History will be made on April 19th, when the first passenger cruise ship to leave Almería port will set sail.

This is a monumental step in ensuring the future of the city and will start to showcase the sea port facilities as being a new and unique harbor to the world from the peninsula, and from the globe into Spain, ensuring a firmer growth of the tourism industry and bringing wealth, prosperity and work to many in the future, it is hoped.

The company responsible for this bold move is Iberocruceros, which will bring the 1,900 capacity Grand Celebration to the city for the first mini cruise from Almería, set to take in Valencia, Marsella, Ajaccioand Ibiza during the five night, six day tour, before finishing in the port of Valencia.

The date of the cruise has been specifically designed to coincide with the Easter holiday, in a hope of maximizing the number of tourists and resting workers who may be able to take a break on the sea. Indeed, many such people have already sought to book themselves on this inaugural break away and play their own part in history.

The President of the Port Authority in Almería is excited about the concept of marking Almería as a cruise port, saying that it “confirms the port as an important part in this type of tourism” as it is the only sector within the tourism industry which has maintained high demand during recent times and not dropped in terms of interest of finance.

Recent figures from the industry state that in 2010, there was a 48% increase in the number of cruise passengers, not least due to the continual launch of super ships and a more competitive pricing structure.

Often considered the reserve of the rich and famous in the past, recent tour packages offer deals with families and children more in mind, in fact, there are a number of deals available that allow children free passage, when accompanied by an adult, making a family package much more competitive in comparison to traditional family breaks.

The growth of the industry is one area that cannot be ignored. Anything that has the prospect to bring tourists brings money.

The extra work provides jobs and security for workers and the profile of a city can be raised to a whole new clientele, thus resulting in a better future for everyone, local or visitor alike. Bon voyage.

 

City of Eternal Youth

As groups of pensioners enjoy days relaxing on the beach or fishing in Torrevieja a new council report, released only last Tuesday, has been investigating the reasons why people in the city live so long.

With 26 residents currently aged 99 years or over the most recent census of the pardon, population 102.655, shows the number aged 80 or over to be in excess of 4,000.
It's not clear just yet whether the long life of its inhabitants can be put down to the climate of the salt town or just the large number of pensioners living in the area but as mayor, Pedro Hernánez Mateo was quick to point out “At the start of the early 80s the OMS (WHO World Health Organization) issued a report on the climatic conditions most beneficial to health. Torrevieja came second in the category of the best microclimate in which to live.”

Residents who are living in Torrevieja with health problems like arthritis and rheumatism have all said that they have seen an improvement in their health since moving to the area. This is said to be because of the evaporation of the water from the salt lakes into the air which it is claimed to be very beneficial to movement of the joints.

However many other residents are sceptical about the benefits that the city offers as there is a lack of scientific proof about the microclimate. Many now assume that the average life span is high because of the large amount of immigrants who choose to spend their retirement in Torrevieja.

Whatever the reason I hope you all live long and prosper.

Home Office reveals new UK passport

To be issued from October this year, the pages of the new passport will depict well-known UK scenes, including the White Cliffs of Dover, the Gower Peninsula, and Ben Nevis.

Security has also been significantly upgraded, according to the chief executive of the Identity and Passport Service, Sarah Rapson, who said the new design would allow the UK to “stay ahead” of fraudsters.

She added: “Through its combination of physical and electronic security features, the UK passport remains one of the most secure and trusted documents in the world, meeting rigorous international standards.”

Enhanced Security

New design features will see the chip which stores the passport holder’s details removed from view, making it harder to replace the chip without damage to the passport cover being spotted.

A secondary image of the passport holder will also be printed onto the observations page, while a new transparent covering – which includes several holograms to protect the holder’s personal details – will also be included.

To bring the UK in line with much of the rest of the world, the personal details section will be moved from the back of the passport to the second page.

The new passport will replace the current UK ePassport, which came out in 2006.

In a telephone interview a Home Office spokesperson confirmed there were “no plans” to increase the cost of a British passport following the launch of the new design.

An adult ten-year 32-page passport presently costs £77.50.

news courtesy of Spanish Vida