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Picture the Mar Menor billowing with sails all year round. The Region of Murcia is gearing up for its busiest nautical season yet, hosting 17 major regattas in 2026. These include four Spanish Championships, a Spanish Sailing Cup, six European Championships, four international events, and two elite circuit competitions.

 

Regional Minister for Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports Carmen Conesa shared the news at FITUR 2026, Spain's leading international tourism fair held in Madrid. "It is an unprecedented calendar that consolidates the Autonomous Community as one of the main nautical centres in southern Europe," she said.

 

Expect 2,325 sailors, 338 coaches, and over 300 organisers to flock to key spots like Cartagena, Los Alcázares, San Javier, and San Pedro del Pinatar. The events should spark nearly 30,000 overnight stays and pump more than 6.53 million euros directly into the local economy. Conesa highlighted how this supports "high hotel occupancy during the mid and low seasons, promoting the deseasonalisation of tourism, the maintenance of employment and the dynamism of key sectors such as restaurants, commerce, transport and nautical services."

 

It's all part of the 'Mar Menor, Sailing Sea' strategy, turning the lagoon into a hub for sustainable sailing that matches World Sailing standards and UN Sustainable Development Goals. At the heart is the High Performance Centre in Los Narejos, Los Alcázares. "Its privileged location in the Mar Menor, the unique sailing conditions throughout the year and the management model, oriented towards excellence, make the CAR a strategic asset," Conesa explained, joined by Sailing Federation of the Region of Murcia president Arturo García Pallarés and Olympic champion Theresa Zabell.

 

The centre trains elite teams and shares know-how with local clubs. Working with the regional government, the federation, and coastal ayuntamientos, this line-up promises year-round action and a real lift for the communities on the coast of Murcia.

 

 

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