{"id":2592,"date":"2017-06-15T02:03:16","date_gmt":"2017-06-15T00:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/?p=2592"},"modified":"2017-06-19T09:34:52","modified_gmt":"2017-06-19T07:34:52","slug":"a-room-with-a-view","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/a-room-with-a-view\/","title":{"rendered":"A room with a view"},"content":{"rendered":"

In addition to installations that form part of the maritime signalling system to provide assistance to sailors, Spanish lighthouses are also architectural constructions with great historic, technical and scenic value. Because they are located in areas that are remote and in some cases difficult to access, support buildings were originally built alongside them to provide the necessary maintenance, ranging from the lodgings of the lighthouse keepers \u2013who today are called navigation assistance system technicians\u2013 to the storage, electrical and other buildings.<\/p>\n

The tourist interest generated by the lighthouses led to the creation of the Faros de Espa\u00f1a<\/i> project in 2014, an initiative of the Ministry of Public Works, implemented through Puertos del Estado and port authorities, with the goal of making the lighthouses \u201csomething more than lighthouses\u201d. The project aims to develop of the spaces that are no longer required for the service, in order to enhance the different activities of maritime signalling, including their use as hotels. In short, it is a question of promoting the development of cultural and social interest, enriching the tourist offerings in different areas and ensuring the sustainable conservation of lighthouses in a way that is respectful to the environment, without affecting their navigational assistance functions.<\/p>\n

Although the Faros de Espa\u00f1a<\/i>\u00a0 initiative includes developments other than hotel services, special focus has been placed on encouraging and promoting tourist accommodation, reusing the lodgings of the old lighthouse keepers. The project, which was carried out in 2015 and 2016 and for which Ineco provided technical assistance, seeks to promote the supplementary uses of lighthouses, using the spaces that are no longer necessary for the operation and maintenance of the lighthouse.<\/p>\n

The idea is to reuse the lodgings of the old lighthouse keepers, for their original purpose, accommodation, but this time for tourists<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The idea is not to convert lighthouses into hotels, since they are still required to provide navigational aid. The idea is to reuse the lodgings of the old lighthouse keepers, for their original purpose, accommodation, but this time for tourists.<\/p>\n

There is already one lighthouse that is currently used as a hotel (the Isla Pancha lighthouse, Lugo), and others, such as the lighthouses at Trafalgar (C\u00e1diz), Cudillero (Asturias) and Punta Cumplida (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), are on track to become hotels. Furthermore, the process has already begun with the Pescador lighthouse (Cantabria) which is having its urban development framework adapted, the M\u00e1laga lighthouse (M\u00e1laga), and the lighthouses of Higer, Santa Clara and Punta de Senokozul\u00faa (Guip\u00fazcoa).<\/p>\n