Costa Blanca

In 2024, more than 100,000 people visited museums in Benidorm

In 2024, more than 100,000 people visited Benidorm’s five museum spaces. This does not include open-air exhibition spaces or temporary or moving exhibitions. The Sala Luis Duart, the La Casilla museum, the Boca del Calvari museum, the Aula del Mar, and the Tossal de la Cala were all visited by 100,385 people in 2024. Almost half of these places have not been open for a year.

The Aula del Mar has only been open since November 24, but the Sala Luis Duart opened at the end of July of last year. “The data is very good and shows that culture and heritage are an element of interest for those who visit us,” said Ana Pellicer, Councillor for Historical Heritage.

With 53,710 visitors, the El Tossal de La Cala site was the most popular historic site. The Boca del Calvari museum came in second with 33,662 visitors, then the Aula del Mar with 9,500 visitors in just 3 months, the Sala Luis Duart with 2,953, and La Casilla with 560.

“We don’t know how many people have come to temporary open-air exhibitions like the one we had with the Prado Museum, the displays of the different Espais D’Art that are spread out in the streets of the city, or the sculptures of Jimenes Deredia,” Heritage technician Fernando Mahiques said. “The number could easily double the records we have now and reach 200,000 visitors to our exhibitions.”

Among the exhibitions at the Boca del Calvari Municipal Museum that keep track of visitors, “Guardianes de Piedra,” an archaeological show about local history, has been the most popular with both locals and tourists, with 9,458 people going. This is more than the exhibitions of Planets-Flotar (8,233 visitors), Orografía del Camino (7,785), García-Alix (5,723), and Calatayud (2,463).

According to Mahiques, places like the Aula del Mar have only been open for a few months and are only open from Thursday to Sunday at the moment. He said, “When we extend the opening days we believe that visits will grow exponentially because it is a space at street level and on the beachfront that, on its opening day alone, registered more than 400 visits.”

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Costa Blanca

21 expensive cars that were stolen in the U.S. were found Valencia port

Together with the US Container Security Initiative, the Guardia Civil and the Tax Agency found 21 high-end cars that were stolen in the U.S. and were on their way to Africa in the port of Valencia. The cars, which were worth a total of €1.1 million, were reported stolen and were being moved in containers.

The cars were stolen in the U.S. and were on their way to different places in Africa, stopping in Valencia’s port. Risk analysis units made up of Guardia Civil and Tax Agency officers were able to find several packages that might not have had the goods that were claimed to have been inside.

With the help of the information gathered, it was confirmed that stolen cars that had been in Valencia on their way to the United States had actually arrived. The groups that ship stolen cars either traded legally declared cars for stolen ones or directly declared the stolen cars as other goods, like furniture or mattresses.

In the past few weeks, 21 vehicles have been found and will be sent back to their home countries to be given to their original owners.

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14 immigrants were saved on a boat 45 miles off the coast of Alicante

On Wednesday, 2nd April, the Maritime Rescue ship Salvamar Leo saved 14 immigrants who were travelling in a boat about 45 miles from Alicante.

In the middle of the afternoon on Wednesday, Maritime Rescue sent out its Helimer 223 helicopter and the Salvamar Leo, which is based in Alicante, to save the people on a small boat.

Their journey began on the Salvamar Leo, which took them to the Temporary Assistance Centre for Foreigners in the port of Alicante. There, the Red Cross took care of them.

The Red Cross says that all of the refugees they saved were men, and two of them were younger than 15 years old. They were all healthy after being treated.

The National Police took over the refugees after getting help from the Red Cross. They are now trying to find the boat’s captain so they can arrest him, as is normal in these situations.

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Dénia wrestler arrested in connection with a network that smuggled 300 kilos of cocaine from Ecuador

The National Police’s Drugs and Organised Crime Unit arrested a famous mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Dénia. He was part of a gang that was partly broken up in August over a shipment of 300 kg of cocaine from Ecuador that came into the port of Valencia. The fighter from Dénia is one of five people who were caught by police. Along with nine other gang members who were already in jail at the time, they are now in jail.

The man who was arrested in Dénia is thought to be the trusted man of the gang’s leader, who is also an MMA fighter, and the person who is said to have worked as a go-between in the operation.

Levante-EMV also says that the broken-down network is linked to another shipment of 490 kg of cocaine that came into the port of Valencia in April of last year.

The five people who were just caught went before Valencia’s Investigative Court No. 20 yesterday, April 3rd.