The Valencian Motorhome Cultural Association (ACAV) works with different municipalities in the interior of the Valencian Community that facilitate the installation of clean parking spots for motorhomes. The reason is the growing pull of motorhomes in the Valencian Community which, the fans point out, is perceived above all in inland towns.
The coast, overcrowded and accustomed to international tourist settlements, is a less friendly option for motorhomes, who are welcomed with open arms in the inland towns. "Coastal councils believe that with the sun and the beach they have everything done, but the private areas are filled with foreign tourists who don't leave until September and we want mobility," explains Francisco Nieto, president of AVAC, an association born in 2007 with about 180 partners.
They are finding this facility to park, and enjoy routes and journeys of their choice, in rural municipalities, to whom they turn to explain the possibilities that the arrival of motorhome enthusiasts has for the population. "We stop, we eat, we visit museums, we do guided tours, we do not pay for parking, we do pay for the rest of the services," explains Nieto.
He assures that they only ask for a space to park the vehicle, with a tank for gray water and a drinking water intake, since he insists they do not camp, nor do they take tables and chairs outside, something that can bother some towns. One of the municipalities with which they have worked is Almoradí, which in 2019 inaugurated a public car park with an area for motorhomes, equipped with a water and electricity connection.
Nieto perceives a change in the image of the motorhome driver, sponsored by the pandemic. “The pandemic, what he did was help people realize that motorhome drivers contribute, not subtract. We bought in the stores, we went to the restaurants. .
The proliferation of parking points will grow in the coming months with initiatives such as the 'Punts Nets AVANT' network. The Generalitat Valenciana published on Monday in the DOGV the 34 depopulated municipalities that will receive subsidies to install these recreational areas in their municipal terms, including Morella, Sinarcas or Gestalgar.
There are 25,000 euros per municipality, with the exception of Carrícola and Canet Lo Roig, which will receive 21,954 and 13,589 euros, respectively. In total, 834,062 euros for a project that is part of the anti-depopulation strategy of the acting Valencian Government. The objective of this regional aid is to boost economic, environmental and tourist activity and to promote the most unpopulated municipalities and inland regions.
In total, since the launch of this initiative, the Generalitat has allocated around 1.6 million euros that have benefited 56 municipalities integrated into the Punts Nets AVANT network. The project is financed by the Territorial Cohesion Fund of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
