Benidorm (Spain Costa Blanca)

Benidorm is a Western Mediterranean (Costa Blanca) cruise port and city in Spain's Alicante province, with a population of around 70,000. Costa Blanca is an approx 200 km (120 mi) long coastline in the province, extending from Denia (north) to Pilar de la Horadada (south). Costa Blanca's a well-developed tourism industry attracts annually millions of mainly British and German tourists.

The town became a tourism travel destination since 1925 when the seaport was extended and started the extensive construction of hotels and resorts. Since 1952, Benidorm was developed as a summer vacation travel destination for predominantly domestic tourists (coming from inland Spain, and mainly from Spain's capital Madrid). The current-day city is also internationally famous for its beautiful beaches, skyscrapers, premium hotels, and resorts, numerous luxury villas (for rent), theme parks, nightclubs, and taverns.

In the 17th-18th-centuries the town developed a strong tuna fishing industry, agriculture, coastal shipping trade, and shipbuilding. By hotel capacity and annual tourist volumes (5+ million), today Benidorm is ranked Spain's largest holiday resort destination. Most of the international tourists are from UK-Ireland, Germany, Belgium, and Holland. The city's best (as facilities and amenities) and the largest beaches are Playa de Levante, Playa de Poniente, and Playa de Mal Pas. The 4-star Gran Hotel Bali (2002-built, height 186 m) was Spain's tallest skyscraper until 2007 - when in Madrid's CTBA (Four Towers Business Area) were opened the 4 skyscrapers - Espacio (2007, 224 m), Cristal (2008, 249 m, PwC (2008, 236 m) and Cepsa (2009, 248 m).

As cruise port, aa was included in the 2020 schedule of the Phoenix Reisen-owned ship Amadea as part of an 18-day itinerary (Bremerhaven to Nice) via the Azores Islands.