Latest news with #JaimeMartínez
Daily Mirror
27-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Canary Island to charge sunbathers £3.80 in first hike price in 23 years
In a huge blow to Brits, a tourist-riddled hotspot on the Canary Islands has unveiled plans to charge holidaymakers almost £4 per day for the privilege of using a sunbed or a parasol Brit tourists heading over to a Canary Island hotspot are slated to be hit by soaring costs if they want to spend their days at the beach. Last year, a whopping four million international visitors flocked to Gran Canaria, making it the second most popular island on the Spanish-owned archipelago. Famed for its 400-hectare dune system, endless golden sandy beaches and crystal-clear water - the destination is perfect for those wanting to top up their tan while kicking back with a good book. Combine this with low rainfall and scorching temperatures that are predicted to hit a scorching 38C this month, and it's clear why Gran Canaria has become a sunbather's paradise. However, that might soon be about to change. For the first time in over two decades, officials have reportedly proposed to increase the cost to rent a sun lounger. The charge, which hasn't changed since 2002 when Spain moved from Pesetas to Euros, will affect all of the beaches in the San Bartolomé de Tirajana region - including in the tourist-riddled hotspots of Maspalomas and Playa Del Ingles. According to Canarian Weekly, renting a sunbed or parasol currently costs €2.50 (£2.13) per day, but this will rise to €4.50 (£3.84) for both items under the new rules. For a family of four renting out a sunbed each for seven days - this will work out at a staggering €126 (£107.41). Along with the price hike - which an economic study suggested should actually rise to €6 (£5.12) - tourists will also be able to rent out Balinese beds for €15 (£12.79) per day and personal safes €3 (£2.56) to lock away their valuables. Local media states the council, led by Yilenia Vega, argues that even with the price hike - the rates remain 'highly competitive' compared to both local and national averages. However, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) has criticised the move, accusing the council of 'prioritising private company profits over public benefit'. Over in Majorca, authorities are actually seeking to remove a staggering 1,700 of its sun loungers from beaches to make more room for protesting locals. As previously reported, Palma's council has green-lighted plans to slash sunbeds on the city's beaches by 20 per cent by next year. "There has been a loss of sand on the beaches, and we couldn't maintain the same number of sunbeds and umbrellas - and this has coincided with complaints from residents who feel they have less space," a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs of the Balearic Islands reportedly said. "The mayor [Jaime Martínez] is aware that the majority of residents don't use the sun bed service, so we decided to implement this redistribution." The move isn't just to snub pasty Brits desperate for a tan, but has also been attributed to rising sea levels which are slowly taking away space on the beach. You can find out which beaches will be affected by the shakeup here.
Daily Mirror
20-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Brits hit with £640 fine warning for buying items from certain places in Spain
In a brutal new crackdown, Spanish authorities are said to be imposing hefty fines for tourists found to be buying souvenirs and other items from certain types of street vendors A popular Spanish city has unveiled a brutal clampdown that could see Brits slapped with a hefty fine. Police in Palma, the capital of Majorca, are reportedly imposing the first penalties against people found to have purchased products such as sunglasses, bags, and souvenirs from illegal street sellers. It comes as the town hall launched a new ordinance on May 26 - which strictly prohibits both residents and holidaymakers in the Litoral district (which spans from Can Pere Antoni to Arenal) from buying items from unauthorised vendors. Often referred to as 'looky looky' men, tourist-riddled hotspots like Spain are rife with dodgy merchants that often sell counterfeit products such as fake designer handbags and scarves. Of course, selling knock-off goods has never been legal in Spain, and provisions to fine counterfeit sellers and their customers have been in place since 2018. However, Spain is cracking down on this with a set of bylaws updating existing regulations, arguing the black-market train 'harms legal establishments'. According to Majorca Daily Bulletin, sellers themselves are subject to sky-high fines of between €750 and €1,500 (approximately £640 and £1,281 respectively). For tourists, fines start at €100 (£85) but can climb up to €750 (£640). Presumably, this will depend on the number of illegal goods being purchased. "In one case, eleven sunglasses were seized from the seller as evidence of illegal vending, while the purchaser was fined for 'making a purchase from an unlicensed street vendor on the public way'," the publication states - citing a recent police report. "This doesn't say if the person fined was a tourist or a resident." It is believed the Official Bulletin of the Balearic Islands regularly publishes pages with a list of offenders. However, many street vendors have no known address, which has cast the effectiveness of the steep fines into doubt. The announcement comes just days after Palma has also unveiled ambitious plans to cut down the number of sunbeds on its beaches by a whopping 1,700 by next year. As previously reported, the city's council has allegedly green-lighted plans to reduce sun loungers by 20 per cent by 2026, citing both over-tourism and rising levels. "There has been a loss of sand on the beaches, and we couldn't maintain the same number of sunbeds and umbrellas - and this has coincided with complaints from residents who feel they have less space," a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs of the Balearic Islands reportedly said. "The mayor [Jaime Martínez] is aware that the majority of residents don't use the sun bed service, so we decided to implement this redistribution." The Local Es, a Spanish news site, claims this will impact several popular stretches of coastline, and will see Platja de Palma go from 6,000 sunbeds down to 4,436. The publication says Cala Major beach will go from 300 to 250 sunbeds, while Cala Estància will also have 18 fewer sunbeds by next year.
Daily Mirror
19-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Spanish island set to make major change to beaches in 2026 in huge blow to Brits
In a desperate effort to tackle over-tourism and fight against rising sea levels, one Spanish island is planning to remove a whopping 1,700 of its sun loungers from popular beaches Sun-worshipping Brits heading over to one EU hotspot could soon be impacted by a major beach shakeup. Last year, a whopping 15.3 million international tourists flocked to the Balearics, a cluster of Spanish-owned islands renowned for their golden sands and crystal clear waters. The influx marks a 6.15 per cent spike compared to 2023, despite growing calls to curb over-tourism from fed-up locals. Many Brits opted to holiday in Majorca (also known as Mallorca) which is the largest of the Balearic Islands. Here, you'll find the party-mad resort of Magaluf, the beautifully idyllic town of Alcúdia, and the sleepy inland hotspot of Seineu. Palma, the island's capital, is also extremely popular with Brits - perfectly balancing rich history, gothic architecture, and picturesque beaches. However, the city is believed to be clamping down on over-tourism by removing a staggering 1,700 of its sun loungers from beaches - to make more room for protesting locals. According to local media, Palma's council has green-lighted plans to reduce sun beds on the city's beaches by 20 per cent by 2026. "There has been a loss of sand on the beaches, and we couldn't maintain the same number of sunbeds and umbrellas - and this has coincided with complaints from residents who feel they have less space," a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs of the Balearic Islands reportedly said. "The mayor [Jaime Martínez] is aware that the majority of residents don't use the sun bed service, so we decided to implement this redistribution." The move isn't just to snub pasty Brits desperate for a tan, but has also been attributed to rising sea levels which are slowly taking away space on the beach. The Local Es, a Spanish news site, claims this will impact several popular stretches of coastline, and will see Platja de Palma go from 6,000 sunbeds down to 4,436. The publication states Cala Major will go from 300 to 250 sunbeds, while Cala Estància will also have 18 fewer sun beds by next year. Can Pare Antoni, a popular urban beach located just east of the city centre, is also thought to be cutting down on its sun bed offerings. While the announcement won't go down well with UK holidaymakers, it may help appease frustrated residents who argue that over-tourism is pricing them out of the property market and destroying the environment. This has slowly cumulated in a series of confrontational protests where banner-waving activists have demanded Brits 'go home' for good, while anti-tourist graffiti has been smeared across the island and mainland. More recently, demonstrators have flocked to the streets en masse - armed with water pistols - to get their message across. As previously reported, this could be one of the reasons behind a surge in summer holiday bookings to rival destinations such as Egypt.
Local Spain
16-06-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Mallorca to cut back on sun beds as rising sea levels eat up beach space
The Balearic island of Mallorca is more crowded than ever, with population and tourism records every year contributing extra cars to the roads and more buildings to its already overdeveloped landscape. And now there's another reason why beaches in Palma de Mallorca are going to feel more cramped - they're getting smaller. This has pushed local authorities to decide to reduce the number of sun beds on the sand, so that all types of beachgoers can fit on the beaches. In total, there will be 1,664 fewer sun loungers in 2026 than this year due to the fact that sea levels have been rising for the past 20 years, which is taking away space on the beach. Platja de Palma will go from 6,000 sun beds down to 4,436, while Cala Major will go from 300 to 250. Cala Estància will also have 18 less sun beds next year. In Can Pare Antoni they will also reduce the number of sun loungers, even though this isn't under the jurisdiction of Palma City Council. As well as a reduction in sun beds, the number of parasols will also be decreased. Now there will be one parasol for every two loungers instead of each having its own. The council are also responding to complaints from residents because of overcrowding of sun beds and umbrellas, which leaves them with no free space to put down their towels. Companies interested renting out sun beds must accept the new rules, as well as pay a fee to the City Council for cleaning and maintaining the beach. According to the Department of Home Affairs of the Balearic Islands and the Department of the Sea and Water Cycle, which reports to the Balearic Government, "There has been a loss of sand on the beaches, and we couldn't maintain the same number of sun beds and umbrellas. And this has coincided with complaints from residents who feel they have less space. "The mayor [Jaime Martínez] is aware that the majority of residents don't use the sun bed service, so we decided to implement this redistribution," explains Mercedes Celeste, Councillor for Home Affairs and spokesperson for the Balearic Islands. Another change at Cala Major beach to add more space will be the dismantling of one of its two beach bars. "The idea is the same: to rationalise the space and avoid conflicts so that we can all enjoy the beach," Celeste says. One of the ideas floated to help companies regain some of their lost income due to fewer beds includes offering premium sun loungers that offer more space, luxury and comfort - and of course cost more. The council will also allow operating periods to be more flexible. The summer season typically ends at the end of October, but they will allow concession stands to extend the season by two or three weeks in November on the condition that they themselves contract lifeguard services. The council is keen to extend the season so that more people will be encouraged to travel during shoulder times in spring and autumn and help reduce over tourism in summer. More changes will be introduced in the summer of 2027, which includes an app where can reserve sunbeds in advance. This will also help provide an estimate of the capacity of a given beach. Mallorca is not the only place in Spain that is suffering from loss of sand on its beaches. Rising sea levels, storms and coastal construction are all, causing more and more sand to be lost to the sea each year. According to a Greenpeace report, by 2030 this will have a very serious impact on many Spanish cities, the worst affected cities being Barcelona, Vigo, Málaga and Santander. A study conducted by the Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) confirmed this by showing that since 2017, the city's beaches have been losing between six and 10 metres of width per year. Both Cádiz and Bilbao, are also expected to lose up to 40 metres of sand by the end of the century. To try and solve the issue, many councils have brought in action plans, slightly different to those in Mallorca. Barcelona is spending millions on pouring deposits of sand onto the beach to try and balance out the current losses and divide the beaches up with breakwaters, while other cities are also adding barriers. Experts believe that these solutions won't be enough, however, and the only way to really stop the beaches eroding is to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions to slow down rising sea levels.
Fashion United
16-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Sustainable momentum: Ecoalf sees double-digit growth
Spanish sustainable fashion label Ecoalf is strengthening its global positioning with a double-digit revenue increase and the strategic expansion of its retail footprint in Europe and Asia. For the fiscal year 2024 ending February 28, 2025, Ecoalf recorded a +20 percent year-over-year growth, with sales reaching 58 million euros, up from 46.8 million euros in FY 2023. While the company did not disclose net profit figures, it reported a positive EBITDA of 3.4 million euros, underlining continued operational resilience in a challenging global retail landscape. Strategic retail expansion in Europe and Asia The brand recently inaugurated a new store in Biarritz, France, marking the start of its next international growth phase. This opening is part of a broader plan to scale its brick-and-mortar presence in key global markets. In addition to its current five locations in Japan, Ecoalf is set to launch its first franchised stores in Bolzano (Italy) and Antwerp (Belgium). These developments will further reinforce the company's international network, which already includes 14 own stores and presence in over 1,000 multi-brand retail partners worldwide. Originally published on by Jaime Martínez, this article has been adapted for an international audience by Alicia Reyes Sarmiento.
