A decade waiting for a tourism boost
Friday, 03 September 2010 16:00
FOR years, El Ejido has suffered from a lack of offers for tourism. When accommodation dropped in the town, protests began, and were placated with the promise of two projects: a spa between Guardias Viejas and Almerimar, and a luxury Sheraton hotel in Ensenada de San Miguel. It would hoped that this would attract tourists to the town. Talk of the spa started in 2001, the project was completed, and some years later, the SFR Hotel Group announced it on its website. However, not a stone of the €18m project has been laid. Then, the Sheraton hotel was announced four years back and an agreement was signed between the hotel chain and the owners of the plot. Three hundred rooms, spa, fitness centre, games room, beauty salon, hairdressers, gardens… these are just some of the services which were planned, none of which have yet materialized. Other hotel groups have also expressed their interest in the area, but the fact remains that El Ejido has the same accommodation on offer now as it did a decade ago.