https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Fifty years after General Francisco Franco's death, Benidorm still clings to the mass tourism model it pioneered under his dictatorship, even as protests against overtourism sweep other Spanish holiday hotspots. https://www.thelocal.es/20251004/why-benidorm-embraces-spains-franco-era-mass-tourism-model Sat, 04 Oct 2025 08:59:16 +0200 why-benidorm-embraces-spains-franco-era-mass-tourism-model The Spanish coastal resort of Benidorm has spoken out against the explosion of UK holidaymakers on mobility scooters clogging up the streets, drink driving and relying on these small vehicles instead of walking. https://www.thelocal.es/20240722/benidorm-gets-serious-with-british-seniors-on-mobility-scooters Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:25:59 +0200 benidorm-gets-serious-with-british-seniors-on-mobility-scooters Leah Pattem has fond memories of Benidorm after spending family holidays there as a child. Now, years later and living in Madrid, this Newcastle-born blogger revisits the resort and discovers it still retains a certain charm. https://www.thelocal.es/20180816/six-reasons-why-benidorm-is-better-than-you-think Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:59:43 +0200 six-reasons-why-benidorm-is-better-than-you-think An earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Ritcher scale was registered in the early hours of Tuesday morning just inland that could be felt across the Costa Blanca. https://www.thelocal.es/20201103/earthquakes-rattle-spains-costa-blanca Tue, 03 Nov 2020 11:49:16 +0100 earthquakes-rattle-spains-costa-blanca Restaurateurs and hoteliers in Benidorm have launched a new promotional scheme in a bid to attract tourists back to the famous Costa Blanca holiday spot. https://www.thelocal.es/20201009/benidorm-launches-all-inclusive-scheme-for-just-200-a-week-to-combat-coronavirus-crisis Fri, 09 Oct 2020 15:10:41 +0200 benidorm-launches-all-inclusive-scheme-for-just-200-a-week-to-combat-coronavirus-crisis Let's face it, Benidorm isn't everyone's cup of tea. But a photographer is revealing that true beauty can be found in the most unlikely of resorts. https://www.thelocal.es/20190819/18-photos-that-prove-benidorm-is-beautiful Mon, 19 Aug 2019 11:39:44 +0200 18-photos-that-prove-benidorm-is-beautiful Five French teenagers accused of gang raping a Norwegian woman in a holiday apartment in the popular Spanish resort of Benidorm have been charged with sexual abuse, authorities said. https://www.thelocal.es/20190809/five-french-teens-charged-in-benidorm-gang-rape-case Fri, 09 Aug 2019 16:01:16 +0200 five-french-teens-charged-in-benidorm-gang-rape-case The family of a British holidaymaker who could be paralysed for life after breaking his neck at Aqualandia in Benidorm are demanding that Aqualandia launch a full investigation. https://www.thelocal.es/20190717/family-of-brit-paralysed-at-benidorm-water-park-demand-full-investigation Wed, 17 Jul 2019 19:15:13 +0200 family-of-brit-paralysed-at-benidorm-water-park-demand-full-investigation First it was Jamie Oliver suggesting chorizo be added into paella. Then it was Morrison’s with their unusual Christmas twist on the classic churro. https://www.thelocal.es/20190531/benidorms-full-english-pizza-spain-disgusted-by-yet-another-culinary-travesty-by-the-british Fri, 31 May 2019 12:25:24 +0200 benidorms-full-english-pizza-spain-disgusted-by-yet-another-culinary-travesty-by-the-british Spanish police have busted a drugs operation run by Brits from a campsite in Benidorm. https://www.thelocal.es/20180903/spanish-police-bust-benidorm-campsite-drug-gang Mon, 03 Sep 2018 12:54:35 +0200 spanish-police-bust-benidorm-campsite-drug-gang England’s win over Sweden on Saturday caused chaos in boozy Benidorm as 12,000 English tourists took to the streets for a wild celebration. https://www.thelocal.es/20180710/benidorm-police-fear-more-clashes-with-england-fans-ahead-of-world-cup-semis Tue, 10 Jul 2018 11:01:04 +0200 benidorm-police-fear-more-clashes-with-england-fans-ahead-of-world-cup-semis Spanish and Finnish police, with the help of European law agencies, have arrested 24 members of a suspected prostitution ring preying on young Nigerian women,, Europol said Thursday. https://www.thelocal.es/20170825/spanish-police-bust-nigerian-prostitution-ring-operating-in-benidorm Fri, 25 Aug 2017 11:52:30 +0200 spanish-police-bust-nigerian-prostitution-ring-operating-in-benidorm A young British woman fell to her death from a 10th-floor flat in Spain's Mediterranean holiday resort of Benidorm, police said Saturday, as she reportedly partied with other Britons. https://www.thelocal.es/20170430/british-woman-falls-to-her-death-from-flat-in-spain Sun, 30 Apr 2017 17:41:25 +0200 british-woman-falls-to-her-death-from-flat-in-spain Spanish police said on Friday that they have arrested a British fugitive who was convicted in Britain of raping two teenage boys. https://www.thelocal.es/20161202/spain-detains-fugitive-british-paedophile-in-benidorm Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:50:03 +0100 spain-detains-fugitive-british-paedophile-in-benidorm When scuba diving instructor Jessy Cuesta went on a dive in early August off the coast of Benidorm she made an unusual discovery. https://www.thelocal.es/20160914/benidorm-diver-finds-wedding-ring-lost-37-years-ago Wed, 14 Sep 2016 13:36:40 +0200 benidorm-diver-finds-wedding-ring-lost-37-years-ago Police posed as hotel staff to capture the fugitive Salvatore Mariano, who had been on the run since March, and was one of the most-wanted members of the Italian mafia. https://www.thelocal.es/20160823/italian-mafia-boss-found-on-family-holiday-in-benidorm Tue, 23 Aug 2016 19:04:20 +0200 italian-mafia-boss-found-on-family-holiday-in-benidorm A British tourist has been arrested for abandoning her nine-year-old twin sons to go out boozing in Benidorm. https://www.thelocal.es/20160801/british-mum-arrested-for-abandoning-twins-to-go-out-boozing-in-benidorm Mon, 01 Aug 2016 11:39:35 +0200 british-mum-arrested-for-abandoning-twins-to-go-out-boozing-in-benidorm For more than 30 years she has wowed audiences with her unusual form of entertainment: erotic dancing combined with a conjuring act that involves various items appearing magically from an, ahem, intimate part of her anatomy. https://www.thelocal.es/20160222/benidorm-sticky-vicky-retires-from-sexy-magic-show-aged-72 Mon, 22 Feb 2016 17:17:45 +0100 benidorm-sticky-vicky-retires-from-sexy-magic-show-aged-72 The Benidorm skyscraper was meant to be the jewel in the real estate crown of the Costa Blanca but instead it became a victim of the economic crash and will now be sold off to the highest bidder. https://www.thelocal.es/20151215/looking-for-a-room-with-a-view-benidorm-skyscraper-up-for-sale Tue, 15 Dec 2015 12:59:29 +0100 looking-for-a-room-with-a-view-benidorm-skyscraper-up-for-sale British bobbies are to become a regular sight in the popular Costa Blanca resort after the success of similar schemes in Mallorca and Ibiza. https://www.thelocal.es/20150824/british-police-officers-to-patrol-benidorm-to-deal-with-brits-abroad Mon, 24 Aug 2015 15:05:40 +0200 british-police-officers-to-patrol-benidorm-to-deal-with-brits-abroad