Benidorm adds 3.5 kilometers of new trails in the Xixo area of ​​El Moralet Park

This Monday, September 15th, Benidorm City Council will begin the third phase of firefighting measures in the El Moralet urban park. These measures started mid-year with the creation of firebreaks, the installation of thermal fire cameras, and pruning and thinning. This new phase will continue the cleanup work and will incorporate three new trails into the existing network. These trails will be located in the Xixo area and will be approximately 3.5 kilometres in length.

This project falls under Action Number 1 of the 2023 Sustainable Tourism Destination Plan and is one of the actions requested by the City Council for which a grant was obtained.

Benidorm City Council applied for a grant in that year's call for proposals to carry out several initiatives under the Sustainable Tourism Plan for Destinations, within the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan—financed with European Union-NextGeneration-EU funds, included in the Territorial Sustainability Plan of the Valencian Community and coordinated by Turisme Comunitat Valenciana. The budget for this overall initiative amounts to €434,808.85 (VAT included).

In this phase, as explained by the Councillor for Parks and Gardens, José Ramón González de Zárate, new thermal cameras will be installed to improve fire protection and will be completed before the end of the year. "More cameras will be installed, which will be equipped with thermal sensors to detect potential fires and sudden temperature changes, so that action can be taken as quickly as possible if necessary," he indicated.

González de Zárate emphasised once again that this project in El Moralet is "a sustainable and healthy project" being carried out "in one of the city's jewels, stretching from Colonia Madrid to La Cala." In this phase, he reiterated, the work will focus on the area near the Xixo ravine and will consist of forest protection work, but also the creation of three new trails for citizens to enjoy." In this regard, the councilor explained that the area surrounding the ravine is "almost inaccessible to people" due to the presence of slopes and abundant vegetation. With the work to be carried out, the area will be cleared, with the new trails already completed. There will also be two new entrances to the park; specifically, one next to the Miguel Hernández school and another next to the commercial area near Adolfo Suárez Avenue. The new access points will be marked with signs and will also have a wooden fence.

The new trails will connect with the existing ones in Moralet, so that two of them can be accessed from Vía Parque and reach the main trail in the urban park that connects with Colonia Madrid. The third, meanwhile, is located on the northern side of Adolfo Suárez Avenue.

Benidorm is a sustainable city that protects its surroundings and the environment, and with these initiatives, we are working to protect our forests, pine forests, and trees so that people can enjoy them. It's about valuing and enhancing our nature,” concluded González de Zárate.