Almenara's 2024-2028 Strategic Tourism Plan is halfway through its term, facing the challenge of implementing its 49 planned measures to diversify offerings, increase average visitor stays, and boost tourism spending. A key focus is enhancing the valuable Els Estanys flora and fauna micro-reserve. This area features natural springs feeding three freshwater ponds and hosts four endemic plant species, 37 threatened fauna species, and three priority habitats of community interest, including calcareous fens.
In line with this, the municipal council approved a motion by Compromís in July 2025, urging the Generalitat to declare Els Estanys a Natural Monument. That same month, the City Council awarded the concession for the bar at the Casa dels Anglesos to María Tajuelo for ten years, with an annual fee of 1,812 euros. The Casa dels Anglesos, previously designated as public domain property five months earlier, serves as a museum, educational, and tourist interpretation centre linked to Els Estanys.
The plan also emphasizes promoting hiking routes that combine mountain, beach, and marshland, such as the Rodana, Montaña Blanca, or Punt del Cid routes. It also aims to enhance the appeal of heritage sites like the Arab-origin castle and watchtowers, the church of Santos Juanes, the 13th-century medieval wall, the Santa Genoveva Torres Museum, the XYZ Line Interpretation Centre, and the Rice Mill Museum.
Notably, in December 2023, the council approved another motion by Compromís to initiate proceedings with the Conselleria de Cultura to declare Muntanya del Castillo, Montaña Blanca, and Punt del Cid as Natural Monuments. The initiative also called for the City Council to draft a Catalogue of Historical Heritage Assets.
Another heritage element yet to be addressed is the Acequia Major, the irrigation system used for generations in Almenara. Last June, the council approved a Compromís motion to promote its recognition as Historical and Cultural Heritage of Almenara, either as a Local Relevant Asset (BRL) or an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC). However, no progress has been made since then. The goal of this declaration is to foster actions ensuring its conservation and maintenance.
Motorhome tourism is another area covered by the Strategic Plan. This type of tourism has grown in Almenara's coastal zone over the last five years, particularly since the opening in January 2021 of the first dedicated parking area for these vehicles near the coast. In this context, the City Council has been processing a modification to the municipal ordinance since last November to regulate caravan and motorhome parking. Proposed measures include creating a registry to gather information on individuals choosing Almenara for stays in these vehicles.
The regulatory reform directly stems from the approval, a year ago, of a partial amendment by the PP to a Compromís motion. This amendment proposed relocating the motorhome parking area away from the protected beach zone and equipping it with basic services like potable water supply, waste management, surveillance, and lighting.
Through this, the City Council aimed to address resident complaints about irregular dumping in protected areas of Casablanca beach and the lack of facilities for campers, which had led many tourists to park their vehicles elsewhere along Almenara's coast. Additionally, the council committed to installing signage limiting the circulation of vehicles weighing over 3.5 tons.
The municipal intention to balance this tourism promotion strategy with increased residential offerings on the coast remains unrealized for now. The Partial Plan for the Playa Sector, which still has land available for over 2,300 homes, has been stalled since December of last year, following a ruling by the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community (TSJCV) that annulled its approval.
The Contentious-Administrative Chamber upheld the appeal filed by the National Association Arca Ibérica (ANAI), annulling the plenary agreement of July 2023. The court found that the initial approval of the Playa Sector in June 2020 lacked the favorable report from the Directorate General of Coasts, and the subsequent municipal rectification, which incorporated this document three years later, was invalid. The Coasts report was required to certify that the planned buildability for the Playa Sector did not exceed the average of developable land sectors within Almenara's municipality.
