects on the Costa del Sol are stagnating," he added.

According to data provided by Turismo Costa del Sol and tourism analysis platform Travellyze, the sun and beach offer is the great magnet attracting tourists to Malaga province. In fact, in markets as important as the United Kingdom, the beaches account for more than 50% of the reason in their decision to travel. Aehcos also pointed out that in terms of destinations, a 2023 report shows that among the preferred destinations is Marbella and the surrounding area, the main ones affected by stalled beach improvement projects.

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surinenglish Frustrated hotel owners demand action to improve state of some Costa del Sol beaches