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THE INDEPENDENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER WITH LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
FRIDAY 29th JANUARY TO THURSDAY 11th FEBRUARY 2016
EDITION 543
Arona unveils ten-year vision for “avante garde” facelift “Golden Mile” to be opened next month
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HE transformation of Arona will be complete in less than a decade, offering a high-quality modern infrastructure.
Council leaders have attended the International Tourim Far in Madrid with the announcement that its main tourist centres will again have legal and planning security “in a few months”. The Mayor, José Julián Mena and tourism councillor, David Pérez met with leading CEOs and presidents of the Spanish tourist industry as part of the presentation of their promotional strategies. They described the planned transformation of Arona as “avant garde”, with the aim of filling the gap in the five-star market. They said there would be “strict controls and limitations” but there will be several new luxury hotels. The modernisation plan will include the centres of Playa de las Americas, Los Cristianos and Costa Silencio. The Mayor pledged “the maximum guarantee of legality and transparency” and said that in conjunction with Tenerife Cabildo, it was an unstoppable and ambitious plan of renovation. One of the highlights will be the unveiling next month of the new-look avenida de Las Américas or “Golden Mile” , described as one of the most important tourist stretches not just in the Canaries but in Spain. Major work has been taking place over the last year. The council says it features the best in shops and businesses, shows and conferences and helps to open the world to the new concept of Arona. Sr. Mena said they were working hard to get legal certainty before this summer so that new projects and those waiting could go ahead. He said it offered a great opportunity for companies to invest and for businesses to flourish again. The blueprint for the next ten years also includes renovated public spaces, creating the beach of Los Tarajales near the Arona Gran Hotel in Los Cristianos, new hotels, renovation of the existing accommodation and so on. In the words of Sr.Perez: “A modern and innovative tourism project that seeks to restore the position that corresponds to Arona but with strict observance of legality and transparency.” More on page 3: How Arona and Adeje are joining forces
Thousands to flock to Santa Cruz Carnival
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ENERIFE’S most famous Carnival is about to hot up as Santa Cruz turns the clocks back to the 1980s.
Thousands of people will once again be flocking to the capital to take part in the colourful festivities which are second in the world only to Rio. The traditional proclamation of the full programme takes place at 8.30pm on February 5th in Avenida de Bélgica with the first of what will be many big parades. As last year, there will be two Carnival Sundays, one on February 7th and the other on February 13th. Tania Martín Quintero has already been elected as the young Carnival Queen and all the musical group competitions are in full swing. There are 14 candidates vying for the title of adult Carnival Queen and this competition will take place on February 3rd. The big day, known as the “Coso”, is on Thursday, February 9th, followed by the Burial of the Sardine, a traditional ceremony, on February 10th. The final fiesta to bring the Carnival to a close is on February 14th. The full programme is available on www.http:// carnavaldetenerife.com/en/ Santa Cruz city council is delighted to have stepped up its TV coverage of many of the events which will also produce valuable publicity for the city which wants to step up its tourism appeal. Your fortnightly TV GUIDE inside
Photo by Jesus D’ Sousa
Tragedy as toddler dies in hotel fall
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two-year-old toddler has died after falling from the third floor of a family hotel in Gran Canaria.
The little girl was of Swedish nationality and was staying in a hotel in the area of Patalavaca, in the municipality of Mogan. She was with her parents, a brother and her grand-parents. Initial reports suggest she strayed out onto the balcony and fell off. Her fall was broken by a pergola below. Emergency medics rushed to the scene, together with firemen who rescued the youngster and gave her first aid. The toddler was then taken by ambulance to the maternity unit of the University Children’s Hospital in the island’s capital of Las Palmas. However, she later died. An investigation is underway to determine exactly what happened.