Benidorm goes green
‘Sustainable tourism’ and ‘tackling climate change’
BENIDORM town hall is bidding to become an environmentally friendly tourism destination.
A new €400,000 project is set to get underway which is part of the tourism sustainability plan to increase the quality and experience of those visiting the town. Six pedestrian routes will connect points of interest, specifically 27 locations which have been highlighted as historical and cultural sites.
In addition to the direction signs, there are QR codes, the Navilens system, plus the expansion of avatars, which will perform the function of guides similar to those already in use in El Tossal de la Cala, giving the users an extra attraction to their experience.
The avatars work with geolocation and have historical characterisation, covering a period from the last century up to the present. Information panels are also planned at each point of interest.
Benidorm’s was one of the 25 tourism sustainability plans approved by the secretary of state for tourism, chosen from more than 150 applications that were submitted nationwide. Mayor Toni Pérez said: “In this project, technology is of paramount importance and is going to represent a qualitative leap in how we show tourists and also residents, our heritage, culture and landscape.”
The news came as the town hall approved the climate change adaptation plan (PACC) on Monday, the first in the Valencia region for towns with more than 50,000 residents.
Council spokeswoman Lourdes Caselles said it is a road map with a double objective – ‘to avoid continuing to harm the planet with human action’ and adopt measures that allow the mitigation of the effects of climate change.
Benidorm is working together with Alicante university on the plan.
They have come up with six key objectives: the conservation of biodiversity; the renaturalisation of the municipality to be more resilient; the improvement of the design and adaptation of the town; awareness of the public in the commitment against climate change; the promotion of the use of renewable energies, home production of energy and efficiency; and, finally, to improve the impact of tourism.
Within these objectives, there are 54 specific actions, some of which are already being implemented, such as low emission zones.