El Poble Nou de Benitatxell awarded as unique tourist municipality in 2025

 

© Pepe Blas, all rights reserved

The Valencian Regional Government, through the Regional Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Innovation and Trade, has processed a total of twelve Tourist Municipality awards in the Valencian Community during 2025, three of which correspond to the province of Alicante.

In the case of Alicante, the municipalities that have obtained this distinction are Novelda, Benitatxell and Biar, all of which have been recognised in the Singularity category after demonstrating compliance with the requirements set out in the Tourist Municipality Statute.

This distinction allows recognised towns to apply for special funding from Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, with the aim of strengthening public services and adequately serving tourists and visitors.

List of municipalities recognised as tourist municipalities in the Valencian Community

Regulatory framework

The Tourist Municipality Statute is regulated by Decree 5/2020, subsequently amended by Decree 203/2021, which establishes the criteria and obligations that applicant municipalities must meet.

The requirements include parameters related to the tourist population, the number of accommodation places, the existence of tourist resources and the importance of tourism in the local economy. These requirements vary depending on the category applied for.

Regional balance for the year

By province, in addition to the three municipalities in Alicante, Torreblanca (Excellence), Altura (Relevance), Xilxes (Relevance), Segorbe (Excellence) and Montanejos (Excellence) have been recognised in Castellón. In the province of Valencia, Buñol (Uniqueness), Piles (Uniqueness), Alboraya (Excellence) and Bocairent (Excellence) have been awarded the distinction.

With these additions, the regional register now includes 82 tourist municipalities recognised under current regulations.

By category, the Valencian Community currently has 37 municipalities classified as Unique, 22 as Significant and 23 as Excellent, consolidating the importance of tourism as a strategic axis of local development.

© OVFC, Diario de Alicante. All rights reserved