El Toyo was to be Almerias showcase leisure and tourist region to the east of the city (just before Cabo de Gata natural park, past the airport). Eager to get in from the beginning, a number of large hotel companies built 4 and 5 star hotels in the area, two golf courses were planned, shopping centres, marinas, conference centre and much more.
Now, due in part to the incompetence of the Junta and the infighting between PP and PSOE, Foster is building his conference centre in the city, the marina is never to be spoken of again, no shopping centres appeared and aircraft fly quite near by.
The beaches are neglected, the rubbish is infrequently picked up and street lights have burnt out.
As a result, a number of tour groups have warned local hotels that they will be pulling out of the area unless the situation improves, according to a leaked Thomas Cook memo seen by “La Voz”. In a interview with a “tearful” hotel manager of the Barcelo branded hotel, the manager put the whole blame on the local diputacion for not carrying out its promise to finish building the area, and the town hall for not carrying out basic maintenance.
Of course, since the political attention has now shifted to the PITA (high technology park of Almeria), I suppose the whole area will just dissolve into another sink estate and our tax millions will have been spent for naught. And the tourists who did come will vow never to come back even to another part of Almeria. But by then we’ll be bitching about the half built PITA.
(If you don’t know anything about this “tourist and entertainment complex managed by the Junta de Andalucia” have a look at its website: http://www.eltoyo.net ).