CalpeNoticias EN

Calpe continues to add to the number of tourism establishments committed to the continuous improvement of their services and customer care. This morning, seven new tourism companies and services received the SICTED tourism quality award from the mayor, Ana Sala, and the councillor for tourism planning, Mireia Ripoll. The companies that obtained the award in 2022 have also renewed it, bringing the total number of businesses in Calpe with this recognition to 45.

This year, the following establishments have obtained the SICTED award: A.R.T Beauty Salon, Centro Salufit, Enigma Restaurante, HomeinCalpe, Interhome, Plusholidays and Restaurante Baydal and have been renewed by Audrey's Restaurant, Beat Restaurant, Casa Cultura Jaume Pastor i Fluixà, Centro de Buceo Dive&Dive, Club Náutico Les Basetes, Komfort Restaurant, Mare Beach Restaurant, Museo de Historia de Calpe and Restaurante Puerto Blanco.

SICTED, the Spanish acronym for the Integral System of Spanish Tourist Quality in Destinations, is a project to improve tourist destinations promoted by the Secretary of State for Tourism with the support of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces. Calpe joined this programme in December 2020, as part of its commitment to offer a competitive tourist destination.

To obtain this recognition, companies have had to meet a series of requirements such as participating in training modules, individual and collective technical assistance, improvement groups and evaluations, although, as announced by the Secretary of State for Tourism, a modification of the methodology for awarding these distinctions is planned as of this year and will be ready in June.

The Councillor for Tourism Planning, Mireia Ripoll, emphasised that ‘today we are going to celebrate the work you have done, the collective effort to make Calpe bigger and of higher quality, we continue to work together so that SICTED continues to grow and more and more companies join’.

‘This recognition is the result of your commitment to excellence, which guarantees that our municipality will continue to stand out as a leading tourist destination. Your perseverance and effort are essential to consolidate Calpe's image as an excellent destination,’ said Ana Sala, who together with Mireia Ripoll congratulated the companies of Calpe for their involvement in the project and their dedication to making Calpe a higher quality tourist municipality.

Calpe City Council has opened the call for entries for the 13th edition of the ‘Antonio Ferrer, El Cartero’ National Amateur Theatre Contest. This event, which has established itself as a benchmark in the national amateur theatre scene, will take place in November 2025 at the Jaume Pastor i Fluixà Cultural Centre.

The contest, which is free of charge, will be held on Sundays 9, 16 and 23 November at 6.30 p.m., culminating in the awards ceremony and closing on Sunday 30 November at the same time. The Contest is open to amateur theatre groups from all over Spain who wish to present their productions to the Calpe audience and a specialist jury.

The performances will take place in a space equipped to offer the best technical conditions to the participants, allowing each company to show their work in a professional environment.

Registration will be open from 12 March to 31 July 2025 via the Calpe Town Council website (www.Calpe.es), using the form SUB15 - Application to Participate in the ‘Antonio Ferrer, El Cartero’ National Amateur Theatre Contest. The rules and regulations can be consulted in the BOP No. 59 of 25/03/2024 and the 2025 call for entries has been published in the BOP No. 48 of 11 March 2025.

The selected groups will compete for different awards, including the Best Performance Award (1,500 euros), the Best Director Award (1,000 euros), the Best Actor and Actress Award (500 euros each) and the Audience Award (700 euros). In addition, the organisers of the event will cover accommodation expenses for the selected groups, with the aim of facilitating their participation and promoting cultural exchange between the artists and the local public.

The jury will be made up of professionals from the world of theatre, critics and the performing arts, who will evaluate the plays based on criteria such as the quality of the acting, the stage direction, the originality of the proposal and the staging. Aspects such as the cohesion of the cast and the impact of the play on the audience will also be assessed.

The Contest has become a showcase for amateur theatre, with previous editions welcoming companies from different regions of Spain who have presented works of various genres, from comedy to drama, including classical adaptations and innovative proposals. Each year, the event attracts a loyal and diverse audience, consolidating Calpe as a benchmark in the amateur theatre scene.

From today, a sculpture of the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of sailors, welcomes all those who enter the port of Calpe. The sculpture, which the Calpe City Council has installed in the port area, was unveiled at midday today.

This sculpture, designed by the artist Arturo Serra Gómez, is intended as a tribute by Calpe to the seafaring family and was originally scheduled to be installed in 2024 to coincide with the celebration of the centenary of the Fishermen's Association. However, delays in administrative authorisations prevented it from being installed last year.

The sculpture was created by the sculptor Arturo Serra and cost €155,000. The work represents the Virgin of Carmen, patron saint of sailors, according to traditional iconography, that is to say, with the child in her arms and the scapular in one hand, on a pedestal of the offering of flowers, and accompanied by three (anonymous) bearers and a child, representing three generations (grandfather, father, young man and child).

The pedestal is completed with details related to the marine world: a fishing net and a thick knotted ship's hawser. The pedestal also incorporates the plaque with the commemorative text.

The base with the figure of the Virgin and Child is approximately 3 metres high and is made of bronze with a thickness of 7 millimetres. The sculpture has been installed on a 19 m2 area of urbanised land at the entrance to the port and the image faces the sea to welcome sailors as they arrive at the port.

At today's ceremony, which was attended by the regional director of Fisheries, Juan Planelles, the sculptor, Arturo Serra, said that ‘the sculpture is intended as a tribute to the seafaring family represented in the four generations accompanying the image of the Virgin’.

The head of the brotherhood, Paco Catalá, said that ‘this image also symbolises those who came before us, those who dedicated their lives to the sea and are no longer with us’.

For her part, the mayor, Ana Sala, declared that ‘this is Calpe's tribute to the brotherhood on its centenary, a well-deserved tribute, especially in these difficult times for the sector. We support the Brotherhood in its struggle and its demands in the face of the cuts in fishing days’. The event ended with a performance of the traditional maritime hymn by the group Solera Artística.

Friday, 14th:

• 7.30pm - Celebration of the Cristo de Marzo. Holy Mass and Stations of the Cross through the old town.
• Lesya Yavorska Exhibition. Exhibition Hall of the Old Town Hall, until 29 March.
• Exhibition Alamar by Francis Rubio. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until 31 March.

Saturday, 15th:

• 12h - Inauguration of the Sculpture ‘Mare de Déu del Carmen’. Avenida del Port.
• 17 h – Role-playing workshop. Youth Club (Punt Jove - plaza de la Constitución).
• 19:00 - Concert by the Valencia Philharmonic Society Chamber Orchestra. Auditorium.

Sunday, 16th:

• 11 am – Free guided tours of the historic centre of Calpe. Registration required: 965836920 / 965 83 85 32 / turismo@ajcalpe.es. Maximum 25 people per group. Meeting point: Casa de Cultura.
•   5 pm – Youth Challenge – New challenges. Youth Club (Punt Jove - Plaza de la Constitución).

Last week, the Casa de Cultura Auditorium hosted the Calpe Music Festival for the DANA flood to raise funds for two musical entities affected, specifically, La Unión Musical Catarroja and La Unión Musical La Artesana de Catarroja, which suffered serious material damage.

Various local artists performed free of charge at a gala that was a complete success, both in terms of the audience - the auditorium was completely full - and in terms of the quality of the participating artists. As reported at the interval of the event, the amount raised reached 6,620 euros. The organisers also offered a ‘zero line’ for those who were unable to attend the event.

The organiser of the event, Batiste Pastor, distributed the amount raised between the two music bands in the town of Catarroja, transferring 3,310 euros yesterday, Wednesday, to the account of the Societat Musical Unió, and another 3,310 euros to the account of the Sociedad Musical L'Artesana.

The presidents of both bands, José Peiró, president of the Unión Musical de Catarroja and Oscar Guillem, president of the Unión Musical La Artesana de Catarroja, have expressly thanked the citizens of Calpe for their solidarity.

One positive aspect of the recent rainfall has been the rise in the level and recharge of the Lucifer well in Vall de Laguar, the main aquifer that supplies water to Calpe. The Lucifer Well is at full capacity, with 249 litres per square metre collected so far this month and 427 litres per square metre so far this year.

The water accumulated after the latest rainfall guarantees supply for the whole of 2025. Even so, the Town Hall and Aguas de Calpee are urging responsible water consumption and are continuing to work on renewing the pipes and optimising the systems to achieve more efficient consumption, as well as having other contingency instruments in place, such as the Barranc Salat desalination plant.

In addition, the project for the construction of a second well next to the current Lucifer Well is already in the drafting phase. Last January, the Provincial Council of Alicante granted the Mancomunitat de Calpe, Murla i La Vall de Laguar-Pozo Lucifer a subsidy of 400,000 euros for the construction of a second well in the Vall de Laguar.

This new infrastructure, which will be located some 400 metres from the current well, will ensure the supply of drinking water in the event of a breakdown in the existing well, reinforcing the water security of the municipalities of Calpe, Murla and La Vall de Laguar.

This is a back-up infrastructure, which will not involve the extraction of more water, but will be used exclusively to guarantee the supply in case of incidents in the current Lucifer well.

The work will be carried out directly by the Provincial Council of Alicante and the amount of 400,000 euros will cover the total cost of the work. The works are expected to be completed in 2026.

The Plenary Session of Calpe Town Council will initially approve the regulations for the use of the municipal swimming pool which establishes the rules for the use of and access to the sports facilities for the public. The aim of these regulations is to optimise the use of the swimming pool, guarantee safety and promote the practice of sport among the population.

The regulations establish a series of mandatory rules that affect the general use of the facilities, the services offered, the supervised activities and the swimming courses. Among the measures included are the rules of access, the conditions for registration in activities, and a protocol for the use of the facilities.

The regulations cover, for example, the use of changing rooms and lockers, which will be available to users on payment of a deposit of 1 euro, which will be returned once they have been used. There are also rules for minors, who must be accompanied by an adult if they are under 9 years old.

Regarding swimming courses at different levels and for different age groups, the regulations govern the ‘ratio’ for each class. Thus, for example, in the case of the course for 3 to 5-year-olds, the number of pupils per instructor will range from 4 to 8. In the case of free swimming, the maximum duration of each session will be 60 minutes.

To guarantee the safe use of the facilities, certain behaviours are prohibited, such as eating in the bathing areas or the use of materials not related to bathing. Furthermore, in order to offer the service to as many users as possible and to ensure that reservations are actually used, the third non-use of the reservation without just cause, and without being cancelled sufficiently in advance, will result in the inability to make reservations for activities during the following week.

The proposed regulation will be subject to a 30-day public information period, during which citizens may submit allegations and suggestions. In the event that no allegations are submitted, the regulation will be considered definitively approved and will be published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Alicante.

The Calpe City Council has presented the Integrated Action Plan to the call for EDIL Plans (Strategies for Local Integrated Development) of ERDF funds, which has a total budget of 12,260,500 euros, 60 percent of which would be subsidised through these European grants.

The Integrated Action Plan (PAI) is a document required to be eligible for this call for proposals; it is based on Calpe's Urban Agenda and includes three strategic projects for the sustainable urban development of Calpe: the remodelling of the Paseo Marítimo de la Fossa and the Plaza Mayor and the construction of the 21st Century Tourist Office, which are now eligible for these European funds. The Calpe Integrated Action Programme highlights the transformative capacity of these initiatives for the municipality - a requirement established by the EDIL Plans call for proposals - as they will favour a more inclusive, sustainable and innovative urban development.

In fact, these projects aim to improve the capacity, accessibility and adaptation to climate change of these public spaces, as well as integrating them into the Calpe Smart City project.

The refurbishment of the Fossa seafront promenade is the project with the largest budget, a total of 9,070,000 euros, and aims to modernise and improve this infrastructure, built in the 1970s and which is significantly deteriorated not only due to the passage of time but also due to recurrent damage from increasingly intense storms caused by climate change.

The project will consist of redeveloping the seafront promenade by reinforcing and replacing retaining walls and renovating the pavement, as well as improving its green areas. In this sense, flowerbeds and planters will be redesigned and climate shelters with native vegetation will be created to provide shaded areas and adapted furniture. The supply, sanitation and electricity networks will also be renovated - with LED lighting to improve energy efficiency - as well as street furniture and architectural barriers will be removed. The project also includes inclusive play areas for children with functional diversity, as well as a new tourist office in the Plaza del Mediterráneo equipped with interactive digital information systems, among other actions.

The remodelling of the Plaza Mayor, meanwhile, has a budget of 2,300,000 euros. With 9,586 m², it is the town's busiest space, hosting 95% of Calpe's cultural activities, events and celebrations, and is currently in a state of disrepair with problems of leaks in the car park located underneath. With this project, as well as solving this problem, the aim is also to adapt it to climate change with the introduction of a system of textile awnings and misting systems as well as vertical gardens and green roofs to increase vegetation and improve thermal comfort. It should be remembered, in this sense, that the square is currently a surface without shade, which limits its use in summer. In addition, this project will see the installation of solar panels and improvements to accessibility with the elimination of architectural barriers.

Sustainable mobility will also be promoted with car parks and recharging points for bicycles and electric scooters.

The 21st-century tourist office has a budget of 890,500 euros. It will be located in a building that the Town Council acquired in 2018, on Llibertat Street, in the heart of the historic centre. It will replace the current premises in Mosquit Square, which have become obsolete in terms of digital equipment, accessibility and space to serve its 62,000 annual visitors.

The aim is to create a modern centre equipped with cutting-edge technology to promote Calpe's tourist attractions as part of its goal of becoming a smart tourist destination. In fact, it will involve a new concept in tourist service as it will be provided through new technologies, not only through electronic brochures or digital screens but also by offering visitors immersive experiences.

With a surface area of 180 m², it will have a ground floor open to the public, visually connected to a small square. The first floor will house offices and a terrace with a multipurpose space for events and will have photovoltaic panels. It will also have a bicycle and scooter parking area with electric recharging points and a container return point.

‘The PAI Calpe lays the foundations for a more inclusive, sustainable and innovative urban development. Its implementation will consolidate the town as a benchmark in accessibility, digitalisation and environmental resilience, improving the quality of life and its positioning as a tourist destination in the Mediterranean,’ said Marco Bittner, councillor for European Grants and Funds.

The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal lodged by the company Deborja S.A. regarding the land occupation in the Las Salinas area. In February last year, a ruling by the High Court of Justice dismissed the claims of the company Deborja S.A., which was seeking compensation of €61,651,947 on the grounds that the privately owned salt flats were occupied for public uses and services. The company appealed against this ruling to the Supreme Court, which has ruled that it is inadmissible, making the decision final.

Deborja's initial appeal was brought against Calp Town Council, the Alicante Provincial Coastal Service and the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition on the grounds that the privately owned salt flats were occupied for public uses and services, including the drainage and pumping of seawater into the lagoon.

The Salinas de Calp are included in the catalogue of wetlands of the Valencian Community and have the municipal classification of special protection non-developable land. However, in order to maintain the water level of the area and guarantee its biodiversity, a water pipe was built to bring water from the sea that runs under Luxemburgo Street, not over Las Salinas or on land owned by the company.

Last year's Supreme Court ruling determined that the City Council should remove the installation of elements such as signposts with explanatory signs, waste bins, a bench, a footbridge and a wooden screen placed to allow ornithological observation.

That ruling dismissed the company's exorbitant claims for compensation, but as it was not final, an appeal could be lodged, which has now been dismissed.

The Mayor, Ana Sala, has expressed her satisfaction with the outcome of the appeal and has stated that ‘our interest has always been to protect the Las Salinas wetland and to guarantee the ecological value of this ecosystem. This resolution reinforces the municipal actions in terms of the protection of the area’.

Friday, 7:

• 12h-Institutional declaration on the occasion of Women's Day. In the Saló Blau.
• Lesya Yavorska exhibition. Exhibition Hall of the Ajuntament Vell, until 29 March.
• Exhibition Alamar by Francis Rubio. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until 31st March.

Saturday, 8:

• 11am - Art for 8M. Street workshops, collective painting and ceramics. C/ De Fora. Organised by ADA.
• 5pm - 8M Mural. Youth Club (Punt Jove - Plaza de la Constitución).
• 7.39pm - Calpe Music Festival for DANA Flood. In the Casa de Cultura Auditorium.

Carnival in Calpe:

• 5 pm – Kids' Carnival: lively parade, mini disco, children's entertainment, snacks for the children..., organised by this year's Festeros (festival organisers) with the collaboration of the Town Council.
• 11 pm – Falkata on Tour concert with Xavi Plastik and DJ Syfo, organised by the Department of Youth; bars run by the Festeros.

Sunday 9th:

• 11 am – Free guided tours of the historic centre of Calp. Registration required: 965836920 / 965 83 85 32 / turismo@ajcalp.es. Maximum 25 people per group. Meeting point: Casa de Cultura.
• 12 noon - Twinning mass for Easter brotherhoods and guilds. Parish of La Merced.
•    5 pm - Kahoot competition. Youth Club (Punt Jove - Plaza de la Constitución).

Calpe Town Council is already preparing an ethical management programme for cat colonies with the aim of regulating and improving the coexistence between urban cat colonies and citizens, as well as improving the quality of life of community cats. This is an obligation stipulated by state and regional animal welfare regulations which establish that cat colonies are the responsibility of local councils, and to this end they must develop cat colony management programmes.

The ethical management programme aims, on the one hand, to control the feline population in the municipality through the T.S.R. method, trap, sterilise and return, which has been shown to be the best system for this, as well as for maintaining the health of the cats. The programme will establish the locations of the cat colonies as well as the people who will be authorised to feed the cats, for which they will need a feeder card. Likewise, through this programme, measures will be established to guarantee the health care of the cats and, finally, the aim is to minimise inconvenience to the public, as well as to encourage collaboration between animal protection associations and volunteers and the city council.

As a preliminary step to the development of this programme, the council has opened a public consultation for citizens to make their contributions and suggestions. They can do so in person at the Town Hall Registry (Citizen Service Office), electronically through the Virtual Office of the Town Hall: - https://Calpe.sedelectronica.es/ - or by sending their contributions to the email bienestar.animal@ajcalpe.es. This public consultation ends on 1 April.

The Investigation Committee of the Municipal Cemetery ‘Parque del Descanso Eterno’ in Calp held its first meeting yesterday, attended by representatives of all the political groups in the council.

At the November plenary session, the City Council agreed to set up a committee to investigate possible cases of illegal exhumation of niches in the municipal cemetery without the consent of the legal heirs.

This Commission, chaired by the councillor for the Eternal Rest Park, Marco Bittner, is made up of government councillors and representatives of each municipal group as well as municipal technicians. The objective is to clarify possible irregularities in the management of funeral concessions and transfers of remains that took place during the period 2010-2016. The Commission has established the basis for its operation and has agreed on a comprehensive work plan.

Among the agreements reached in this first session, the periodicity of the sessions stands out, as it has been unanimously agreed to meet on a quarterly basis, with extraordinary sessions being held when the progress of the investigation so requires.

As a first measure of transparency, all members have been given a technical report, prepared by the person in charge of the municipal cemetery, which details the procedures and records of the transfers carried out in the aforementioned period. The preliminary report identifies approximately 45 cases of individual transfers that require review, although this figure is not definitive as the Commission will carry out an exhaustive screening to determine which ones were really inappropriate according to the regulations in force at the time. This document will serve as the basis for the Commission's analytical work.

The Commission has approved a research plan that includes an exhaustive review of the legal and regulatory framework applicable to funeral concessions and an analysis of the administrative procedures followed for notifications and transfers. In addition, the Commission will evaluate the organisational chart of responsibilities and actors involved in the decision-making of the entire procedure and a comparative study will be carried out with the practices and regulations of other similar municipalities.

The preliminary analysis of the data has made it possible to identify certain patterns that will be the subject of special attention, such as the concentration of transfers in certain periods (especially in 2012 and during 2015), as well as the possible existence of selective criteria such as nationality in the choice of the niches affected.

Another issue addressed by the Commission is that of reparation. The Commission has begun to study possible reparation measures for the families affected, considering different options that will be specified in upcoming sessions.

The chairperson of the Commission has stated: ‘Our commitment is to carry out a rigorous and transparent work that clarifies what happened and establishes the corresponding responsibilities. We also seek to ensure that similar situations do not happen again, reinforcing the protocols and municipal regulations if necessary.’

The Commission invites any citizen who has relevant information on this matter to contact the Municipal Secretariat, which will set up a specific channel to receive testimonies and documentation related to the investigation. The next meeting is scheduled for June 2025, when an initial progress report with preliminary conclusions will be presented.

The Culture Council is organising the 5th Street Decoration Competition in the Historic Centre as part of the 9th edition of Art al Carrer 2025. This year the theme of the competition is ‘The Awakening of Spring’.

The contest is aimed at local associations and organisations and aims to encourage local participation in an artistic activity that will decorate emblematic spaces in the Old Town for the enjoyment of citizens and visitors alike.

All associations and organisations registered in Calpe may participate and each one will be assigned a street or space to decorate by lottery. Each association will provide the materials needed to create their artwork. To ensure that all participants are on an equal footing, the spaces set aside for the art exhibition will be similar in shape, although they will be adapted to the nature of the streets. All the exhibition sites for the artwork will be in the historic centre of Calpe.

Once the space has been allocated by lottery, each association will present a draft of the project. The choice of materials is free as long as they are removable at the end of the exhibition and do not cause damage to the façades, balconies or other elements and do not generate noise that is a nuisance to the neighbourhood.

The prizes amount to a total of €6000, €3000 for the first prize winner, €2000 for the second and €1000 for the third, and will be awarded according to the artistic value of the work, its originality, the technique used, the association's capacity to produce an artistic creation, the use of recycled materials that show a commitment to the environment, adaptability to the assigned space, resistance to the elements, the use of materials that do not create noise pollution for the neighbourhood.

The town councils of Calpe and Benissa have formed a group to apply for aid in the latest call for proposals from the Biodiversity Foundation, of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in order to carry out the re-naturalization of the Quisi ravine.

This is a much demanded and sought-after project by both municipalities that would improve and guarantee the safety of the ravine as well as increase its biodiversity. The project would involve the elimination of Arundo Donax reeds, an invasive species, which would minimise the risk of the ravine overflowing in the event of heavy rainfall. It should be remembered that this ravine, like many others in the Mediterranean basin, has hardly any flow in the dry season, which can increase dramatically in situations of torrential rain. It was precisely in an event of this nature that Local Police officer Juan Manuel Policarpo Moll lost his life in the line of duty in September 2022.

The town councils of Calpe and Benissa have held several meetings since then to address this issue, as well as with the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation, which has the authority to act on the ravine. Now both councils have decided to take advantage of the European aid programme managed by the Biodiversity Foundation, aimed at the development and consolidation of green infrastructures for the re-naturalisation and resilience of Spanish cities, and have committed to working together to obtain authorisation from the CHJ and thus make this project a reality.

The initiative, called ‘Espai verd i blau del Mediterrani Calpe-Benissa’ (Green and blue space of the Mediterranean Calpe-Benissa), would make it possible, on the one hand, to eliminate the large number of Arundo Donax reed beds using the solarisation technique - with black tarpaulins with which a high temperature is reached that kills the root of the plant - and then plant native species. All this with the ultimate aim of uniting both towns through a large greenway.

The project has a total budget of 2,250,000 euros, of which 1,400,000 euros would correspond to the actions located in Benissa - which would affect the 6.5 kilometres of the ravine that run through this municipality, in addition to its tributaries - and the remaining 850, 000 to Calpe, that is to say, to the 5.2 kilometres of the Quisi that pass through the municipality of Calpe. 60 per cent of the project's cost would be financed with ERDF funds.

Calpe Blau Strategy

The renaturalisation of the Quisi ravine is the star project of the Local Green and Blue Infrastructure Plan ‘Calpe Blau’, a comprehensive strategy of the Calpe City Council to transform the municipality into a sustainable city resilient to climate change. In this sense, Calpe also aspires to obtain these European funds for the drafting of this strategy as well as the execution of three other projects.

On the one hand, the creation of vertical gardens and green roofs on public buildings, the expansion of urban vegetable gardens as well as the regeneration of dunes. The total budget for the strategy with the four projects, which would be carried out over a period of three years, amounts to nearly 3,500,000 euros.

Ivan Pilyak, mayor of the Ukrainian city of Skhidnytsia, in the province of Lviv, visited Calpe Town Hall this morning as part of the recent collaboration agreement signed between the Federation of Municipalities of Madrid (FMM) and the Mayors Club of Ukraine. This visit comes three years to the day since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

During the visit, the mayor of Calpe, Ana Sala, and the councillor for European Residents, Marco Bittner, gave a warm welcome to the Ukrainian representative, who showed a particular interest in learning about the development of tourism in the town. The programme included a visit to Calpe's main tourist facilities in order to learn first-hand about the key aspects of the local tourism model.

‘This meeting lays the foundations for establishing a fluid and lasting relationship with Ukrainian municipalities, with the aim of sharing experiences and knowledge that can contribute to the future reconstruction of their country,’ said the mayor after the visit.

Calpe is currently home to more than a thousand Ukrainians, including some from the city of Skhidnytsia. The mayor recalled Calpe's support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people, both in welcoming citizens who have been forced to leave their country and in sending humanitarian aid to the war zone.

For his part, Ivan Pilyak expressed his gratitude for the Spanish aid and emphasised the need to build bridges for trade and exchange in order to normalise the situation in Ukraine as a future member of the European Union. Pilyak also pointed out that his town is a spa area and that he hopes to be able to become a tourist destination once the war is over.

This initiative joins the efforts of numerous Spanish municipalities to build bridges of cooperation with Ukraine in areas such as infrastructure, urban planning, humanitarian assistance, education, culture and technology, with special emphasis on the future reconstruction of Ukrainian cities affected by the war.

Calpe Town Council has presented the programme of events designed to celebrate International Women's Day on 8 March.

The programme of events will begin on Thursday 6 March with a talk on gender violence in adolescence and the role of social networks, given by Aaron Asensio Lara, co-author of the Elpida Guide. This is the first of two talks that he will give to 2nd year ESO students at the IES Ifach and IES Les Salines secondary schools. A total of 150 young people will participate in the two talks.

The Elpida Guide is a guide written by Antonio Asensio, a sergeant in the Civil Guard specialising in trafficking in women and gender-based violence, and his son Aaron, a TikTok content creator with half a million followers. Its aim is to educate young people about gender-based violence and related issues such as prostitution, trafficking and sexting, as well as how to prevent them.

The guide combines Antonio's expert knowledge and Aaron's ability to connect with young people, providing an education that is more accessible and closer to their reality. Aaron also uses his social networks to help young people not to normalise toxic behaviour in relationships, alerting them to so-called ‘red flags’.

On Friday 7 March at 10 a.m. there will be a collective reading on voices for equality, followed by an institutional declaration on International Women's Day. On Saturday 8 March, also at 10 a.m., ‘Art pel 8M’ will be held with street workshops of collective painting and ceramics in Fora Street.

This year several of the programmed activities are aimed at feminising public space, and among them is the beginning of the mural ‘El legado de las mujeres’ (The legacy of women) on Avenida Casanova, by Elena Lafuente Valverde. Another event is the inauguration on Friday 28th March at 7.30 pm of the Punt de la Sororitat on the Arenal-Bol promenade, at the height of Alemania street, a place that aims to become a space for the celebration of events and to contribute to spreading the concept and values of the term sorority.

These acts of feminisation of public spaces are linked to the initiative launched by the Town Council to name two streets in the town after two women. These are the streets dedicated to Manuela Solís Clarás, the first Valencian doctor to contribute to the development of public health; and to the physicist and chemist Marie Curie, a pioneer in the field of radioactivity and the first and only person to receive two Nobel Prizes in different scientific specialities.

Another of the events organised will take place on Thursday 13th March at 7 pm at the UA University Headquarters – Casa Nova, with a lecture by Ascensión Padilla, professor of Geography at the University of Alicante, entitled ‘Intrepid women geographers’.

The programme for this 8th of March has been put together by Calpe Town Council with the collaboration of the Calpe Women's Association and the Friends of Art Association.

The Calpe Town Council, through the specialised company Gesfauna, has begun this week to control the groups of wild boar in the Las Salinas area. Gesfauna is a company with a social and environmental purpose that offers control services for invasive species, in this case, large mammals in security zones of the urban centre.

A few weeks ago, the company began a preliminary study to track these mammals in order to draw up a census. Subsequently, a capture plan was implemented using a system that is the first of its kind in Spain, whereby the animals are captured in a suspended cage that allows selective captures and is controlled by remote video surveillance.

Once in the cages, the wild boars have been killed using a procedure that avoids animal suffering and under veterinary control. This action involves the participation of a specialised professional team consisting of environmental technicians and a veterinarian who are knowledgeable about the target species and its habits. In addition, the company has its own legal department specialising in environmental matters. Animal suffering has been avoided throughout this operation.

The whole procedure has been authorised by the relevant authorities. Nine wild boars were shot, all of them adults, two males and seven females. It should be noted that translocation, that is, moving species from one place where they live to another, is prohibited in Spain and in the European Union, with exceptions for animals from hunting farms that meet health requirements, as is the case with farms.

The local police and the Calpe civil protection service have collaborated in this initiative. The council would like to emphasise that this action prevents traffic accidents, including attacks on people, as several cases have already been recorded in the municipality, and at the same time prevents damage to the environment or the transmission of diseases.

Friday 28th:

• From 5 pm to 8.30 pm – Blood donation. Calpe Red Cross headquarters (C/ María Jorro, 1 – Local 1).
• 20.30 h - Presentation of the Holy Week Programme 2025 and the verdict of the 8th Poster Competition. With a performance by Solera Artística. Saló Blau
• Exhibition ‘Aires de mujer’ by Noelia Lillo and Encarna González. Until 28th February. In the Exhibition Hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Saturday, 1st:

• From 4 to 9 pm – Costume contest. Youth Club (Punt Jove - Plaza de la Constitución).
• Carnival in Calpe:
• 5 pm – Kids' Carnival: lively parade, mini disco, children's entertainment, snack for the children..., organised by this year's Festeros (carnival organisers) with the collaboration of the Town Council.
• 23:00 – Falkata on Tour concert with Xavi Plastik and DJ Syfo, organised by the Department of Youth; bars run by the Festeros.

Sunday 2nd:

• 10:00 – 12th Calpe Fun Run of the Marina Circuit of the Volta a Peu. From Plaza Colón.
• 11 am – Free guided tours of the historic centre of Calpe. Registration required: 965836920 / 965 83 85 32 / turismo@ajcalpe.es. Maximum 25 people per group. Meeting point: Casa de Cultura.
• 17:00 - Carpentry: we make a billiard table. Youth Club (Punt Jove - Plaza de la Constitución).
• 17:00 - Carnival party. Civic Centre.

• 17:30 - Poetry recital ‘Requiem’ by Vicente Pérez. Municipal cemetery.

With the aim of increasing innovation and competitiveness in Calpe businesses, the Association of Calpe Businesspeople (AEMCO) has commissioned a study of the sustainability of the business fabric. Last night the association presented this project, which is called Calpe Next Solutions and will cost 16,000 euros, subsidised by Calpe Town Council. The event was organised by AEMCO, Creama-Calpe and Calpe Town Council.

This is a commitment of the new board of directors, chaired by Santiago Ferrer, who emphasised that the objective is for companies to be able to face the constant challenges posed by an ‘increasingly changing world and to have the tools to achieve this’.

This work is scheduled to be carried out over the course of eight months in 2025 by Lankoa, a company specialising in consulting and social research. To this end, the document will rely on the application of dynamic capabilities, which is the ability of companies to reconfigure and develop their internal and external resources in order to adapt to a changing competitive environment.

The study will include a compilation of data on global trends and the characteristics of the local environment, a socioeconomic diagnosis to identify the main barriers limiting the competitiveness of the Calpe business fabric and then define the intervention strategy. Finally, a presentation day will be held to present the main recommended strategies, as well as a participatory workshop to gather the impressions and contributions of the Calpe companies themselves to incorporate them into the project.

According to the mayor, Ana Sala, and the Marina Alta Observatory, Calpe has 1,295 self-employed businesses, of which 23% have employees, and 1,087 companies with other legal forms, of which 83.16% are in the service sector and 13.25% in construction. ‘This business fabric demonstrates the key role of SMEs and the self-employed in our economy,’ he said, emphasising the importance of undertaking innovative initiatives in the sector.

Santiago Ferrer pointed out that there are currently 120 companies associated with AEMCO and that his objective is to increase the number of associated companies, SMEs and freelancers ‘in order to have greater representativeness to defend their interests and have a larger budget to be able to carry out more proposals and initiatives for all the commerce, service and hospitality companies that we represent’.

ZitiZiti Platform

Last night's conference also saw the presentation of a digital platform, Calpe ZitiZiti, which will enable local businesses to sell their products and services electronically. It is a tool that will enable them to compete with large stores and e-commerce platforms, as well as increasing visibility and improving sales for local businesses. This platform, as well as providing access to a local marketplace exclusively for Calpe businesses - excluding large stores - will allow the publication of events organised by Calpe businesses as well as an employment portal and the management of appointments and reservations. ZitiZiti will be available in a few months and will be free of charge for the first year for all those who decide to use this new form of online sales.

Más información sobre Calp Next Solutions 

Más información sobre Calp ZitiZiti

Más información de los acuerdos de colaboración de AEMCO 

Calpe Town Council has already received the adapted equipment that will enable people with some kind of functional diversity to improve their experience when they visit the municipality. In doing so, it aims to advance its commitment to becoming an inclusive tourist destination.

Specifically, the following have been acquired: on the one hand, an all-terrain Joëlette chair that allows its occupants to go hiking or take family walks in places that are inaccessible with conventional wheelchairs; and an electric OPair bicycle, which is a bicycle with a built-in wheelchair, as well as two tandem bicycles that offer the possibility of enjoying cycling as a couple, allowing a person with reduced mobility to share the experience of pedalling together with a companion.

Local individuals or companies in the sector who would like to have this equipment should simply send an email to the tourist office to request it. Along with these vehicles and with the aim of improving accessibility on the beaches, two amphibious chairs and ten packs of amphibious crutches have also been acquired and will be available at the accessible beach points at the start of the summer season.

With all this, Calpe aims to improve and expand the inclusive and accessible tourism on offer in the town. The project is part of the Destination Tourism Sustainability Plan (PSTD) with the support of the Regional Ministry of Tourism of the Valencian Community - Turisme Comunitat Valenciana - and the Secretary of State for Tourism within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) financed by the European Union - Next Generation.

This action is part of a broader project to consolidate inclusive tourism included in the Destination Tourism Sustainability Plan. The project also includes annual awareness-raising and training campaigns aimed at all tourism stakeholders and citizens.

In this sense, at the beginning of the month the Department of Tourism Planning launched a series of free online workshops so that local tourism companies and agents can be trained in tourist accessibility.

Four free workshops have been organised: how to improve the accessibility of tourist accommodation, how to improve the accessibility of a bar or restaurant, how to make a museum accessible and how to create inclusive tourist experiences.

Each course consists of several sessions that include short video classes (between 10 and 30 minutes) in which the teacher explains the specific subject with real examples so that the content can be understood in a simple and practical way. Those interested can register for the courses they wish to follow according to their interests and can view them for a period of 30 days as many times as they wish. The deadline for registration is 28 February.

So far, a total of 116 companies have registered for one of the courses on offer, which is why the councillor for Tourism Planning, Mireia Ripoll, has said that ‘we are satisfied with the reception these courses are getting and the involvement of tourism companies, and even more so given how difficult it is to combine training with day-to-day work; I would like to take this opportunity to encourage companies to continue signing up for these courses, which will be running over the coming months. The Department of Tourism is continuing to work on the implementation of our Accessibility Plan and we hope that more projects will soon materialise that will make Calpe a more welcoming and inclusive municipality’.