Grupo Salins, the company that manages the salt lakes in Torrevieja, is cashing in on the appeal of the pink lagoon in advertising campaigns and photoshoots, charging potential photographers and production company’s one thousand two hundred euros for three and a half hours of filming.
This would appear to be a Bookies Bonus, of course, but in fact it is just the basic fee and doesn’t include extras such as working in the evening, Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, or the number of vehicles that can enter the industrial complex.
That’s what it costs to share the exclusive images of the pink lagoon and the huge mountains of salt in the foreground. It is the “rate” requested by the Grupo Salins for the use of land and facilities within the scope of its saltlake concession. A spokesperson said that the access prices reflect the interest of large companies wishing to use this singular landscape, of unquestionable value, for campaigns featuring their products or promotions.
The saltworks of Torrevieja, a coveted place for brands
Who would have thought that the Salineros, who in previous times called the lagoon “el pudco”, could charge such amounts for the 1,400 hectares of water, on which you can almost walk because of the buoyancy produced by the saturation in salt. In recent years the lagoon appears to have become an icon for travellers and point of attraction for exotic baths, although in recent weeks they have been outlawed by the Generalitat.
However, the salt company seem reticent to confirm just how much additional income they are making from this new and lucrative opportunity. What we do know is that it is not an insignificant amount in a market, that of salt, where you have to fight for every penny in the international market.
And the pink lagoon is not only developed as one of the largest salt mines in Europe. This year – before the torrential rains in April, it was expected to produce 600,000 tons. Now, the saturation of extremophiles microorganisms, the only thing that can live in its waters, bodies that also turn the water pink, is beginning to be noticed by many of the big brands who are turning up in increasing numbers to use the images in their many campaigns. One such company is El Corte Inglés who have just released their Spring lines using images taken in the lagoon.
Grupo Salins is not new to the business of image and tourism, but in Torrevieja it really has hit the jackpot, having discovered this fairly new commercial diversification. In just 6 months it has also been able to attract more than 25,000 visitors with the tourist train, albeit they were recently suspended due to the rains, and with the new commercial initiative attracting production companies in increasing numbers, it now has an added windfall of with its audiovisual use of this unique pink lake scenario.
