benidorm's empty hotels and the impact of COVID-19 are captured by manuel alvarez diestro

manuel alvarez diestro focuses his lens on the devastating effect that COVID-19 has had on the tourism industry with this latest photography series of benidorm’s empty hotels. as the third most visited place in spain and one of europe’s top tourist destinations, benidorm is known for attracting a huge number of visitors – up to 5 million a year before coronavirus. however, following the unprecedented events of 2020, tourists have stopped flowing as before and now many hotels across the mediterranean city lie empty. 

images by manuel alvarez diestro

with a minimalist approach, manuel alvarez diestro has captured the façades of the empty hotels to create a narrative on how COVID-19 has impacted the built environment. in residential buildings, balconies have gained importance for people in lockdown. but this is not the case for hotels. and benidorm, which holds the highest number of skyscrapers per capita in the world, now has many sun-drenched balconies that are not being used. the photographer says, ‘the buildings which no longer accommodate tourists are stripped from any human imprint and leave the orthogonal architecture alone. in a way, the façades become a canvas where clean geometric patterns flow and overtake any sign of humanity.’

project info:

photography: manuel alvarez diestro

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edited by: lynne myers | designboom