ARCHIVED - Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 29th September 2017

The best ever international tourism figures in Spain are pushed out of the headlines by the Catalan independence referendum

The week ends with the publication of figures which show that in August Spain enjoyed a record month in terms of international tourism, with 10.4 million people visiting this country from abroad, and once again the UK market was the mainstay supporting the continuing boom in the sector.

As has become the custom, the British accounted for between 20 and 25 per cent of all visitors to Spain from all over the world, and despite fears a year ago that Brexit may put a dent into the popularity of holidays in the rest of Europe it appears that at least in the case of Spain the opposite has been the case. In the first eight months of this year an astonishing 13.23 million people are reported to have visited Spain from Britain – that’s equivalent to roughly one in five of the entire population of the UK – and the figure is 7.8% higher than at the same point last year.

As for the overall foreign visitor total in Spain, at the end of August it stood at 57.3 million, and a new annual record is all but certain to be posted come the end of December.

The Region of Murcia, of course, feels the effects of this boom along with the rest of the Costas, and it has been reported this week that in Lorca this summer was an unprecedented and historic success for tourism in general and particularly in terms of the number of visitors from abroad. The number of visits made by UK nationals to the tourist office and visitors centre increased four-fold!

But in Murcia this week, as in the rest of Spain, the news has been absolutely dominated by the independence referendum which the regional government of Catalunya intends to hold on Sunday. Curiously, this has led to an outbreak of patriotism in the rest of the country which has not been rivalled since the 2010 World Cup, with Spanish flags appearing on balconies and rooftops all over the country!

There are many uncertainties surrounding the vote, which has been declared illegal by the Constitutional Court, the biggest of them being whether it will actually take place in any meaningful sense, and for most observers, the only certainty is that Monday morning’s headlines will almost inevitably be talking about the referendum. However, what they are likely to be saying is impossible to predict!

Nonetheless, hidden below the Catalunya-related headlines this week (for more details see below) there have been numerous interesting and important issues in the Region of Murcia: read on…

More tourism news and Corvera airport latest

Corvera airport contract bidders inspect the facilities: the two remaining bidders for the new management contract at the unopened international airport in Corvera are preparing the technical and financial details of their bids, which must be submitted by 30^th October.

Foreign visitor numbers continue the Spanish tourism boom: click for more details regarding the latest statistical bulletin.

Consolidation works on Bolnuevo coastal track nearly concluded: after sections of the track between Bolnuevo and the beaches within the Lorca municipality became impassable last year due to landslips, work has been underway to consolidate the track and open it for cyclists and walkers. Works are nearly completed and the track is ready to re-open.

Mazarrón is also set to gain a new promenade, which along with a cycle lane will connect the beaches of El Alamillo and Rihuete, a great improvement in an area where at present there is nothing to separate the RM-332 from the beach itself other than a row of wooden posts.

Murcia government satisfied with hotel occupancy record in August: the hotels of Murcia welcomed a total of almost 139,000 visitors during August, 4.4 per cent more than in the same month in 2016, and both this and the 422,219 nights they stayed represented new monthly records. This makes the Costa Cálida one of the fastest growing coastal areas in this respect in the whole of Spain, alongside the Rías de Galicia, Menorca and Fuerteventura.

First Roman amphitheatre recovery contract out to tender in Cartagena: according to some estimates the Roman amphitheatre of Cartagena could be one of the largest in the world, and gradual progress is being made towards opening part of the structure for public visits.

New Chelsea football school opening at La Manga Club: good news all around as the prestigious football team allies its name with that of the football training centre at the region's top sporting tourism venue.

Emergency repairs and safety precautions under way at Mula castle: calls for safety precautions at the castle have grown louder since 2013, when a 12-year-old girl fell into a deep hole after going inside with a group of friends and was fortunate to suffer only a broken leg. This sparked anger and indignation against the Beltrán de Lis y Pidal family, who have owned the fortress since 1998 but have allowed it fall ever deeper into disrepair.

Environmental news

Drought intensifies in the Segura basin: the amount of water contained in the reservoirs of the Segura basin, which serves Murcia and parts of Albacete and Alicante, is just 171 cubic hectometres, equivalent to 15 per cent of the capacity of 1,140 hm3, and although the fact that Murcia is short of water is not new, the latest data will heighten concerns as the level of water drops to historic lows, particularly in the light of the fact that the situation has not improved despite 2017-18 having been one of the wettest hydrological years (ending this Saturday) on record in Murcia.

Among the worst affected reservoirs are the largest in the Segura, and the Cenajo is currently only 6 per cent full (32 hectometers as opposed to capacity of 437). Similarly, the Fuensanta reservoir, even further upstream in Albacete, contains just 13 hectometers out of a possible 210, and both are technically classified as “dead reservoirs” at present.

In the meantime, the official drought status has been prolonged in Murcia and the Segura basin for another year, but this does little to alleviate the situation apart from allowing more water to be produced by desalination plants. In response, production of desalinated water has been ramped up to guarantee continued domestic supplies, although the agricultural sector has continued to express its concerns about how this will affect them in the future should the dry weather in the areas feeding into the reservoirs continue.

CHS intensifies its efforts to prevent residual flow into the Mar Menor: as autumn approaches and those working on the recovery programme for the Mar Menor have a bit of space between the next period of intense summer heat which can unbalance the recovery efforts, the CHS has intensified its efforts to eliminate the flow of waters carrying nitrates into the laguna. The attack on the problem is many-pronged, with efforts being made to redirect agricultural run-off, reduce it, recycle and clean the water, build green filters, construct rainwater tanks, improve the sewage networks to clear away more rainwater and build channels to prevent rainwaters which absorb the nitrates reaching the shores of the Mar Menor.

This week the Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura (CHS), which controls the waterways in the region, has granted a licence to the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT) to use a purification plant in La Palma (Cartagena) for experimental purposes.

The CHS has also sent a letter to several farmers in the Campo de Cartagena area, instructing them to disable their own cleaning plants, maintaining that these are still issuing water into areas of public water domain, despite lacking legal authorization.

Other environmental stories this week:

Eagle owl rescued after suspected electrocution in Fuente Álamo: it is thought that the owl had probably collided with the high voltage electricity cables which are suspended over the countryside near Los Almagros.

Revolutionary cold tarmac pilot scheme in Murcia: the new tarmac is designed to reduce street temperatures and has many other positive effects, including energy savings, noise reduction and better visibility in urban streets.

Otters join the educational area of the El Valle wildlife recovery centre: the environmental education section of the wildlife recovery centre has been organizing activities for eight years, and it has been found that animals such as mountain goats, birds of prey, tortoises and otters can be the most effective teachers!

More stories in the Murcia news this week

Murder of 20-year-old in Canteras shocks Cartagena: On Monday a 20-year-old girl was murdered by her former boyfriend in the third case of fatal gender violence this year in the Region.The murder came just an hour after she had registered a denuncia with the police, fearful for her safety. Her former partner purchased a ladder and climbed into her apartment, where she was brutally stabbed, before her attacker leapt from a balcony as police attempted to arrest him. After being released from hospital, he has been taken into custody. Click for full story

Real Murcia face FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey: a dilemma for football fans in Murcia as Messi and Iniesta could line up in the Nueva Condomina while Cartagena take on Sevilla and Elche face Atlético Madrid in the last 32 of the Spanish Cup.

Roadworks to disrupt La Manga and Cabo de Palos traffic until mid-November: a roundabout is being built at the coastal end of the RM-12 to improve access to the Las Dunas shopping centre and Cabo de Palos.

Murcia football referee shows the red card to pro-Catalan referendum shirts in Lleida: match referee Pedro Campoy Candela blew the whistle on the pro-referendum strip of Lleida Esportiu prior to their disappointing home defeat against Saguntino in the Second Division B.

Former Murcia president bows out of the political limelight: it is now almost six months since Pedro Antonio Sánchez resigned as president of the regional government, and on Wednesday his gradual disappearance from the political scene was completed when he formally renounced his seat in the regional parliament and left his post as president of the PP party in Murcia.

Sr Sánchez will now concentrate on his forthcoming court appearances related to alleged misuse of power, and is also reported to be considering spending some time outside Spain with his family, improving his own language skills and enabling his daughters to become bilingual in English.

Moves afoot to complete the San-Javier Santomera motorway: construction of the RM-1 was halted abruptly in 2011 and the motorway ends in an orange grove, hopes that the remaining 11 kilometres could soon be completed were given a boost on Wednesday when the national parliament passed a motion demanding that the necessary fund be supplied starting next year!

Murcia police warn of fake deaf charity scam: various people have been feigning deafness and presenting apparently valid collection forms in order to con passers-by and receive donations.

31 African migrants detained on the coast of Murcia: three small boats carrying would-be illegal immigrants from north Africa across the Mediterranean were intercepted on Tuesday and Wednesday, and one of the youngsters on board was taken for treatment to hospital in Lorca.

Murcia government deficit improved in July but is still the second largest in Spain: Murcia will find it hard to balance the books until a more equitable distribution of funds from the central government is arrived at, according to regional minister Andrés Carrillo.

High-speed rail sabotage suspected as lorries are burnt in Murcia: after seventeen days of protests anger spills over into vandalism in protests over plans to allow high-speed trains into Murcia on overground tracks.

Murcia ITV vehicle centre testing strikes to start next Monday: further strikes are planned throughout October as ITV staff claim they are seeking seek maintain high standards as well as to protect their jobs.

Blow-up bulls for the youngsters at the Feria de Lorca: all the thrills and spills of bull running while avoiding any risk of injury or offending animal rights campaigners!

24-hour A&E services for medical centres in Águilas: the move is expected to reduce waiting times in Águilas health centres.

Cabo de Palos police station closed until end of October: repairs and reforms are being carried out at the Cabo de Palos branch of the Cartagena police force.

Torre Pacheco police disrupt local council meeting over pay dispute: not all is sweetness and light as far as the relationship between the Policía Local and the Town Hall is concerned, and union leaders claim that half a million euros in overtime payments are owed to officers.

Murcia and Spanish property news

More good news for the property market in Murcia, with the announcement that the 22 per cent July increase in property sales was almost matched by an 18.3 per cent rise in the number of new residential property mortgages registered during the month. The year-to-date total of mortgages registered in Murcia after 7 months of 2017 is now 5.2 per cent higher than at the same point last year, while the running 12-monthly total is 6.1 per cent higher than a year ago.

These upward trends are slightly less pronounced than those reported in Spain as whole, where the number of new mortgages is up by 10.8 per cent in the year so far and by 12.1 per cent in terms of the running 12-monthly total, which at a whisker under 300,000 has reached its highest level for five years.

Murcia property sales up by 14.7 per cent in the second quarter: the latest figure is the highest in any quarter since the last three months of 2010, and the running 12-monthly total of 14,366 is the highest since early 2011 as the Costa Cálida starts to keep pace with the recovery in Madrid, Catalunya and the Balearics.

Spanish national news: the Catalan referendum occupies the front, back and middle pages of the newspapers this week!

As has already been mentioned above, the weekend promises to be a momentous and historic one for both Catalunya and Spain, but no-one can yet be sure for what reasons as doubts remain over whether the planned independence referendum will actually be held and whether enough people will be allowed and prepared to vote to make any result meaningful.

What can be certain is that the topic will continue to generate a variety of headlines, from the extremely serious to the definitely light-hearted, as has been the case this week. On the serious side are the seizure by the Guardia Civil of 120 ballot boxes and 3 million voting papers (although the owners of the warehouse where they were found insist that they were intended for use in the next election for the presidency of FC Barcelona, the forced closure of 140 referendum-related websites, the patriotic reaction on the part of many Spaniards which has seen national flag sales soar and resulted in police officers being cheered as heroes as they set out from all parts of the country to reinforce security on Sunday (see image above), and the understandable doubts on the part of the Mayoress of Barcelona over which way to vote, and indeed whether to vote at all.

At the less serious end of the scale, with apologies to all of those involved, is the campaign to free Tweety Pie. For reasons which have not been made wholly clear, one of the ships chartered by the Spanish government is decorated with images of cartoon characters Tweety Pie, Daffy Duck and Wile E. Coyote, but the images have now been obscured by large tarpaulins.

The response among Twitter followers has been one of outrage, demanding that Tweety Pie be “freed” (Daffy and Wile E. Coyote do not appear to generate the same degree of sympathy), but the Ministry of the Interior has denied being responsible for “imprisoning” him behind the tarpaulins and blamed Warner Bros.

Somewhere in the middle of these two extremes are Donald Trump’s assertion that for Catalunya to leave Spain would be “foolish” - doubtless his words will have reached the Catalan leaders and the Spanish government, but whether they will be considered relevant is open to question - and the ban on a pro-referendum kit which the football team of Lleida intended to wear last weekend.

It’s not an easy job, but with a little patience and determination it has been possible to find other items in the Spanish news this week! Among them is the shocking case of 4 children in Huelva who were so used to being neglected by their mother that they lived with her corpse for four days before anything untoward was noticed, a massive sewage blockage in Valencia caused by people throwing disposable wipes down the toilet, the arrival of the deadline by which Spain was to have welcomed over 17,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq (only 11.4 per cent of that target was achieved) and an unusual comment from the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, who stated that the attitude of Gibraltarians towards becoming Spanish is understandable if we think of what they see on the other side of the boundary fence!

To be fair, Alfonso Dastís was referring to the economic plight of towns in the Spanish Campo de Gibraltar and the need for regeneration, but even so his words came as a refreshing change from the jingoism which often surrounds the issue!

Scroll down below for a selection of Spanish news stories over the last week…

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