Polícar has decided that extinction is not an option, so they're going to move with the times and become an attraction for camper-van tourism

Pólicar, with its population of 200, like many inland villages around Spain, is faced with its younger population drifting away in search of work, leaving the village with a shrinking and ageing population.

The answer, Mayor Marcos Navarro feels, is to attract tourists and create employment, thus holding onto the younger generation.

Nobody else in the area of Valle del Río Alhama, where Polícar lies, has such facilities, so the village will pioneer this kind of ‘welcome mat’ to visitors who wish to have a base whilst they explore the area around Guadix.

The camper-van park should be completed this month, having cost 29,800 euros, financed jointly through the Programa de Fomento de Empleo Agrario provided by the Junta de Andalucía and grants from the Provincial Council, as well as the municipal coffers.

The camping facilities are located next to the Centro Vitivinícola de Polícar, where there is a tourist-information point. It will have disposal for waste (from sewage tanks), rubbish bins and hook-up points for electricity and water.

The area has room for eight large vehicles and future plans include enlarging the facilities.

Polícar is one of the municipalities included within the Pueblos Mágicos de España, with such places to visit as the Bosque Encantado de Lugros, las cárcavas, and the Mirador del Fin del Mundo, or even the thermal springs in Cortes y Graena.

Editorial comment: the Mayor considers that this influx of visitors will revitalise the shops and bars in the village, which appears to be the complete opposite to what the towns on Costa Tropical believe, hence the apparent, “you’re not welcome here” attitude on the coast.

(News: Policar, Guadix & Montes Orientales, Granada, Andalucia)