Soltalk August 2022 | Page 20

Local News
Surprise arrival

Málaga – Expo 2027 ?

Sunbathers on Playa de Vilches on the border of Nerja and Torrox got a surprise on July 19 when a car crashed four metres down from the N-340 roadway onto the sand . The British driver apparently lost control while trying to park his white Toyota but was reported to be unhurt when the vehicle came to rest against some rocks . Bathers only feet from the incident escaped uninjured .
Misleading ad
The Málaga Bar Association is reported to be investigating a law firm which erected an “ intrusive and misleading ” advertising hoarding in Vélez-Málaga . The poster promoted the firm ’ s divorce services with the slogan , “ Dare to spend the summer as you had planned .” The firm withdrew the advertising after just two days saying it had been , “ receiving threats and attacks .”
Caravan site
A 7,000 square metre site has been set aside in Nerja to accommodate motor caravans . It will be developed on land not suitable for urbanising in the Pago de Río Seco area , with road access to the N-340 coast road . The site will include prefabricated booths , toilets and a reception area , plus water and power supplies , as well as sanitation facilities .
Tower delayed
The planned hotel tower in Málaga ’ s Port area has been delayed further following the expiration of an environmental assessment . The controversial development is being opposed by campaign group “ Defend our horizon .” A new simplified report is expected to take around three months to complete .
Job subsidies
Nerja is offering to help with financing jobs for the long-term unemployed in the town . Both salary and Social Security contributions will be subsidised , with amounts varying with contract type and the age of the person hired . Companies , freelance workers and professionals from Nerja and Maro have until September to apply to the town hall .
The city of Málaga is making a bid to host Expo 2027 and last month made public details of the application it has submitted to the International Exhibitions Office in Paris . The document covers the work involved , the economic and logistical requirements , and the potential benefits .
Málaga plans to promote the event with the slogan , “ The Urban Era : Towards the Sustainable City ” and intends to focus on the UN ’ s sustainability goals . The event would run for 93 days from June to September 2027 at an estimated cost of € 859 million , which includes the construction of a site at Buenavista in the city ’ s south-western outskirts .
Plans indicate a building , 560 metres in diameter , with a central garden , restaurants and a 3,000-seater theatre . The Expo pavilions would be set around the circumference , facing inwards towards other pavilions representing citizenship , the environment and innovation .
Some 3.1 million people would be expected to visit the site , with many expected to return at least twice , generating € 136 million in ticket sales . Total revenue from the event is estimated at € 321 million .
Costs would include € 602 million for site construction and € 256 million operating expenses . The project would generate around 300 jobs in the years leading up to opening , and 3,000 jobs during the exhibition . Subsidies of € 540 million are expected from various levels of government and authorities .
Málaga must now wait until next June to find out if the application has been successful . Four other cities are also in the running : Minnesota in the USA , Phuket in Thailand , Serbia in Belgrade , and San Carlos de Bariloche in
Argentina . The International Exhibitions Office is presently undertaking Enquiry Missions to each venue to assess the feasibility and viability of their applications .
Hotel occupancy
Nerja enjoyed one of the highest levels of occupancy on the coast during June . The total of 83.9 % given by the Costa del Sol Association of Hotel Businesses ( Aehcos ) compares with 81.9 % for the entire coast , two points less than the figure for the same period in 2019 . The Association is expecting “ moderate ” results for July and August .
Orange oceans
Several beaches along the coast of the Axarquía experienced orange patches in the sea water last month . Experts say the colouring , which has nothing to do with anchovy spawning , is caused by a natural phenomenon and is quite harmless . They explain that a change in the water temperature cause brown algae to reproduce and their accumulation causes the discolouration .
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