Benidorm and the bikini anecdote, history of a city and a country

The bikini, the modern bath suit that is now in every women’s wardrobe, is also a key element in Benidorm’s history. The city will never be the same after this anecdote made history.

For the most curious and nostaligic or those who still don’t know the story, here you have the details of an encounter that changed Benidorm, Spain and Europe.

Let’s get in context. It’s 1953. Benidorm. The city’s mayor, Pedro Zaragoza, begins a trip on his Vespa to the Pardo Palace, the residence of the dictator Francisco Franco, to present him a new concept of Spain that will determine its future: accepting the bikini is becoming open to the arrival of european tourists, wealthy and whose official anticommunist principles matched the Spanish regime’s. Zaragoza didn’t just bet for more comfortable tourists, but also promoted local legislative initiatives so that those who decided to wear it weren’t object of insults and vexations.

What happened next is history. The caudillo saw it as a good opportunity for the country and Spain became the sun and beach touristic destination that is today. This anecdote has been more important for the whole country than might be expected. It is actually so important that in 2014 a rewarded short film titled ‘Bikini’ was shooted explaining this story and it is now the HBO who bought the rights to use the recording of that historical meeting. That means we may have Benidorm on the other side of the world’s screens very soon!