Marbella aims to be the premier Intelligent Tourist Destination of Andalusia

Visiting Marbella will in future be even more enjoyable for tourists and those seeking to buy a holiday home. Marbella will provide Internet access across many of its tourist hot spots, creating a total of 22 Wi-Fi spots around the municipality, of which five are already operational along the new San Pedro Alcántara boulevard. The other Wi-Fi spots are scheduled to be accessible by Easter this year.

It is envisaged that the remaining Wi-Fi spots will be located in the historic town centres of San Pedro Alcántara and Marbella, as well as Marbella seafront and Plaza de Antonia Banderas at Puerto Banus, Las Chapas and the Virgen del Carmen Port, Nueva Andalusia and Los Tres Jardines Park.

This is not just good news for summer tourists but also for Marbella residents and those who come to stay in their holiday homes for part of the year. Being able to easily access websites of local estate agents while on a house hunting trip for example can make all the difference to finding one's dream home and closing the deal before somebody else can snap up the bargain villa or apartment.

Local authorities have spent some 15,000 euros on setting up the network. Antennas will emit a signal with a range of 200 metres, enabling anyone with a portable Internet device such as laptops, tablets or mobile phones to browse the Internet for free for up to one hour per day.

Not speedy but adequate

Although the connection won't be "superfast", the 256 kilobyte per second connection will be fast enough to send messages from a mobile phone and look up local events or compare prices of goods or travel online.

This latest move will propel Marbella further towards becoming the first Intelligent Tourist Destination in Andalusia. With Malaga Province attracting ever greater numbers of international tourists it is more important than ever to be one step ahead of the competition, especially since Malaga City has been stealing a march on seaside resorts by reinventing itself as one of Europe's most important cultural cities.

Dealing with the Competition

Malaga's Pablo Picasso Museum has just been named the most visited and popular museum in Andalusia, attracting 410,568 visitors last year. Displaying 233 of the artist's works in a permanent exhibition, the museum has continued to surprise and wow visitors with temporary exhibitions and events, since it first opened in 11 years ago.

With such competition in the tourism sector it is easy to see why Marbella's Town Hall is willing to spend money on innovative ideas that aim to enhance the visitor experience.

Since it is easy for Malaga tourists to reach Marbella by train, rental car and coach, the Costa del Sol resort will increasingly see day trippers expecting the same type of amenities they get in the "big city" and at home in Britain.

Providing more Wi-Fi spots across Marbella town centre and the municipality as a whole is therefore essential to create the kind of 21st century resort visitors will want to come to.

Art lovers who have toured Malaga City's museums and private collections will eventually discover that Marbella's galleries and art exhibitions also have much to offer, especially since investors can still pick up affordable art works of contemporary Spanish artists in Marbella, enabling them to build up their own collections.

Providing local Attractions with better Resources

Creating more Wi-Fi spots along the Costa del Sol also helps local attractions like zoos and theme parks by allowing visitors to see the latest special offers, events and incentives.

Loyalty schemes like those run by big chains such as Subways, McDonald's, Starbucks and Costa Coffee for example help families to save money when direct marketing messages received on their mobile devices lure them back to these eateries and cafes whenever a special offer is posted online.

Marbella restaurants, galleries, shopping centres, theme parks and music venues can all take advantage of these proven mobile marketing techniques. Even estate agents will be able to market their listings better, when prospective buyers of holiday homes come to Marbella. Every moment spent online has the potential to help the local economy.