Torrevieja City Council and the New Leasing Company of the Torrevieja Saltworks (NCAST) will sign an agreement at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) to initiate the first phase of a long-planned project to create a regulated bathing and thalassotherapy area in the city’s iconic pink lagoon.
The agreement will allow the municipality to develop bathing facilities in the former open-air evaporation ponds located north of the old chemical plant. This marks the first tangible step in a project originally announced in 2020, with an estimated total investment of €10 million. However, only the initial phase will move forward at this stage, and its specific cost will be defined later.
NCAST, a subsidiary of the French group Salins and operator of the Torrevieja saltworks, will sublease part of its concession, which it shares with the Spanish State. Final implementation still requires approval from the State Heritage Department, the owner of the salt flats and industrial land. According to Mayor Eduardo Dolón, negotiations with State Heritage throughout 2025 have paved the way for this agreement, after the project stalled in 2023 due to legal and administrative hurdles.
No further development phases—such as the rehabilitation of the historic chemical plant buildings—will be undertaken before the saltworks concession expires in 2032.
Tourism, Regulation, and Environmental Concerns
The initiative aims to regulate and enhance tourism linked to the therapeutic properties of the lagoon’s highly saline water and mud, which are currently used informally despite being prohibited. The lack of designated bathing areas has led to overcrowding, environmental degradation, and safety concerns, particularly during the summer months.
While the agreement focuses solely on the bathing area, the project will still require environmental assessments and approval from the Valencian regional government, as the lagoon lies within a protected Natural Park.
FITUR 2026: “Torrevieja, It’s a Way of Life”
At FITUR 2026 (January 21–25, Madrid), Torrevieja will also present its broader tourism strategy under the slogan “Torrevieja, it’s a way of life”, highlighting sustainability, lifestyle tourism, and urban regeneration. Key projects on display will include the port renovation, restoration of the Eras de la Sal, and conservation of the Las Lagunas Natural Park, alongside cultural festivals, gastronomy, and sporting events.
As part of its promotional campaign, the Torrevieja Carnival will parade through central Madrid on January 24. While the overall cost of Torrevieja’s presence at FITUR has not been disclosed, the Carnival event alone carries a €60,000 contract.
Despite these efforts, Torrevieja still lacks its own stand at IFEMA and continues to depend on regional-level decisions to secure a permanent presence at the fair.
