The beginning of Benidorm

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 19 June 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the 1950s, the transformation of the sleepy little town of Benidorm began when Pedro Zaragoza was appointed mayor. He started by getting pipes built to allow running water, then went on to pass a decree which allowed women to wear bikinis. Now, every year millions of tourists arrive in Benidorm, on Spain’s Costa Blanca. This episode was produced by Simon Watts in 2018, using recordings of Pedro Zaragoza.

(Photo: Tourists flock to the beaches in Spain. Credit: David Ramos via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:29.3	Newscast, listen on BBC Sounds. Hello and welcome to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service.
0:42.0	Today we're taking you back to the 1950s when the
0:45.8	sleepy little Spanish town of Benadorm became one of the world's biggest
0:50.1	holiday resorts. This episode with Simon Watts was first broadcast in 2018.
0:57.0	Okay ladies and gentlemen here we are coming into Benadon your holiday resort.
1:07.0	Every year millions of tourists arrive in Benadour, Mon Spain's Costa Blanca to enjoy a week or two of sun, sand and night life.
1:16.2	Fantastic beaches here in Benadon.
1:18.2	You've got the Plya Polytini, the sunset beach which we're coming in by now,
1:22.1	and we've got the Paya Levante.
1:25.0	And it's the creation of one man, the former mayor Pedro Zaragoza.
1:29.7	Every part of his being from his twinkling eyes behind the glasses to his big white moustache is energetic and alert.
1:36.2	For a short person he has the personality and the resonant voice of a giant and
1:40.5	modern day Benadorm with its skyscrapers and booming tourist industry is all thanks to him. The late Pedro Zaragotha became mayor of Benadorm in 1950 when it was still a sleepy
	...

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