Alicante Reactivates Tabarca Environmental Education Centre to Boost Group Accommodation

The Alicante City Council is set to launch a public tender for the environmental, cultural, and tourist service management of the Environmental Education Centre (CEAM) in Tabarca. This decision was made at the latest Local Government Board meeting. According to municipal sources, the aim is to "enhance the accommodation possibilities for individuals and pre-arranged groups, as well as its role as a cultural and tourist hub on the island."

The concession is for a duration of four years, with two possible one-year extensions, starting with a budget of 14,000 euros, subject to upward proposals, as stated by the City Council in a press release.

The Deputy Mayor and Councillor for the Environment, Manuel Villar, highlighted that "the department's goal is to reactivate the CEAM in Tabarca by tendering a service contract to ensure a better service for educational centres and other interested groups wishing to visit, engage in tourist and cultural activities, as well as for overnight stays."

"Since the primary goal is not to generate economic profit but to provide educational centres and other interested groups with the necessary services for the development of recreational-educational activities to convey historical, natural, and tourist values, the concession model is proposed in exchange for a fee," Villar emphasized.

In coordination with the New Tabarca Museum, the CEAM, inaugurated in 2006, offers a comprehensive multidisciplinary program of environmental education and heritage appreciation of the Island. It can accommodate groups, allowing up to 30 people to stay overnight. Besides a multipurpose room, the centre is equipped with the necessary infrastructure for accommodation, including a dormitory with bunk beds.

The councillor noted that "with the upcoming tender for the service concession, the aim is to make the CEAM, like the New Tabarca Museum, a reference point for the knowledge, dissemination, and enhancement of the rich and varied heritage of the Island of New Tabarca, thereby contributing to its preservation, while also supporting environmental education and training for any group interested in safeguarding the island's heritage, cultural, and tourist values."