On Friday 10th, the mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP), together with the managing director of the Andalusian Employment Service, María Victoria Martín-Lomeña, closed the commemorative events for Hospitality Day in Spain, hosted at the Andalusian Centre for Integrated Training in the Leisure Industries of Mijas (CIOMijas), which was designated in 2022 as a National Reference Centre for Hospitality, the only one of its kind in Spain. The mayoress highlighted the “enormous role of hospitality as a driving force for tourism, which in turn drives the economy”, and reminded that this activity accounts for 70% of the employment generated by the main industry on the Costa del Sol. Hospitality is “a sector that contributes to tourism, which is so important for Mijas. Our municipality is the most special holiday destination in Malaga, offering a wide range of possibilities that other towns may not have”, added Mata. For her part, the managing director of the SAE stressed the importance of commemorating this day: “It is a day for a key sector not only in Malaga, but also in Andalusia and Spain. The SAE and the Regional Ministry of Employment of the Junta de Andalucía run eleven schools related to tourism, six of which are linked to hospitality and three are in Malaga; this demonstrates that the province has huge potential for attracting talent and developing profiles to meet the demands of employers”. 

 

In her closing speech, the mayoress emphasised the importance of training, quality, modernisation and digitalisation in hospitality, and praised the role of CIOMijas in this modernisation effort. She recalled that on Sunday 5th, the centre received a visit from the Ministry of Tourism of El Salvador to learn about its training model and adopt it as an example for training tourism professionals.

“I know that both Mahos and Aehcos, Hostelería de Andalucía and Hostelería de España, are very involved in the development and improvement of training and quality in hospitality, and that the private sector is leading this movement, with the support of public institutions”, said the mayoress. “Mijas is a great municipality with a very extensive and high-quality hospitality and tourism offer. It is rightfully part of the Costa del Sol brand and is a key destination for segments such as sun and beach, golf, and nature”, Mata stressed. She also highlighted gastronomy as a cross-cutting offer across all segments, “because it is the most valued by tourists, and because the richness of Málaga’s products combined with the high quality of our restaurants and bars in Mijas make the perfect combination to enjoy our town”, added Mata.

CIOMijas, launching as a National Reference Centre

To promote and strengthen training in the hospitality industry, CIOMijas will launch more than 20 courses aimed at specialisation in the sector, including training in the art of ‘espeto’ (skewered sardines) and wine cellar management. As the centre’s director, Raquel Hidalgo-Barquero, explained: “We are now launching the National Reference Centre for Hospitality, through which we have planned 21 projects to be developed in the areas of innovation, sustainability and improving productivity within the sector”. These projects will take place over the course of a year and will focus on “innovation, research, identifying needs, understanding the direction in which the sector is heading and even creating training projects like these”, concluded the head of the Innovation, Experimentation and Training department at CIOMijas, Charo Rodríguez.

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