Summer Road Deaths Fall 12% in Spain

Summer Road Deaths Fall 12% in Spain

Spanish drivers are taking less risks and accidents are down

31% less people died on Spanish roads over the summer of 2017 compared to 2016, which is encouraging. 

Driving through Spain is an incredible experience because of the stunning scenery and pleasant climate, not to mention the long winding roads across the most incredible and cliff-hugging terrain around.

Spanish driving habits are considered to be a reflection of the general psyche of the country. If we could describe British drivers as being patient and polite but prone to the occasional outburst of road rage, then it may be fair to say that Spanish drivers are passionate about driving and not afraid to show their emotions.

The reality is that everywhere has good and bad drivers of course, and this includes Spain. As Spain has modernised their road network through EU money, and cars are made safer with German and Japanese engineering, Spanish road deaths are drastically decreasing.

The latest data from the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) in Spain shows road deaths in summer dropped 12% compared to the same time period in 2016 – which shows that Spanish roads are becoming safer than ever before. 

The data shows that 224 road deaths occurred in July and August in 2017, which is 31 less than in 2016 across the same time period. While the figure remains high compared to the rest of the EU (where Germany, the UK, and Denmark have the safest roads statistically) it is a great improvement over the space of one year, especially given that the amount of trips taken in the country across the summer increased 3% to 87.6 million. 

In regional terms, much of central and northern Spain saw less fatalities, along with the Balearic Islands.

Andalucía recorded a total of 38 road deaths in the summer, which was an increase from the 35 last year. The region remains popular with holidaymakers from across the world, most of whom are behind the wheel as soon as they leave the airport. This means that it is difficult for authorities to control road deaths and bring them to acceptable levels.

This can also be said of Catalonia, where the perpetual popularity of Barcelona goes somewhat towards explaining why 15 more road deaths occurred during this summer compared to last summer.

Spain’s Blue “Wine” to Have Name Changed Following Fall Out with Wine Lobby

Spain’s Blue “Wine” to Have Name Changed Following Fall Out with Wine Lobby

Blue wine is having a name change

The idea that wine is wine, whether it’s red, white, or pink, has been proven wrong. Or at least kind of wrong. Five young Spanish entrepreneurs launched Gik last year. Gik is a blue wine made from Spanish grapes infused with anthyocyacin. This natural pigment of grape skin combines with natural dye from the woad plant to form an electric blue colour.

Traditionalists originally dismissed Gik as a marketing gimmick, but it was still able to sell over 100,000 bottles across 25 countries; proving to be a hit with hipsters and dilettantes.

Cue the Spanish wine lobby who insist on being spoilsports. They want to curb the success of Gik by declaring that Gik isn’t wine, and should not marketed or sold as wine.

The official regulations hold no category for blue wine in the 17 listed wine products for Spain. This list can be found in the Annex VII part II of Regulation 1308/2013. As such, there’s no way for officials to categorise Gik as a wine. They insist that it be marketed as something else. They even coined the category “99% wine and 1% grape must”.

The producers of Gik are not happy about the decision of course. They spoke to the Local and said that drinking Gik is about more than drinking blue wine. It’s about drinking innovation and creating your own rules and traditions.

They did at least concede that every revolution comes with a counter-revolution; which is a great way to sum up how everything has gone for Gik since it first drew the attention of wine inspectors last summer.

If time has taught us anything, however, it’s that Gik is likely to benefit from the controversy and the publicity. It will take Gik from being a gimmick wine to being the driving force behind a brand-new category of drinks. It’s now more likely that the “not-quite-wine” market explodes with similar drinks as demand grows and celebrated at festivals and events in Spain.

Study Finds Costa del Sol Holiday Costs to Fall in 2017

Study Finds Costa del Sol Holiday Costs to Fall in 2017

The demand for the Costa del Sol continues

even if prices drop slightly

The latest Post Office Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer suggests that the average price on a basket of “holiday goods” will fall by around 3% in the Costa del Sol during 2017. This annual Barometer looks at the average prices of holiday essentials like sunscreen, beer, wine, dining out, ice cream, and toiletries in 44 of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

2017 is going to see the main resorts of the Costa del Sol be a little cheaper compared to last year, meaning that holidaymakers will be able to stretch their euros and pounds a little further.

It’s expected that the cheapest destination in 2017 will be Algarve in Portugal; where it will only cost you £33.36 to pick up a basket of these staple goods. This is a price drop of £4 compared to last year.

A basket of holiday goods in the Costa del Sol will cost £38.79, putting Spain in third place behind Sunny Beach in Bulgaria at £33.53. There aren’t any other destinations below this £40 threshold. In fact, the fourth cheapest resort – Marmaris in Turkey – could cost up to £49.74 for a basket of holiday goods.

Andrew Brown of the Post Office Travel Money said that holidaymakers can’t do much about the value of the sterling, but they can still do their homework and travel to places where the costs are low on things such as meals and drinks.

Europe is going to be one of the best places for value this year as nine of the ten cheapest destinations can be found in the continent. The Post Office also found that local prices fell in half of the European cities and resorts surveyed; further increasing the value of European destinations.