Ministry of Tourism pledges Money for Costa del Sol Costal Path

Spain's Ministry of Tourism has agreed to make 500,000 euros available for the beachside walkway that connects 180 km of Malaga's coastline with a hiking and cycling path. Welcome news for those with a holiday home in Marbella but other parts of the Malaga region are also happy to see the project progress, for hiking and cycling holidays are big business and mean more tourism expenditure flows into the Andalusia region as a whole.

For those who live permanently in the Malaga Province this means more chances of year-round employment. Walkers and cyclists don't just visit in the summer, they are happy to travel to the Costa del Sol during off peak season and enjoy the stunning coastal trails.

The linking of 180 km of Malaga's coastline with a national path aims to improve the accessibility of Costa del Sol resorts for walkers and cyclists. The creation of bridges that cross streams, boardwalks through nature reserves and across dunes and beaches, sign-posting and rural paths is estimated to cost ca. 1,100,000 euros. Now the Spanish government has pledged to help out with nearly half that sum.

Creating Jobs and promoting Tourism

Elias Bendodo, president of the provincial government, said that the creation of the Coastal Path would create and maintain some 400 jobs per year and would naturally serve to awaken new tourism interest.

"The government of Spain made clear their support for the draft Coastal Path with its participation in the joint Investment Plan. This will allow the improvement and linking of the coastal spaces which at the moment are divided, such as river mouths and access to beaches, he said, adding that the Coast Path "is project is already up and running."

Already 75% of the Coast Path in the Malaga Province is accessible and work is currently in progress on the first twenty kilometres of the remaining forty kilometre stretch that still awaits connection.

Spain's central government is also providing support for a further six redevelopment projects that are to be integrated into the Coastal Path route. The six projects are at various stages of completion.

Giving Marbella's Walkers what they want

Scheduled for an early 2015 start, the coastal path project "Dunas de Artola" in Marbella is eagerly awaited by local walkers and cyclists. In the neighbouring resort of Fuengirola, work on the remodelling of the Paseo de Juan Carlos I will enter its fourth phase, when the project continues after the winter break in January.

The overall project has just been expanded to include three new paths: stabilising of the shoreline barrier in Guadalmina-Guadaiza in Marbella, the restoration of the Torre de Benagalbón in Rincón de la Victoria and the Playazo in Nerja.
In Malaga the Poniente promenade is to be expanded at a budgeted cost of 588,000 euros.

Not yet "Simply the Best"

In this year's Tripadvisor Travellers Choice awards Marbella came in seventh place for the best holiday destination in Spain - a reason to celebrate, yes, but not a reason to break out into a rendition of Tina Turner's famous song "Simply the Best".

At a breakfast meeting on 19th November Marbella's Mayor Angeles Muñoz said how proud she was of the town's progress in recovering after difficult times. Not only had tourism expectations been met in 2014, they had surpassed them with a wallet-warming 94% occupancy rate in October, which exceeded occupancy in August 2011 and was a dream come true for Marbella's hoteliers.

As a result, more hotels pledged to stay open this winter and Marbella's tourism experts have been busy promoting the town's virtues internationally. In the past hikers and cyclists were an often overlooked sector of the tourism market, but Mallorca's success in this regard has given the Costa del Sol's tourism gurus something to think about.

Although still aiming their tourism efforts at the more traditional holidaymaker who comes for the beach, sunshine, nightlife and amusement parks, the willingness to devote considerable sums to the creation and expansion of the Coastal Path shows that hiking and cycling tour operators bringing tourists to the Malaga Province are finally getting the attention they deserve.