Balance is everything and when equilibrium is lost, trouble starts, which is the case of camper vans in Calahonda .
This summer tourism on the Costa Tropical has been put on its head; tourists have shied away from crowded beaches and hotels and sought out casas rurales in the interior.
Small hoteles rurales have had a heyday whilst their larger, coastal counterparts have faced low occupation percentages, even after handing out cut-prices rates.
Rural camping sites have also experienced an upward surge with seasoned beachgoers opting this year for the country air in rural camp sites with their small bungalows, caravans or camper vans – somewhere relatively safe for their families.
Somewhere in between we have camper-van tourists, whose occupants enjoy the coast now that the high-season is all but spent as they have the best of both worlds: autonomous seclusion but with the beaches not far from where they park up.
However, with an increase in their numbers compared to previous summers some people have been rather annoyed that car parks seem to be full of them at a time when it is hard enough to find a space for your family car
Take beaches in Calahonda, as mentioned above and as can be seen from this photo, camper vans predominate in the parking area. The locals and holidaymakers are not happy about this, which is an understatement. Some feel that the nearby beach is being ·”degraded” whilst other complain that the occupants are not respecting social distancing.
Yet it is not only camper vans that are getting people’s back up, but also jet-skis because of the unholy noise they kick up all day long – this is a common complaint right along the Costa Tropical.
Consequently, and in the case of camper vans, Motril Town Hall (under whose responsibility Carchuna & Calahonda lie) has been searching for a solution in the form of accommodating camper-van tourism but keeping the locals happy.
Make no mistake, this kind of tourism is big in Spain: there’s around 5,500 vehicles of this kind for hire and the sector generates 2.6-million overnight stays. If you have money to buy one of these things, especially the more luxury ones, then you are a customer that any restaurant will only be too happy to have walk through their doors. Even renting one will set you back handsomely.
Editorial comment: camper-van tourism is a lifeline for the almost flat-lining coastal tourist sector, so they should be welcomed and the sooner that town halls provide somewhere for them to park up, the happier both parties will be.
(News: Calahonda, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)