Benidorm proposes to promote the declaration of the Patron Saint Festivities as an autonomous tourist interest

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Perez, and the councilman of Fiestas, Jesús Carrobles, will raise to the next regular plenary session a proposal to promote before the Consell the declaration of the Major Patron Festivities as Autonomous Tourist Interest Festivities of the Valencian Community. The proposal will be dictated next week in the Inquiry Committee of the Internal Regime and today it has been communicated to groups and associations linked to the organization of the Major Patron Saint Feestivities: Commission of Festes Majors Patronals, Association of Penyes Verge del Sofratge, Camareres de la Mare de Déu, La Barqueta Cultural and Recreational Association, Mariners de la Mare de Déu and Costalers de Sant Jaume.

The mayor reported that all these entities, "who lead our festivities and are its true architects," have expressed their "manifest interest" in achieving this recognition and, therefore, have adhered to the proposal.

As it points out, since its inception this festivity "has not ceased to increase exponentially the acts that comprise it, citizen participation - both residents and visitors - and the tourist impact of its celebration." Thus, and as reflected by the figures of the employer Hosbec, the hotel occupancy is "at 83.7% during the first half of November", which shows that the Major Patron Festivities get "Benidorm remains one of the focuses of the Valencian littoral per excellence "during that month, and contributing" to the deseasonalization ".

The mayor indicated that promoting this recognition is "an important step" to give "a boost" to these celebrations and highlight "what they are, what they suppose and what they should continue to be."

The proposal includes the main cultural, religious and recreational events of the Major Festivities as the representation of the finding of the Virgin of Sufragio - "declared Festivity of Tourist Interest of the Valencian Community in 2015" -, the offering of flowers, masses, processions , the entrance of clubs, the parade of humor, the mascletàs, the parade of floats and the castle of fires that closes the five days of celebrations.

The mayor alluded to the "absolute and full conviction that our Major Patron Festivities meet each and every one of the requirements" established in Decree 119/2006 of the Consell regulator of the declarations of Festivities, Itineraries, Publications and Audiovisual Works of Tourist Interest of the Valencian Community, since "they suppose a manifestation and development of the own values ​​and of popular tradition and they have become a tourist reclamation".