Benidorm in the media
Benidorm has been gradually waking up from hibernation and all of a sudden, it feels as if normality is returning. Well we have certainly had a great bit of media interest as none other than the Spanish King and Queen – Felipe and Letizia popped by on Friday morning! Television crews, newspapers – including us at CBN were all there, jostling for that prime spot to take the perfect picture. Visible security was very low key but there were certainly many undercover National Police about… you get used to what they look like, even if they try to blend in with the crowds. All the press pack had to lay their bags down on the promenade and a sniffer dog came and went along the line – you’ll be glad to hear not one was pulled out! Most of us now know each other from covering events, but there was also the nationals there – television and newspapers.
Despite originally announcing that the royal couple would be flying in and landing at the fire station next to the bus station, they glided into the resort in the back of a people carrier – plans had changed at the last minute. Their first stop was a meeting at the Belroy Hotel then a planned walk along a short stretch of the Levante promenade. I was half expecting them to get into the car from the hotel, albeit only 100 meters or so and quite surprised that they walked. The promenade was closed to the public, who could only spectate from the sand and the sniffed press people, who all had to have applied beforehand to obtain their press passes remained on the prom. They both looked fabulous, relaxed and casual, with him in a pair of white jeans – not what you would traditionally expect a King and Queen to be like. You certainly wouldn’t see Prince Charles dressed like that and probably not even William.
The couple wore facemasks all of the time but did take them off for the short walk along the prom to allow everyone to take some proper pictures. They had a brief chat with the youngsters who had been employed as beach monitors and also stopped at the ice cream shop – obviously pre-planned! Apparently Letizia does not allow sugar in her home so asked about the sugar free options, which her husband had a spoonful of… she modestly declined.
On Sunday Nick Dixon of ITV’s Good Morning Britain arrived here… We had kept in touch from when he was here some years ago doing a broadcast and he contacted me asking to help set up some interviews of British business owners and how they have coped over the lockdown and now slowly coming out. They couldn’t get a flight direct to Alicante so he and cameraman Rav flew to Madrid, then hired a car and drove across. They booked into the Melia a little after 5pm and then we went literally across the road to The Corner Bar to interview owner Ashley Price. Ash did a brilliant job promoting the resort, speaking extensively how the lockdown had affected him – and hundreds of others, as business owners. We then headed off up to the Mirador to meet with Leire Bilbao, Director of the Benidorm Tourism Foundation, Visit Benidorm. But they wanted a quick stop at the beach to see these plots that they’d heard so much about.
They took pictures and a few videos then back in the car and rather naughtily, we drove all the way up to the top, stopping next to the Villa Venecia hotel. I was ready with my spiel in case we got stopped by the police, but it was obviously shift change as we didn’t see any! Again, Leire did her upmost to promote the resort and mentioned all we are doing here to make sure visitors are safe. The last interview was with Christine and David Climent of Benidorm Palace. We drove down from the Old Town and along Calle Gambo, which they wanted to see and film, sadly with the vast majority of bars, cafes and the two Ambassador hotels still closed.
The first broadcast went out on Monday morning, but rather disappointingly, Ashley and Leire’s interviews were very much edited, obviously because of time constraints, but lost the clear, positive messages which they gave out, that Benidorm is very much open for business. The interview at the palace was postponed and is being aired today – Friday. On Monday afternoon the pair were then asked to go to the Portuguese Spanish border, so back in the car to head in the Madrid direction then across towards the border and back in Benidorm again for late Wednesday afternoon. Being a correspondent sounds very exciting, until you hear what they end up doing… On Monday morning they were down on Levante promenade at 6.15am to set up ready for the first live broadcast having spent the remainder of the previous evening editing the clips filmed earlier. Not quite so glamourous now is it… but then these kind of jobs never are. The excitement of travelling and staying in a different hotel every other night quickly wears off. I remember doing that when I worked in London – room service and working into the early hours! www.benidormallyearround.com