Outrage Over Plans To Rename Costa Del Sol Towns.  Several local towns could be given British names in a bid to boost dwindling tourist numbers.

Outrage Over Plans To Rename Costa Del Sol Towns

Costa Del Sol residents, ex-pats, and some tourists are expressing concern and confusion over plans to rename some local towns.  Marbella County Council made the shock announcement as part of their drive to boost British tourism on the Costa Del Sol, which has seen an unprecedented decline over the last six months.

The surprise move to rename Spanish towns is expected to bring more British tourists back to the Costa Del Sol.

British People Like Familiarity

Enrique Edificios is the head of the council’s committee responsible for maintaining tourist numbers and satisfaction.  He told Costa Del Sol Update “British people are people of habit.  They like familiarity.  We need to make them feel more welcome here, and that means creating a more familiar environment.  Many struggle to pronounce place names like Benalmadena and Marbella.  By renaming these towns after popular towns in Britain, we will be able to create a sense of comfort and familiarity for British tourists.  We have calculated that this will increase tourist numbers by at least 6.9% over a 12 year period”.

Today we have found out which towns are to be renamed after popular British towns.

New Names For Costa Del Sol Towns

The towns which are likely to be renamed have been announced already. These are:

• Marbella to be renamed “Scunthorpe”
• Fuengirola to be renamed “New Barnsley”
• Benalmadena to be renamed “Clacton”
• Calahonda to be renamed “Birmingham”

Property prices in Calahonda have already crashed.

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Outraged Expats

Reaction to this news has been largely negative.  Anne Fernandez runs a Facebook protest group, where her members express their outrage over crucial ex-pat concerns including whether cafes should add milk to tea before the hot water or add hot water to tea then add the milk.

Anne says “My members are outraged.  There is a financial cost to consider here.  As soon as it was announced that Calahonda was to be renamed Birmingham property prices crashed.  You can now buy a 2 bed terraced house there for €74, which is only slightly more than property in the real Birmingham in the UK”.

Chris Myass is going to have pay for new signage at his second hand shoe shop.

Costs to Local Businesses

Business owners are concerned about the financial implications of the renaming.  Chris Myass is originally from Birmingham and now runs a second hand shoe shop in Benalmadena.  He says “Actually I’m not from Birmingham, I’m from Solihull.  How much is this going to cost?  We’ll have to have all our signs remade, our websites rebuilt, where will it end?  There’s no way this is going to help anyone”.

Salvador Estafador from the Department Of Unnecessary Expenditure addresses these concerns.  “Yes, there will be some disruption and additional costs, but we will keep these to a minimum.  We’ve spoken to Google about the map things, they hung up on me a few times but I’ll keep trying.  As for new road signs, business signage, websites, and things like this… my son just happens to run a business which can carry out all this work, at a very competitive price”.

Do you think it’s a good idea to rename towns on the Costa Del Sol to boost tourism? Have your say in the comments section below!

Written by Kirstie Allsopp, Costa Del Sol Update

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