Here is The Leader daily briefing for Friday 5 January 2024, with the news from around Spain, things to do locally, the weather, traffic and flight forecasts, and a special birthday celebration fit for an actual King.
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News Around Spain
The year 2023 ended with at least 55 women murdered due to gender violence, exceeding the figure for 2022 by 6, when there were 49 fatalities. In addition, as of December 4, there are two cases under investigation in 2023, which was also marked by a ‘black’ summer since, of the at least 55 deceased, 16 of them were murdered in the months of July and August, to which we must also add two minors. The figures are considered provisional and may increase depending on the outcome of ongoing investigations. The number of murdered women now reaches 1,237 since 2003, when this data began to be collected. Likewise, sexist violence has left at least 56 orphaned minors this year.
The number of tourists who visited Spain continues to grow. In the latest report issued this week, it shows how in November, 5.14 million international tourists visited the country, 18.6% more than in November 2022 and 10.5% more than in the month of November 2019, considered the pre-pandemic reference year. In the accumulated of the first eleven months, 79.8 million tourists have chosen Spain to enjoy their vacations. In addition, Spain once again breaks its tourist spending record in November. Foreign visitors contributed 6,6 billion euro, which represents a growth of 31.4% compared to the best figure recorded in the same month of 2019, and 23.6% more compared to 2022. Furthermore, during the first eleven months of 2023, spending has increased by 24% compared to 2022, totalling more than 101 billion euro.
The increase in the Value Added Tax (IVA) on electricity from the current 5% to 10%, which came into force this January 1, will mean an increase in the cost of the bill of about two euro per month, not too bad you might think, but that’s not the end of the story. Other taxes linked to electricity will also be “modified” throughout the year, adding to the taxed amount and increasing some bills by as much as 20%. In addition, some mobile phone operators have put up their prices, stamps have risen by over 5%, and tolls have also increased as much as 6.65%. To add more of a burden, the mortgage rate is also set to increase this year.
With the arrival of the new year, The Bank of Spain has announced that, as of January 1, euro coins that do not pass the authentication process will have to be removed from circulation. This is because the Metallic Currency Regulation law establishes that coins of value that do not pass the authentication process must be delivered to banks for withdrawal from the market. The coins that go out of circulation in 2024 are all variations on cents coins that have been minted before 1999, 1 euro coins that have been minted before 2002, and 2 euro coins that have been minted before 2004.
MSC Cruises has announced an increase in its capacity in Spain for 2024 specifically designed to meet the growing demands and preferences of Spanish customers. MSC Cruises currently has seven boarding ports in Spain, having considerably increased its presence in Spain since 2019, where it had three boarding ports (Valencia, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca) to which Tarragona, Alicante, Málaga and Santa Cruz de Tenerife have now been added. One of the significant milestones that MSC Cruises has announced for 2024 is the increase in its capacity for next summer with seven ships leaving from Spanish ports.
Things to Do Today
It’s market day in Torrevieja, so you can get all of your fresh ingredients to feed the Three Kings this weekend.
In Torrevieja, at 11:30 a.m. Christmas Playroom on calle Concepción will take place, then in the afternoon, at 4:30 p.m., the CAVALGATE OF THE THREE KINGS, the Three Kings Parade, arriving at the port from about 4 p.m., then starting the parade from the Levante dam and through the streets to end at the main square where King Melchor will speak to everyone.
The Three Kings parade starts in the centre of La Mata at 6:30 p.m.
In Orihuela, at 11 a.m., Storytelling Workshop with puppets in La Matanza (in the Plaza de la Iglesia) and “Pirates Children’s Theatre” in Orihuela Centro (in the Plaza El Salvador). At 12:30 p.m., “Storytelling Workshop with Puppets” in Orihuela Centro (in Plaza El Salvador). At 1:30 p.m., “Magical Goblins Children’s Theatre” in Orihuela Centro (in Plaza El Salvador).
The Three Kings parade will take the usual route on the Orihuela Costa from just near Zenia Boulevard and ending at the shopping centre itself.
Guardamar del Segura will see the Three Kings parade through the streets from 6:00 p.m. from Plaza Jaume II to the town hall square.
It’s also important to remember that most shops will be closed on Saturday for Three Kings, many of them closing early on Friday for the same reason, but then a lot of the bigger shops are open on Sunday. That too is an important note because this Sunday is the last Sunday the shops are permitted to open this season, and so there will be no more Sunday shopping until Easter.
Weekend Weather
Unfortunately, rain is expected to welcome the Three Kings on Friday. Saturday is looking a bit brighter, and next week is pretty much dull, we have got a wind alert in place during the weekend at times. As for the next 10 days, a week on Monday, that’s the 15th, is currently expected to be warmest with a high of 19°c, this Tuesday, the 9th, will be the coldest with a low of 8°c. Most precipitation falling will be 0.96 mm on Wednesday, the 10th. The windiest day, as we mentioned, is expected to see wind of up to 44 kmph on Saturday.
Traffic and Travel
The Christmas campaign continues on the roads of Spain and on Friday things are expected to get even busier from around 5 p.m. as many businesses close early for the Three Kings weekend, and some people start their journey back home from the coast and mountain areas, which will of course continue on Sunday.
There will also be road closures in various towns on Friday, mostly in the afternoon and evening, to facilitate the Three Kings parades.
The worst times this weekend are expected to be on Friday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m., and on Sunday, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
If you’re driving a high-sided vehicle, be aware of the wind alert that’s in place for the weekend, Saturday in particular.
In the air, Eurocontrol has 25,700 flight schedules booked for Friday, with Amsterdam Schiphol Airport already primed for airport capacity issues, and the airspace around Pamplona, Domingo, Toledo and Zamora are expected to be busy, which could delay flights crossing Spain.
Capacity issues are also anticipated for the London airspace, which might delay flights from the UK towards Spain, and a subsequent knock-on effect as the day continues.
Military flight tests around Turkiye are also impacting on civil aviation, but those tests are due to end today.
And, as mentioned in the weather report, the wind might cause some problems in Spain, particularly down the Mediterranean coast, and wind is also expected to play a bit of a part in delays from the UK, but at a lesser extent than earlier this week. High pressure over most of Scandinavia and SE Europe can also result in low visibility in the morning hours in this area.
On This Day
Juan Carlos I, the former King of Spain, although he retains the title to this day, was born on this day in 1938, in Rome, Italy.
