Torrevieja Town Council is working to finalise economic and financial viability studies required by the Generalitat ports authority to proceed with 30 year concessions for the fairground and craft market inside the port enclosure. Following a directive issued during a videoconference in late July, the local authority awarded a contract worth 16,940€ to Asesoramiento y Gestion Economica y Social. The firm has one month to produce two separate detailed reports assessing the profitability, income, and expenditure for both facilities.
The request covers a total port area of 16,962 square metres, which is managed by the regional government. The largest portion, measuring 11,790 square metres, is allocated to the fairground site, though the report considers 9,513 square metres as exploitably useful space once pedestrian walkways are excluded. Fairground occupation fluctuates throughout the year, calculated at 20 per cent from January to March, rising to 70 per cent between April and June, reaching 100 per cent during July, August, and September, before dropping back to 20 per cent for the final quarter.
A second concession focuses on the craft market, spread across 5,172 square metres between Paseo de la Libertad and the area around the Customs building. The market stalls will remain in place year-round, occupying 4,692 square metres of space. The financial assessment must model at least two scenarios: one with a maximum of 140 stalls, which is 40 fewer than the previous location, and a second reflecting a lower number of stalls to evaluate a less favourable economic outcome. Each individual stall covers six square metres.
To establish the cost structure for the concessions, Torrevieja Town Council included an executed investment of 34,283,799.05€, inclusive of VAT, covering infrastructure projects such as the access roundabout, Minguez Pier, the Levante Breakwater ramp, breakwater refurbishment, primary and secondary electrification, and surrounding works. An additional 2.5 million euro investment is set aside for purchasing craft stalls, bringing the total sum to 36,783,799.05€. Local officials consider the reports urgent as technical documentation has already received approval from regional technicians.
Meanwhile, ongoing redevelopment works have transformed the waterfront. The area is dominated by the 20,000 square metre Paseo del Mar concession, which serves as a major commercial draw leading towards the new harbour promenade and breakwater ramp. Paseo de la Libertad has been partially redesigned near the front line of buildings to accommodate the pedestrian fairground plaza. However, the lane nearest the building facades remains outside the 34 million euro project scope, awaiting separate sewer renovation works funded primarily by the Generalitat to prevent local spillages during heavy rainfall exceeding 15 litres per square metre.
Uncertainty remains over the future scale of the craft market. Currently, only around a dozen vendors have indicated their willingness to secure a new stall, representing a significant drop from initial estimates. Stricter requirements, including official artisan certification, proof of a working workshop, public domain occupation fees, and mandatory opening hours, have deterred many traders. This reduction suggests the craft market may end up with a much smaller presence in the port area than originally promised.
