Benidorm beaches thronged with tourists as resort returns to normal after two years of Covid rules
The real Benidorm is back! Beaches are thronged with tourists as Spanish resort finally returns to normal after two years of crippling Covid restrictions
Costa Blanca hotspot packed out with Easter tourists after years of strict rulesHotels, restaurants and bars teeming with beachgoing crowds last seen in 2019Rain on Wednesday and gusts of wind on Thursday did not stop ‘avalanche’After two years of strict rules, this is the first holiday with no beach restrictionsBut… there will be a maximum of 3,500 sunbeds on the beach every day
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Tourists mobbed Benidorm as the famed Spanish resort celebrated its first Easter weekend without any Covid restrictions since 2019.
Hotels, bars and restaurants at the Costa Blanca hotspot were teeming with beachgoers eager to put the past two years behind them.
An ‘avalanche of tourists’ descended on the Mediterranean coastal haunt in the run-up to the four-day weekend, the local press reported.
‘After two years in which the restrictions on mobility due to Covid-19 made Holy Week pass without pain or glory, Benidorm has undoubtedly returned in 2022 to be the Benidorm of always.
‘The avalanche of tourists arriving from all parts of Spain and other European countries to spend these holidays has filled hotels, tourist apartments and second homes, reaching the records of years prior to the pandemic’, they wrote.
Benidorm returned to its glorious best as tourists from across Europe began to flood beaches
The only restriction tourists must face is a limit on sunbeds – a maximum of 3,500 on the beach
Rain on Wednesday and gusts of wind Thursday could not stop the flood of visitors, with ‘no vacancies’ signs spotted at some hotels and many reporting occupancy levels of 90 per cent or more.
Hotel association Hosbec had already voiced optimism about last-minute bookings. This has since materialised.
And apartment group Aptur reported tourist flats are 90 per cent full, too. Across the rest of the Costa Blanca, hotels are around 90 per cent occupied, Hosbec added.
In just two days, more than 100,000 cars full of tourists from Spain and across Europe have arrived to spend the Easter weekend on the Mediterranean.
Numbers at the resort’s airport, train station and on buses have also soared.
Councilor for Mobility José Ramón González de Zárate said: ‘When there were no restrictions in 2020 and 2021, the people who travelled to Benidorm mostly came by car for fear of going by bus or collective transport and being able to get infected, but the data tells us that this fear already seems to be overcome.’
The Association of Bars, Restaurants and Cafeterias (Abreca) said the bumper Easter will help to wipe away some of the losses run up during the Covid crisis.
Hotels, bars and restaurants are teeming with tourists more than at any point since 2019
The local press reported this will be the first holiday weekend in two years with ‘pain and glory’
Benidorm’s famous beaches are also ‘back to normal’ for Easter for the first time in two years, the town’s mayor said.
Mayor Toni Pérez said: ‘After two years of the pandemic, this will be the first Holy Week in which there will be no restrictions on the use of the sand.’
At one stage during the Covid crisis, beaches in Spain had to close and when allowed to reopen, they were subject to strict social distancing measures.
There were plots of sand for each group of sunbathers, tight controls over access points, time restrictions and even a pre-booking system which often saw long queues on seafronts.
Benidorm was one of the Spanish resorts highly praised for the way it dealt with the controls.
Mayor Pérez said the council had worked constantly throughout the year to make sure the beaches were in ‘an optimal state’ for users for Easter, which marks the beginning of the high season.
To this end, repair work has been carried out on different elements, as well as adjusting the lifeguard and cleaning device.
Sunbeds are also making a welcome return, with the mayor specifying the maximum on the beach will be 3,500 per day.
Benidorm’s gorgeous beaches are thankfully sheltered from storms, its mayor said (file image)
The number of rescue lifeguards are also being increased, with five on Levante beach, six on Poniente beach and one on Mal Pas beach.
There will also be two ambulances with personnel. The cleaning service has also been reinforced.
One regulation which will remain is the ‘six metres’ from the shore requirement. This means that sunbathers can’t sit within this line, leaving the shoreline space for people who want to walk along the beaches.
Spain has already lifted the requirement for beach users to wear masks as they are no longer required outdoors. The indoor rule will be lifted on April 20.
Benidorm’s mayor also confirmed the beaches were not badly affected by the recent storms as they are more protected than others.
