Malaga Province ready for Surge of Fair Visitors

Just in time for this year's popular August Malaga Fair, a second runway has opened at Malaga Airport. The high demand from summer visitors, attendees at the annual Malaga Fair and from people who have holiday homes at the Costa del Sol has forced the airport authority and Malaga Province's authorities to rethink infrastructure in Andalusia.

Nine Days of unbridled Fun and Excitement

Malaga Fair is one of the largest events of its kind and one of the oldest fairs in Spain, dating back to 1487, when Malaga became part of the Corona de Castilla, the Kingdom of Castilla ruled by the Catholic Kings who had been victorious over the Moors. Since the early days of a one day street party to celebrate the Kings presenting the town with a "victory virgin", Malaga Fair has changed considerably and is now held for most of August, although officially the fiesta spans only 9 days.

Firework displays were included into the fiesta in the 17th century, a small bull fighting event and pop-up bars of casetas also became part of the celebrations. Since 1887 the event has virtually remained in the same outline as it is today, although the main elements of the fair are no longer taking place in the old part of Malaga.

Held at two different venues in modern times, Malaga's day time fiesta takes place in the heart of the city, but at night festivities move to a purpose-built fairground at the outskirts of Malaga, the Recinto Ferial fairground. While the daytime fiesta still includes local food stalls, colourful flower stalls and local artists displaying their handicrafts, the night-time fairground event is on a much grander scale, including rides and entertainments for all ages.

Record Visitor Numbers expected for August

Meanwhile, semi-permanent residents of the Malaga Province will be delighted to have the second runway opened. The runway will be used every Sunday and Monday throughout August. The huge increase in flights in 2014, where on one Monday alone 365 take-offs and 365 landings took place at Malaga Airport, forced the airport authority to rethink their strategy with regard to runway number two, which has been used on occasion in the past, but never to such a regular extent as it is this year.

The huge demand for flights in and out of the Malaga region brings considerable logistical problems with it. Thanks to the second runway opening Malaga Airport can now handle 72 flights per hour in and out of the airport, but it means hiring extra air controllers, baggage handlers, technical and security control staff.

Every hour Malaga Airport now handles up to 9,500 passengers, but with a record expenditure of EUR 4 billion from foreign tourist and semi-residents visiting Andalusia, the investment into better infrastructure is essential, if the region's economy is to make the most out of the trend.

The first half of this year saw such an increase of foreign visitors pour into Andalusia that all previous records were broken. It was the first time tourism expenditure exceeded EUR 4 billion, a 14% increase on the same first 6 months in 2013.

Andalusia's tourism expenditure shows how well the region is doing, for the EUR 4 billion represent double the national average, a clear sign that Malaga Province with its star attractions, the Costa del Sol and Marbella, are still high up in foreign holidaymakers' affections.

The figures were compiled by the Ministry of Tourism, which also confirmed what local hoteliers have already been saying, namely that this year's first half year results were the best low season results ever recorded for the Costa del Sol. Increasingly, hotels are booked up well in advance, a state of affairs not seen since the Spanish economy effectively collapsed at the beginning of 2008, when the property market crashed.

Buying a holiday home in resorts like Marbella or Malaga City has also become far more affordable since the market collapsed, which has lured buyers from Scandinavia, China and Russia to the fore, adding to the overall tourism numbers.

This year's Malaga Fair should therefore see a truly international audience of holidaymakers and semi-residents, who in their own way add to the colourful, joyful proceedings.