The population of Malaga province is continuing to increase; however, this growth is mainly due to the presence of foreigners and it must also be said that the increase during the past year has been minimal and the population has grown by only 13,254 inhabitants. The economic crisis has led to a change in migration and the number of foreign residents in Spain has dropped by approximately 100,000.
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Work on the major infrastructure projects under way in the province of Malaga is soon to feel the effects of the government cutbacks. If during the first couple of years of the downturn public works helped keep the province’s economy afloat, the situation looks set to change. On Wednesday the Minister of Development José Blanco announced where he would make his cutbacks, which amount to savings of some 3,200 million euros on a national level
Love it or hate it, most will agree that Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol has a certain charm. Why? Well its secret appears to be that it has managed to preserve its authenticity despite being a tourist destination for the masses for 40 years. Many of the hotels built in the ‘50s and ‘60s are praised today by many fashionable architects. This might be why Torremolinos is praised in the British Airways Highlife magazine as one of the top 50 authentic destinations in the world.
According to the Junta de Andalucia, of the currently 45.000 unsold properties in the province of Malaga, approximately 20.000 properties are suitable to be converted into VPOs (subsidised housing) and are anxious to do so. To date only around 700 properties have been converted.
Just been reviewing the Junta de Andalucia’s budget for 2009 and it appears that the Junta de Andalucía has reserved a sum of 812.4 million euros for the province of Malaga, which an increase of 5.1 per cent from last year.
Well for once the refrain “the rain in spain mostly falls on the plain” does not hold much water. This October has been the rainiest since 2003!
According to the Mediterranean Water Authority and the State Meteorological Agency meters an average of 134 litres per square metre of rainfall was registered during the month in the province. In October 2007, the figure was 52.5 litres per square metre.
Yes I’m referring to time share. But before I continue, please note not all time share related companies are scammers; there are a few that do live up to their offers.
The reason for this article is due to the fact that a lot of the Holiday Club scammer operate in Spain, and quite a few can be found on the Costa del Sol.
It appears that is these difficult times, many town halls all here on the Costa del Sol are a range of incentives and discount to help motivate us to pay our taxes, etc… This information is based on an article from the Sur in English from the 10th of October. I would recommend using the following information as a guide, contact you town hall directly and find out what other schemes are in place that by be a benefit.
The Saint Michael Feria in Torremolinos starts today 25th of September and continues till the 29th of September. These five days of celebration are to honour Saint Michael (the archangel) the patron Saint of Torremolinos.
If you are in that part of the Costa del Sol, its definitely worth a visit, even if the weather forecast for Torremolinos does not look to good for the next day or two.
The Feria itself consists of two parts. The Feria de Día (day festival) which takes place around the town centre and the Feria de Noche (night festival), which has previously been held at the Torremolinos fairground.
If your in the area and have been lucky you might have seen the traditional ‘Romería’ in honour of Saint Michael. This procession involves pilgrims on horseback & decorated floats moving from the town up to the San Miguel Chapel in Los Pinares where a mass is held.
Two other archangels are also celebrated during the festivities, Gabriel and Rafael. Rafael, the patron saint of medical workers, is not even mentioned in the New Testament, but is still honoured nonetheless.
And Gabriel is/was God’s messenger. He has the distinction of having foretold the birth of Jesus.
Lastly there is Michael, the leader of God’s Heavenly army, the ‘good’ angel of death (good???) and the man that keeps Lucifer in check. As you can imaging with all the tourists that flood the area, his services might be needed…
Although the theme of this Feria is religious in nature, If you not Christian it is still worth a visit. Ferias are also a good excuse for a party in Andalucia!. Expected plenty of dancing, music, competitions. And on the 27th, Autonomy Day, the Mayor commemorates Torremolinos’s independence from Málaga, which came on 27th September 1988 after decades of campaigning and being dependent on the capital of the Costa del Sol.
I hope you enjoy it
Andrew Bellés
