Spain counts more than 40 Unesco world heritage sites, ranging from the 20,000-year-old cave paintings of Altamira to the dazzling Moorish architecture of Granada’s Alhambra palace. Now another Spanish destination is looking to add itself to this illustrious list: Benidorm.
On Monday, city officials said the seaside resort would apply for Unesco world heritage status, hoping to position its repertoire of sun, sand and sangria alongside such cultural icons as the Great Wall of China and the pyramids of Giza.
Sociologist Mario Gaviria, who is leading the push, said Benidorm was the ideal candidate. “During the past 50 years, some 250 million visitors have enjoyed Benidorm. It’s a symbol of harmonious coexistence that happily brings together people of all nationalities and languages,” he said.
Often criticised for its mass tourism, Benidorm should instead be recognised as one of the only cities in the world that has managed to make sun and sand vacations accessible to all, added Gaviria, a professor at the Universidad Pública de Navarra. “It’s a materialisation of the welfare state in action.”
As it grew from a sleepy fishing village of 3,000 people in the 1960s to a destination of more than 300 skyscrapers, the town had become an invaluable example of urban design in the second half of the 20th century, he said. “It’s the most sustainable and best-designed city of the Mediterranean.”
Benidorm mayor Agustín Navarro said the idea of applying to Unesco had come about during discussions on how to change the image of the mass-market resort. “We wanted to protect all that we’ve achieved during the recent decades as well as give it dignity and value,” said Navarro.
He praised Gaviria’s hard work on the proposal. “He’s one of the intellectuals who loves Benidorm and defends it against the attacks we’ve received at times from people or media who don’t know the reality of Benidorm and instead resort to stereotypes.”
The idea is in the embryonic stages, he said, and it could take up to six years before Benidorm finds out if it made the list. He hoped to have everything in place to introduce the idea at the next city council meeting.
It is not the first time Benidorm has been touted as a world heritage site – in 2008, a French professor floated the idea, describing the high-rise city in the Mediterranean as the “Dubai of Europe”.
