CalpeNoticias EN

Friday 31st:

Exhibition ‘Aires de mujer’ by Noelia Lillo and Encarna González. Until 28 February. In the Exhibition Hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Exhibition ‘Marinant Estellés. Landscapes, poems and voices of the Marina Alta’. Until 10th February. Exhibition Hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Saturday, 1st:

10 h – Tree Day of the Valencian Community. Meeting point: recreational area of the Oltà mountain range. Registration.

16 h – Graffiti workshop organised by the Youth Club. Skate Park.

8 pm - Concert ‘Remembering Nino’ by the CLAUdeFA Music Band of Calpe. Free admission. Auditorium.

Exhibition ‘Aires de mujer’ by Noelia Lillo and Encarna González. Until 28 February. In the Exhibition Hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Exhibition ‘Marinant Estellés. Landscapes, poems and voices of the Marina Alta’. Until 10th February. Exhibition Hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Sunday, 2nd:

10 am – World Wetlands Day: Interpretive route through the salt flats. Meeting point on the esplanade of the salt flats. Registration.

11 am – Free guided tours of the historic centre of Calpe. Compulsory registration on 965836920 / 965 83 85 32 / turismo@ajCalpe.es. Maximum 25 people per group. Meeting point: Casa de Cultura.

5 pm – Hip-hop club: rap session III. Youth Club (Punt Jove - plaza de la Constitución).

Next Saturday, 1st February, the Auditorium of the Casa de Cultura in Calpe will host the show ‘Recordando a Nino’, a tribute to the legendary Valencian singer from Aielo de Malferit, Luis Manuel Ferri, known artistically as Nino Bravo, who died in 1973.

The concert features the voices of

three magnificent singers of recognised prestige: Ángel Bellido, Aurelio Cámara and Laia Benaches, accompanied by the CLAUdeFA Music Band of Calpe, conducted by Raúl Mínguez, together with the pianist David Almerich.

‘Recordando a Nino’ (Remembering Nino) takes us back to the 70s with songs that are part of the life of a generation and that have endured overtime: Cartas amarillas, Un beso y una flor, América, Noelia, Mi tierra or Esa será mi casa... and many more that the Valencian singer made unforgettable.

This is a show that has visited more than 200 cities throughout Spain and more than 250,000 spectators have already enjoyed this concert that reviews the career of the legendary singer.

The concert is organised by the Culture Council of Calpe and admission is free until full capacity is reached.

On 10 February, Calpe will host a conference to analyse the challenges of the governance of tourist rentals in holiday destinations. This is the first time that this debate has been held and it will feature specialised speakers from all sectors involved in tourist rentals in our region

The day will begin with a welcome address by the mayor, Ana Sala, and the Councillor for Tourism Planning, Mireia Ripoll, together with the Director of the University Institute for Tourism Research, Josep Ivars. This will be followed by a presentation by the urban architect, Gerardo Roger, entitled ‘Housing and tourist rentals in urban planning and management’.

The first round-table of the day, entitled ‘Apartments and tourist rentals: current situation from a business perspective’, will feature the participation of Silvia Blasco Benito, President, Association of Tourist Apartments and Homes of the Valencian Community (APTUR CV), Mayte García Córcoles, Secretary General, Hotel and Tourism Business Association of the Valencian Community (HOSBEC) and

Carmen Ibáñez Pascual, LSO Manager Interhome. This debate will be moderated by Ana B. Ramón Rodríguez, Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Alicante.

The second round-table, entitled ‘The complex regulation of tourist rentals’ will feature Sonia Badal Sáez, Head of the Tourism Planning and Processing Service, Regional Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, Marta Echevarría Llombart, Deputy Director General of Tourism, Regional Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism and

Jorge Moya Ballester, Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Alicante. The debate will be moderated by Reyes González Ramírez, Professor of Business Organisation at the University of Alicante.

The last round table, entitled ‘New analysis techniques and instruments for the management of tourist rentals in holiday destinations’ will be made up of Natacha de Freitas Silva, from Geoinnova, César de Mingo Calvo, from Global Omnium, Manuel Miró Navarro, Head of the Territorial Area of the Calpe Town Council and Armando Ortuño, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Alicante. José F. Perles Ribes, Head of the Economic Promotion Department of Calpe Town Council, will moderate the debate.

The aim of this conference is to reflect on and debate the situations generated by tourist rentals, their impact and regulation, and at the same time to establish forms of collaboration in the future of tourism in holiday destinations.

Registration form: https://forms.gle/RrMznPJuLwn9i7wV6

The plenary session of Calpe Town Council has given initial approval to the Local Action Plan for the implementation of its Urban Agenda, a document that sets out the major projects that will be carried out in the municipality until 2030 in accordance with the 10 strategic objectives of the Spanish Urban Agenda and the United Nations SDGs. The aim is to make Calpe a more sustainable, competitive and inclusive town.

The document analyses the current situation in Calpe and envisages a total of 168 actions, distributed across the 10 strategic pillars: territory, landscape and biodiversity, sustainable urban model, preventing and reducing the impacts of climate change, sustainable management of resources and circular economy, favouring proximity and sustainable mobility, promoting social cohesion and seeking equity, boosting and favouring the urban economy, guaranteeing access to housing, leading and promoting digital innovation and improving intervention tools and governance.

Among the major projects included in the Urban Agenda, the construction of the 21st-century Tourist Office, the remodelling of the Passeig Marítim de la Fossa and the Plaça Major, the re-naturalisation of the Quisi ravine and the construction of a Crisol (Centro de Recuperación e Inclusión Social y Sociolaboral)

Centre for the Recovery and Social and Socio-Occupational Inclusion) for people with mental health problems stand out, among other actions.

To draw up the Urban Agenda, working sessions have been held with municipal politicians and technical representatives, as well as a process of citizen participation through a questionnaire aimed at all residents of the municipality, businesses and key agents in Calpe.

Having the Urban Agenda will also facilitate the raising of European funds, especially those belonging to the Spanish Multiregional Operational Programme (POPE 2021–2027) such as the EDIL plans, Local Integrated Development Strategies, 60% of which are financed by ERDF funds, with grants that can range from 5 to 15 million euros for projects in line with the the Sustainable Development Goals. In fact, Calpe is also preparing to present its candidacy for these funds and is already drawing up the Integrated Action Plan, which is the document that will include the projects that will be eligible for these European grants.

In this sense, it has launched an online survey to find out the opinion and the needs of the citizens in the municipality, which can be answered through the municipal website www.Calpe.es.

The Councillor for Subsidies and European Funds, Marco Bittner, explained that ‘this document sets out what Calpe will be like in 2030, what plans and projects we want to promote in the different areas. It is a complex and extensive document that covers all needs and is mandatory to apply for any European aid or funding. It is an open document to which more things can be added’.

Paco Quiles added that ‘this urban plan is necessary to resolve long-term deficiencies, there are issues that are necessary but others that are not, there are needs that have not been resolved. The most important concerns of the residents, such as housing, traffic or parking, are not being resolved’.

Miguel Crespo, of the Partido Popular, stated that ‘our vote is in favour since the plan includes projects initiated by Partido Popular governments that we consider important. It is a vote of confidence to see if they are capable of delivering in time and form to obtain the funds’.

OTHER TOPICS

Another of the points discussed was the modification of the Credit to allocate 64,094 euros from an Advertising item in the 2024 budget to the municipalities affected by the DANA (strong winds). The Government's ultimate objective is to provide the budget with a budgetary allocation of 120,000 euros to make a transfer to the Generalitat Valenciana for the recovery of the municipalities affected by the DANA.

The 2025 Contracting Plan of the Calpe City Council has also been approved in accordance with Law 9/2017 on Public Sector Contracts, which establishes the need to programme public procurement activity in a budgetary year or in multi-year periods through the Contracting Plan.

Since November 2024, the various municipal departments have been asked to provide the information needed to draw up this Procurement Plan, for which the Procurement Department has received more than 300 files that have been grouped by category and type of contract. According to the mayor, Ana Sala, ‘it is a roadmap of the intentions of the councillors for contracts that are going to be carried out this year’.

Paco Quiles, of Defendamos Calpe, has pointed out that ‘there are some contracts that we don't agree with, such as the €100,000 for the Pop Festival, the €170,000 for the lighting contract or the €150,000 for the Christmas Fair. There are other needs, such as the local police station. In short, taxpayers‘ money must be managed in the best possible way’.

The spokesperson for the Popular Party, Miguel Crespo, has indicated that ‘the Plan is a legal obligation and to optimise it it should have been presented before the approval of the budgets. There are contracts that catch our attention, but we are not going to go into detail because this is their political project’.

The government spokesman and councilman for contracting, Ximo Perles, has thanked the department of contracting for its work and emphasised that ‘this is not the time to question each and every contract, as this document does not mean that all these projects are going to be carried out’.

This afternoon the plenary session of Calpe Town Council will debate the declaration of 2025 as the year of the 20th anniversary of the Ifach Project. The Ifach Project was launched in 2005 as an archaeological investigation aimed at documenting the archaeological remains of a medieval settlement on the slopes of the Ifach Rock.

The project investigates the remains of a newly founded Christian town that was built at the end of the 13th century - 1297 - under the mandate of Roger de Llúria, Admiral of the Crown of Aragon, and which was partially destroyed in 1359 amid the Castilian-Aragonese conflict and abandoned around 1400.

This project was launched by the Provincial Council of Alicante, through the Archaeological Museum of Alicante (MARQ) in close collaboration with the Department of the Environment of the Regional Government of Valencia and Calpe Town Council.

With a large multidisciplinary scientific team, led by Dr José Luis Menéndez Fueyo, since 20025 there have been several campaigns involving the participation of hundreds of volunteers from Spanish and European universities. Over the years, the Ifach Project has exceeded expectations and generated an important source of knowledge about the medieval history of Calpe and its territory.

To celebrate the anniversary of the start of this important research project, the Town Council intends to declare 2025 as the year of the 20th Anniversary of the Ifach Project in the municipality of Calpe. For this task it is considered appropriate to set up, under the organisational dependence of the Mayor's Office, a Commission to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Ifach Project, which will oversee establishing the guidelines for the elaboration of commemorative actions and activities, as well as approving the general programme of the events to be carried out.

History of La Pobla de Ifach

La Pobla de Ifach in Calpe

spread over 70,000 square metres to the north of the Rock and had an immense wall 800 metres long. The exterior of the wall was used for the deposition of material and organic remains. Today, 200 metres of the great wall are preserved in the northern area, as well as ten projecting towers. The best preserved is the bell tower, which is 10 metres high.

The enclave is completed by a complex entrance system consisting of three gates, where there is a two-storey building identified as a space where the power and administration of the House of Llúria was housed, as well as different rooms, warehouses and houses where the settlers resided and which are currently the subject of study and research.

La Pobla de Ifach de Calpe began to be built in the 13th century, under the direction of Admiral Roger de Llúria. This land was given to this historical figure by the Crown in recognition of his role as a military man and diplomat in the Mediterranean during the Christian conquest (between 1232 and 1245 under the reign of Jaume I).

There he began the project in 1297 with the intention of occupying the territories that had belonged to the Muslims and using the population of Christian settlers (from the central and western regions of Catalonia) who, until then, had been scattered throughout the farmsteads of the castral district of Calpe.

The head of the family was responsible for the construction of the first structures and walls of the town until his death in 1305. The absence of his son and male heir Roger de Llúria y Lancia meant that it was the widow Saurina d'Entença and her daughter Margarita de Llúria y Entença who were responsible for its completion. With the intention of showing off the power and prestige of the family, the latter ordered the construction of a large church dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels.

The history of La Pobla de Ifach de Calpe is rather short-lived, as it only lasted about 100 years. In the 14th century, the population moved to what is now the historic centre and the walled area of Calpe due, among other reasons, to the War of the Two Peters between the crowns of Castile and Aragon, which particularly affected the Valencian region. In 1359 the town was partially destroyed by the Castilian-Genoese fleet and was finally abandoned despite some attempts at repopulation at the beginning of the 15th century.

For the second year running, Calpe Town Council has attended Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España, the world's most important gastronomic congress, which is being held from today until 29th January at IFEMA.

The Town Council has attended together with the Fishermen's Guild and the Enigma Restaurant to promote Calpe Fish and especially the ‘Calpe´s  White Shrimp´ brand. The chef of the Enigma Restaurant gave a culinary demonstration this morning in which she prepared a dish featuring white prawns and aromatic herbs from the Marina Alta. The dish, called ‘A walk around Calpe’, consists of prawn gnocchi and wild asparagus tips with sage sprouts, rosemary flowers and citrus foam.

The white prawns were provided by the Fishermen's Association of Calpe, whose Senior Patron, Paco Catalá, was present at the culinary demonstration. Catalá emphasised once again the value and richness of the product that is sold by the Calpe Fishermen's Association.

An exhibition and commercial promotion table for the ‘Peix de Calpe’ and ‘Gamba Blanca de Calpe’ brands was also set up. The councillor for Economic Promotion, Paqui Solivelles, and the councillor Francisco Fernández de Ybarra were present at the event.

Solivelles pointed out that ‘the “Gamba Blanca de Calpe” brand is in addition to the already recognised “Peix de Calpe” brand launched by the Town Council, CREAMA and the Fishermen's Association some years ago to promote fish from the Calpe fish market. The brand emphasises the excellence of this gastronomic product as well as its great variety and versatility, which makes it an ideal delicacy for both haute cuisine and the kitchen of any home.

Calpe Town Council has already drawn up and approved the specifications that will govern the new contract for the regulated on-street parking service in Calpe, thus opening the tendering process.

The most noteworthy aspect of the new specifications is the reduction of the blue zone rate for residents and shopkeepers by almost 50%, while in the orange zone (beach area) the reduction for residents and shopkeepers is 22%.

Thus, if until now the hour in the blue zone for residents had a cost of 0.40 euros, it now has a price of 0.25 euros and the orange zone goes from a price of 0.45 euros per hour to 0.35 euros per hour. On the other hand, in the general tariff for the blue zone the cost goes from €0.85 an hour to €1.10 an hour and in the case of the orange zone it goes from €0.95 an hour to €1.45 an hour.

The aim of this modification of the tariffs is to benefit resident citizens, so that the residents of the municipality see a reduction in the cost of parking in the regulated parking zones.

The timetables have also been modified, as until now the maximum time allowed in the blue zone was two hours and in the orange zone it was three hours, and with the new specifications it becomes three hours and six hours respectively.

Other modifications include the absorption of the green zone into the blue zone, in other words, the disappearance of the green zone, which were regulate parking areas, regulated only in the morning, and the elimination of the mixed orange zone. As a result, the blue zone now has 920 spaces and the orange zone 1,135 spaces.

In addition, the specifications establish as an investment the replacement of those parking meters that do not allow payment by credit card. The concessionaire company must also provide the service of two tow trucks. Therefore, the proposed annual fee is €350,000 plus VAT, which can be improved upon by the companies that choose to keep the contract.

The councillor for contracting, Ximo Perles, has pointed out that ‘an in-depth study of the regulated parking service has been carried out and we have opted to reduce the cost for residents in Calpe, timetables and rates have been modified to benefit residents and at the same time increase the rotation of vehicles in the summer season with a higher percentage of tourists’.

Next Tuesday the Auditorium of the House of Culture will host a performance by the world-famous trio David Haroutunian (violin), Mikayel Hakhnazaryan (cello) and Sofya Melikyan (piano). The three musicians, who are Armenian and have known each other since childhood, are united by a strong desire to explore and expand the chamber music repertoire together, as well as mutual respect and friendship. All three have established themselves as soloists and chamber musicians on Europe's finest stages.

Strasbourg-based pianist Sofya Melikyan performs as a soloist with various European orchestras and has built up a loyal following for her virtuosity. The activities of the versatile violinist David Haroutunian cover a wide spectrum, from classical music to traditional Armenian or Latin American music and contemporary music. He lives and works in Paris. Mikayel Hakhnazaryan, cellist of the renowned Kuss Quartett, is a chamber musician based in Berlin.

All three players have performed in the best international concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris and the Berlin Philharmonie with colleagues such as Mischa Maisky, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Kim Kashkashian, Paul Meyer, David Geringas and Paul Badura-Skoda, among others.

The recording of Johannes Brahms' Trios no. 2 and 3 - released in 2021 - was the first in a series that will record his entire chamber works. The album received critical acclaim in France, Germany, Spain and other European countries. It was featured in France Musique as ‘Disque du jour’. The second disc of this project - with Brahms' Trio no. 1 and Transfiguration Night - will be released on the same day. 1 by Brahms and Schönberg's Transfigured Night - was recorded in June 2023 and has been released in November 2024, already receiving top marks from the specialised press, such as 5 marks from the prestigious music website Pizzicato.

The specialized critics have not spared praise for this trio that comes to the Auditorium of Calp next Tuesday at 19 pm in a free concert organized by the Department of Culture. With this kind of activities, the Department aims to combine cultural events of international importance with the performances of local entities.

Under the title ‘Ethics and integrity in public procurement’, Calpe Town Council is organising a training day on public procurement on 7 February in the Auditorium of the Casa de Cultura, which will feature various presentations. The programme will start with the presentation ‘The modification of contracts and unforeseeable risk’ by Patricia Boix Maño, senior lawyer of the Consell Juridic Consultiu de la Comunidad Valenciana.

This will be followed by a round table discussion entitled ‘Innovating contracting with leadership’ with Victor Almonacid, Secretary of Alzira Town Council, Pilar Ortega Jiménez, Deputy Auditor of the Provincial Council of León and President of the Council of the Association of Secretaries, Auditors and Treasurers, and Fermín Cerezo Peco, Head of the Innovation Service of Valencia City Council. The debate will be moderated by Juan José Orquín Serrano, Deputy Secretary General of the Madrid City Council.

In the afternoon, two further presentations are planned: ‘The role of corruption prevention in public procurement’ by consultant Javier Vázquez Matilla and ‘The contribution of technical specifications to ethics and integrity’ by Alejandra Boto Álvarez, lawyer at the Constitutional Court.

The conference is aimed at civil servants involved and interested in contracting, regardless of their qualification group or the post they hold, as well as municipal politicians. Registration is free of charge, subject only to the limited capacity of the Auditorium of the Casa de Cultura. Registrations can be made through the Calpe Town Hall website.

As a culmination of the day, a gala dinner has been organised for Friday evening. Those wishing to attend the dinner must register for it and they will be sent the details to pay for it, as well as all the necessary information.

The Asociación de Educación Ambiental y del Consumidor (ADEAC) has once again awarded the Voramar Calalga trail the Blue Trail award, which recognises the recovery and enhancement of trails and itineraries throughout Spain, transformed into valuable resources for environmental interpretation and the enjoyment of nature.

In 2025, 30 new Senderos Azules have been awarded, bringing the network to more than 1000 kilometres. This is the largest increase in the number of awarded Blue Paths since the start of the programme in 2011. The Blue Routes are present in 127 municipalities in 21 provinces and 11 Autonomous Communities.

The Asociación de Educación Ambiental y del Consumidor, which develops programmes in Spain such as Blue Flag or Ecoescuelas, is the creator of this initiative to promote sustainable tourism and contribute to expanding the tourist offer of the municipalities by publicising their natural, cultural and historical heritage. ADEAC's Blue Paths allow the conservation of already humanised environments and the interpretation of the natural and cultural heritage to be valued at the same time.

In order to obtain this distinction, criteria such as the layout and typology of the trails, the infrastructures and signposting, aspects linked to the environmental characterisation of the trails and their enhancement through environmental education activities are evaluated. In addition, aspects related to public use and enjoyment, accessibility, user information on natural and cultural heritage and citizen participation are also taken into account.

The Jury of the Blue Trail - 2025 programme met on 13 December 2024, composed of experts from Andalusia, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Catalonia, Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Madrid, Region of Murcia and the Basque Country, representing various universities, public administrations related to Natural Heritage and Tourism, associations and entities working for accessibility in public spaces, and companies related to health.

In 2025, the largest number of nominations for the Blue Trail award was received (157), of which 76% (124) were renewals and 24% (33) were new candidate trails. Likewise, in 2025, the highest number of Blue Paths (154) were awarded, of which 80.5% (124) were renewals and 19.5% (30) were new paths. This year, the presentation of the Blue Trail Flags in Spain will take place in Murcia, in the Assembly Hall of the Institute of Tourism of the Region of Murcia, on 26 March.

The Tourism Department of Calpe Town Council will participate from next Wednesday at the Madrid Tourism Fair, FITUR 2025, and will focus its promotion on two aspects of Calpe's tourism offer: the Roman site of Baños de la Reina and its recent transformation into a museim) and the increasingly well-known Easter Week in Calpe.

The Baños de la Reina site has reopened its doors to the public after the adaptation works that have been carried out over the last few months and which have led to its transformation into a museum. These works allow this enclave, one of the most important archaeological sites in its category in Roman Hispania, to be opened to the public on a regular basis.

The works carried out correspond to the initial actions foreseen in phase A of the Master Plan for this archaeological site, drawn up by the Diputación de Alicante, which has financed the works with 439,388.69 euros.

Visitors can walk along the wooden walkways that set two itineraries that allow them to see the main archaeological sites: on the one hand, the Domus rotunda with its baths and circular mosaic (4th century) and on the other, the hydraulic complex with the waterwheel and a series of villas (2nd century A.D.).

Councillor Mireia Ripoll will be in charge of presenting the project on Wednesday at 17:30 in the Patronato Costa Blanca space, together with a video showing the possibilities of the site.

Easter Week will also be shown as an attraction to visit the municipality. Last year the Town Council began the process of requesting that Easter Week in Calpe be declared a Fiesta of Regional Tourist Interest.

In recent years, Easter Week in Calpe has regained extraordinary dynamism. Five brotherhoods, together with the Festivities Commission and the parishes of Nuestra Sra. de las Nieves and Nuestra Sra. de la Merced, have joined forces to organise a complete and extensive programme coordinated by the Junta Mayor de Cofradias y Hermandades de Semana Santa (Major Board of Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods of Holy Week).

Throughout the week the different brotherhoods process through the streets of the old town, one every day from Palm Sunday onwards. The devotion and aestheticism reach their peak on Good Friday, with the procession of the Holy Burial, which ends in the Plaza de la Villa with the gathering of all the images and brotherhoods.

Holy Week thus becomes a religious, cultural and touristic event, the devotion and fervour that emanates from each act is combined with a great aesthetic and cultural value.

For this reason, this week representatives of each of the brotherhoods and sisterhoods that make up the Junta Mayor will travel to Madrid to take part in a presentation which will take place on Wednesday 22nd in Plaza Callao and later at IFEMA, the Councillor for Fiestas, Mariola Mulet, will be responsible for presenting a video about Easter Week in Calpe made for the occasion at 4pm in the Patronato Costa Blanca area. The mayoress, Ana Sala, will travel to FITUR to be present at both presentations.

With these attractions, Calpe stands out at FITUR as a destination that combines history, heritage, culture, tradition and tourism, consolidating itself as a destination to visit at any time of year.

FITUR PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY 22ND:

11:00h. Presentation of Calpe Easter Week in Plaza Callao.

16:00h. Calpe Easter Week Presentation (IFEMA - FITUR). On the Costa Blanca Provincial Tourist Board stage.

17:30h. Presentation of the Banys de la Reina open-air museum (IFEMA - FITUR). On the Costa Blanca Provincial Tourist Board stage.

The Calpe delegation present at the Helsinki Fair, the main tourist fair in Northern Europe, has surprised by making its presentation in Suomi (Finnish) with Artificial Intelligence technology. This innovative initiative, which allowed the councillor to address the attendees in their mother tongue, was enthusiastically received by the Finnish public present at the event.

The combination of cutting-edge technology and cultural proximity has made the difference in the promotional strategy of the Alicante municipality, which has also launched an original gastronomic proposal: the first Finnish tourist who visits the tourist office of Calpe during 2025 and accredits his nationality and has attended the MATKA fair, will be invited to taste an authentic local paella.

During the presentation, supported by Turespaña and the Costa Blanca Tourist Board, Calpe has been positioned as an ideal destination to escape the harsh Nordic winter, highlighting the direct connections with Alicante and its more than 300 days of sunshine a year as well as an average temperature that allows outdoor activities to be enjoyed practically all year round.

‘The decision to use AI to communicate in Finnish demonstrates our commitment to reach out to visitors in the most personal way possible. We want Finns to feel at home from the very first moment,’ explained Marco Bittner.

The presentation placed special emphasis on the outdoor sports on offer, the rich Mediterranean gastronomy and the local hospitality, aspects that are particularly valued by the Nordic market. This participation in MATKA, enhanced by the innovative use of technology, is part of Calpe's strategy to strengthen its presence in the Nordic market, traditionally interested in destinations that combine good weather, outdoor activities and authentic cultural experiences.

This technological initiative marks a before and after in the promotion of international tourism of Calpe, demonstrating how technology can break down language barriers and create closer connections with potential visitors.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, and the councillor for Social Services, Itziar Doval, met this morning with representatives of the Cepaim Foundation (Consortium of Entities for Integral Action with Migrants), specifically with Marta Alcántara, from the Regional Directorate of the Valencian Community, Abdelkader Alef El Messari, state coordinator of the area of reception, emergency and international protection and Ana Sirvent, coordinator of the Alicante Centre.

CEPAIM opened a few days ago a reception centre in the Aparthotel Carriosol, which currently houses 97 irregular sub-Saharan and North African immigrants, although it is expected to reach 140 immigrants next Monday.

The centre is managed by CEPAIM and financed by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Immigration and has been set up due to the national emergency situation in the Canary Islands and the need to look for residential centres on the mainland. This centre is part of the Humanitarian Emergency Programme.

The CEPAIM representatives have conveyed a reassuring message to the municipal representatives, pointing out that ‘the centre has external security 24 hours a day, we have technicians, trainers, psychologists and translators. All users have signed a set of rules of coexistence with their rights and obligations and a commitment to participate in the programme. The immigrants in the Calpe centre have already passed a first filter in Fuerteventura and many of them are eligible for international protection (fleeing from war, sexual orientation or religious denomination). If someone does not comply with their obligations, mechanisms are initiated to get them out of the municipality and there is an interdisciplinary structure for the inspection of the centre’.

In principle, the centre will remain operational until 30 April and during this period CEPAIM technicians will study the vulnerabilities of each case for integration into the international protection system, if appropriate, or if there is a social network (family) in Europe, the transfer to the destination will be facilitated. An intervention itinerary is drawn up for each person, with the aim of avoiding exploitation and international trafficking.

The mayor stressed the lack of information from the Consistory, to which CEPAIM pointed out that the guidelines should have come from the Sub delegation of the Government, but that as it is a national emergency, the procedures have been rushed. Ana Sala also wanted to emphasise that ‘although the Town Hall is not involved in this situation because municipal authorisation is not required, we will be in constant and permanent contact with those responsible for the Calpe centre’.

The councillor for Social Services, Itziar Doval, also pointed out that ‘we want to send out a message of calm, this is an organised and controlled situation’.

As a curious fact, those responsible for CEPAIM have pointed out that this is not the first time that this foundation has created an emergency centre in Calpe, as it already did in 2022 in the Imperial Park Residence with the reception of Ukrainian immigrants due to the war.

The General Director of Social and Health Management, José Vicente Anaya, visited Calpe this morning to officially announce that the town has been chosen, along with Benigánim and Alcora, as pilot municipalities for the implementation of the Single Social History computer system.

This project, with a cost of more than 4 million euros and which should be implemented in all the municipalities of the Valencian Community by the end of 2026, aims to bring together health and social services records, creating a common space to avoid bureaucracy and improve citizen care.

It is an instrument that will enable the relationship between the primary care and social care levels, with the aim of achieving continuity and complementarity of interventions and providing a better service to citizens. Social History will make it easier for health and social services professionals to plan the diagnosis, design personalized social intervention plans and individual care and diagnosis plans.

It is a computer system that will share information and optimise the management of human and material resources, maximise the efficiency of the work of social and health professionals by avoiding unnecessary repetitive tasks, obtaining information that already exists in the system, sharing information, etc. The aim of this system is to facilitate the coordination of all the actions of the professionals involved in the processes of social intervention and the improvement of social care and other protection systems.

Three municipalities have been chosen to start the project, one in each province and of different population ranges. In the coming weeks, implementation will begin with a training plan for the staff of the Social Services departments.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, thanked Calpe for being chosen and added that ‘it will be an effort for the Department of Social Services, but it is a challenge to be pioneers in a project like this that will improve citizen care and unify diagnoses. Calpe is going to be a reference in social care’.

The General Director of Social and Health Management, José Vicente Anaya, announced that ‘it is the start of something very big, it will be a before and after in the Social Services of the Valencian Community because it will allow throughout the territory to standardise diagnoses and achieve the most appropriate and personalised intervention. It will make it possible to detect vulnerability factors, carry out medication or benefit follow-ups, cross-reference data, etc. The system will provide data to plan social policies and show the reality of the Valencian Community’.

The Councillor for Social Services, Itziar Doval, stressed that ‘this designation is a recognition of the work done by the Department of Social Services of Calpe Town Council, a work that often goes unnoticed due to confidentiality requirements’.

Starting tomorrow, Thursday, Calpe will be present for the second time at Matka Nordic Travel Fair, the most important tourism fair in Helsinki and the most important in the Scandinavian market. Calpe is taking part in the fair at the Tourespaña stand.

A delegation led by the mayor of International Promotion, Marco Bittner and the tourism technician Sandra Pastor has travelled to Helsinki. The Matka Nordic Travel Fair is the most influential fair in Northern Europe and the Baltic countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia (Russia does not participate due to the conflict with Ukraine). According to statistics, Finland is the most travelled country in Europe per capita.

The aim this year is to sell the destination outside the summer season, taking advantage of Calpe's climatic conditions throughout most of the year in the face of a market with very harsh winters, making this market an ideal target for Calpe's seasonally adjusted offer.

The Matka Travel Fair annually attracts more than 50,000 visitors and 13,000 professionals. The first two days of the fair are open to professionals and media and the last two to the public. The event has become a meeting place in Northern Europe for travel industry professionals, general visitors and companies in the sector.

The Tourism Department plans to make a presentation of the destination on one of the central stages of Tour España and to show the possibilities of Calpe in terms of sports, culture and heritage. This presentation, together with Alcoy Town Hall, is promoted by the Costa Blanca Tourist Board and is entitled ‘The Essence of Costa Blanca: from Calpee a Coastal Gem to Alcoy an Inland Oasis’.

The Councilor for International Promotion, Marco Bittner, points out that: ‘we are facing a market that not only flees from the inclement weather, but is committed to experiential, family and active travel. The possibility of offering heritage, gastronomy and outdoor sports outside the summer season makes Calpe a top-level player at this fair’.

Calpe Town Council, through the Department of Environment, and the Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences of the University of Alicante have signed a collaboration agreement by which Calpe Town Council will participate in the Aquasoc R&D project (‘Tools for the prevention and management of the social impacts of floods in coastal areas’) within the framework of the State Plan for Scientific Research (Ministry of Science and Innovation).

The main objective of the AQUASOC project is to identify the social impacts derived from flooding episodes, as well as to establish the necessary social capacities to face this type of natural disasters.

Based on the results obtained in the research process, an open access software tool is designed to allow key actors, such as the technical and political staff of Calpe Town Council, to identify priority areas of action for the prevention and mitigation of the social impacts of flooding.

Soon, the validation and knowledge transfer phase will start, organising a round of meetings where the results will be presented and guidance on the use of the AQUASOC tool will be provided.

The project is led by the team of University of Alicante professors Guadalupe Ortiz and Antonio Aledo. With a duration of three years and funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation of €101,640.00, this project will address the analysis of adaptive capacities and social impacts of flood disasters in three Spanish case studies (Tenerife, Huelva and Alicante) and two international ones (Louisiana and Recife).

The Bono Comercio and Bono Consumo campaigns, held in Calpe between September and December through the Calpe Business Association (AEMCO), have managed to inject a total of 1,544,728.96 euros into the commercial, hospitality and service establishments of the municipality.

‘We could not be happier with the way these campaigns have been developed, especially the Bono Comercio campaigns; on the one hand, the participating establishments have benefited with an increase in sales and customer base during the period in which each campaign takes place and, on the other hand, the citizens registered in Calpe have been able to shop in local establishments saving the amount subsidized,’ said the Councillor for Economic Promotion, Paqui Solivelles.

In the two Bono Comercio campaigns, aimed at local businesses, 14,217 vouchers have been redeemed by 5,023 citizens, who could purchase vouchers worth 20 €, 50 €, 100 € and 150 €, subsidised by 50 percent by the Town Hall. In these two calls for applications, €1,163,183.57 was injected into the 91 shops in Calpe where vouchers were redeemed. Of this total amount, €952,910 corresponds to the 14,217 vouchers exchanged and €210,273.57 that citizens have bought more when using the vouchers, as the purchase had to be of an amount equal to or greater than the amount of the voucher.

In the Bono Consumo campaign, financed entirely by the Diputación de Alicante and aimed at shops, hotels and service companies, 381,545.39€ have been injected into these establishments, of which 295,900€ correspond to the 5,175 vouchers redeemed and 85,645.39€ to what citizens have bought more when using the vouchers. 116 establishments and 3,256 citizens have benefited from this campaign.

The president of the Association of Entrepreneurs of Calpe (AEMCO), Santi Ferrer, said that: ‘this type of voucher campaigns are very beneficial to promote trade and local development, because with a limited investment in subsidies by the City Council is injected into the local economy more than double (an average of 150% more than subsidized), ie that for every euro subsidized 2.5 € are injected into the establishments of the municipality, also distributing the aid among many citizens, more than 5. 000, and local entrepreneurs, more than 100, strengthening the circular economy within the municipality’.

Aguas de Calpe is to begin renovation work on the impulsion and distribution pipes between the Mascarat I and Mascarat II drinking water tanks.

In total, 3,613 metres of new pipes will be installed to guarantee the supply of drinking water to sectors J, K and L of the Maryvilla district, leaving 2,268 metres of obsolete pipes in disuse, thus improving the efficiency of the municipal drinking water distribution network and minimising the risk of breakdowns.

On the one hand, a new 1,665-metre-long pressure pipe will be installed between the Mascarat I and Mascarat II reservoirs. The new pipeline will run along a public road and will replace the current fibre cement pipe that runs through private plots. This will take out of service an obsolete infrastructure, made of asbestos cement, which due to the high pressures it withstands and its installation in mountainous terrain with steep slopes has been experiencing breaks that prevent it from guaranteeing the supply to the Mascarat II reservoir and, therefore, the supply to sectors J, K and L of the Maryvilla district.

On the other hand, a new distribution pipe will be installed with a length of 1,948 metres, which will feed from the Mascarat II reservoir, located at an elevation of 243 metres, the distribution networks of sectors J, K and L of the Maryvilla district, located between the Mascarat II and Mascarat I reservoirs. The new distribution mains will be fitted with pressure regulating valves to guarantee the supply with adequate pressure and flow conditions. In this way, it will also take out of service an obsolete fibrous asbestos cement infrastructure, the current diameter of which does not allow adequate supply to the fire hydrants required at this location, to be taken out of service. This new distribution pipe will make it possible to install eight fire hydrants in an area with a significant forest mass, thus improving the response capacity of the municipal drinking water network.

The distribution pipes in the area around the Mascarat I reservoir will also be rearranged and will be fed from the Mascarat II reservoir, improving the conditions of supply to the plots in terms of pressure and flow.

The estimated duration of the work, which has a cost of 772,355.02 €, is nine months.

The continuous process of renovation of pipelines that Aguas de Calpe has been carrying out allows guaranteeing the sustainability of the supply system to Calpe, since it is one of the main factors, together with the remote control system, the sectorisation of the network and the installation of smart home meters, which affect the improvement of hydraulic efficiency and which has enabled Calpe to exceed 92 percent efficiency, which places it as a national benchmark.

The plenary session has initially approved the municipal budgets for 2025, accounts amounting to 54,911,909 euros, 16.93% more than the previous year.

The mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala, pointed out that these budgets are intended to ‘improve the quality of life and welfare of our neighbours and undertake necessary investments to improve the municipality’ and explained that these accounts are conditioned by the increase in the rubbish tax ‘as in each and every one of the other municipalities in Spain’ in compliance with a state law that transposes a directive of the European Union.

In her speech, she listed the investments planned for this year, such as the start of the construction of the Fester Museum in the Casa Beltrán (in Plaza España), which will be the headquarters of all the festive associations and will have advanced technology, a project which forms part of the Tourism Sustainability Plan in Destinations within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) financed by the European Union - Next Generation. Also planned is the adaptation of the Civil Protection premises (117,491 euros), the extension of the crossing work in the Barranc del Pou Roig ravine (222,678.38 euros), an accessibility and pavement maintenance project (250. 000 euros), the elimination of reeds by installing opaque coverings and restoration of riverside vegetation in the Quisi ravine (100,000 euros), installation of new solar streetlights (154,275), drainage and rainwater infrastructures (1,074,589.36) and the installation of solar panels in the swimming pool (57,438.87 euros). Also the creation of the Centre for Recovery and Socio-occupational Integration for people with mental health problems (100,000 euros) which will be located in the old Victoria cinemas.

At the same time, the T road to Puerto Blanco and the E Ràfol-Empedrola road will be promoted, a dog park will be set up in La Manzanera and the urban allotments will be extended, among other projects.

On the other hand, the 2025 accounts also contemplate an increase of almost 210,000 euros in the rescue and lifeguard service, which will amount to 835,739.26 euros, and 175,516.51 euros in beach cleaning, which will have a total budget of 633,085.30 euros.

All of this without increasing taxes except for the rubbish tax, and tax relief measures will continue to be applied such as the suspension of the tax on the opening of establishments, the 5.04% reduction in urban property tax, the 95% reduction in capital gains tax on inheritances, the reduction in property tax for the installation of solar panels, the suspension of the tax on the occupation of public roads for hotels and restaurants from November to April, and the exemption from the tax on the holding of events.

In addition, nine lines of aid will be maintained: for permanent housing (40,000 euros), youth rental vouchers (50,000 euros), sports aid (80,000 euros, although an extension to 250,000 euros is planned), cultural promotion (140,000 euros), rehabilitation of facades in the old town (70,000 euros), Bonobaby (20,000 euros), bonuses on the tax on vehicles for hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as bonuses on IBI for energy efficiency.

In the Personnel chapter, 12 new posts have been created, while 9 previous posts are to be cancelled. The new positions are local police inspector, school maintenance worker, beach maintenance worker, youth technician, occupational therapist, an architect, two environmental guards, an administrative assistant assigned to municipal brigades, a works supervisor, an intervention technician and a deputy treasurer. In addition, the mayoress announced the intention to approve a plan for the management of the council's human resources.

The budgets were approved with the only votes in favour of the government team (Somos Calpe, PSOE and Compromís), as Defend Calpe and the PP municipal group voted against.

Defendamos Calpe spokesman Paco Quiles pointed out that: ‘the budgets remain the same as in previous years, there are no transcendental changes, it is because you are not 100% dedicated to this town hall’. He added that the rubbish tax ‘is completely unfair’ and criticised the increase in personnel costs and that a plan to organise human resources is urgently needed.

PP municipal group spokesman Miguel Crespo described these budgets as those of the ‘rubbish tax’, budgets which without this increase ‘would have been unviable’. He also described them as ‘simple and calm’. ‘The planned investments are repairs and patches such as the repair and adaptation of sports facilities or pavements and this does nothing to improve the lives of our neighbours, we do not grow as a city’. Furthermore, he pointed out that both the tax incentives and the planned investments were initiated in the previous legislature under the PP government.

The socialist spokesman Marco Bittner, referring to this intervention, said: ‘Thank you, Mr Crespo, for saying that these are calm budgets, there is no greater aspiration for a politician, for a municipality, than to have calm budgets, a calmness that will be transferred to the people, or do you want these budgets to generate chaos and confusion? No, calm budgets, a calm government, that is good for the economy and for the citizen’.

The spokesman for Compromís, Ximo Perles, mentioned different projects included in the budgets that were not initiated in the legislature governed by the PP, such as the IBI rebates for the installation of photovoltaic panels, aid for cultural training, as well as for access to housing, among others.

For his part, the spokesman for Somos Calpe, Juan Manuel del Pino, has reproached the two opposition spokesmen for using ‘the same phrases as last year’ and added: ‘when we are investing money in social aid, when it comes to improving infrastructure, when it comes to meeting the needs of this town ... aren't we improving people's lives?’

The Diputación de Alicante has granted the Mancomunitat de Calpe, Murla i La Vall de Laguar-Pozo Lucifer a subsidy of 400,000 euros to build a new well next to the Lucifer well - in the Vall de Laguar Valley - which will ensure the water supply to all these municipalities in the event of a breakdown of the latter.

The Boletín Oficial de la Provincia (Official Gazette) has today published the granting of this aid as part of the extraordinary call for subsidies for the construction and improvement of water supply, catchment and regulation infrastructures. The work will be carried out by the Diputación de Alicante and the 400,000 euros will cover the total cost of the works.

It is, therefore, a second well that will work in case there is any kind of incident in the Lucifer well, so this new infrastructure will not involve the extraction of more water. ‘This is excellent news because, in this way, we increase resources and we can guarantee the supply of such a basic service as drinking water to the citizens of Calpe if there is any kind of breakdown in the Lucifer well’, said the mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala.