The Mijas Town Hall has created a new public-private tourism board aimed at integrating the business sector into joint strategic decision-making. Key aspects such as destination promotion and planning, and joint projects, will form the core of this initiative, which will be known as Mijas Lab-Tourism Cluster. The Grand Lounge at the Wyndham Costa del Sol hosted the meeting.

The mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP); the regional minister for Tourism of the Junta de Andalucía, Arturo Bernal; the councillor for Tourism, Francisco Jerez (Vox); and the secretary general for Tourism of the Junta de Andalucía, Yolanda de Aguilar, presided over the launch of the forum on Monday 23rd. “It is intended to be permanent and, above all, has two very clear objectives: for us to be a leading municipality in the tourism sector and to provide employment opportunities for those living in our municipality”, highlighted Ana Mata. Meanwhile, the councillor for Tourism emphasised that “this meeting will also enable us to gather the demands of each sector, all with a view to seeking solutions with the relevant authorities”.

For his part, the Andalusian minister for Tourism applauded the Town Hall's initiative to apply "co-governance" in this area, “calling upon the professionals who are the heart, soul and smile of everything that happens in tourism, so they too can take decisions alongside the administration regarding the municipality’s tourism policy”.

 

Members

The launch of the Mijas Lab-Tourism Cluster was attended and supported by the presidents of the main tourism associations in the province of Málaga: José Luque, from the Costa del Sol Hotel Entrepreneurs Association (Aehcos); Javier Frutos, from the Málaga Hotel Entrepreneurs Association (Mahos), who stressed the importance of communication in working towards a common goal: the improvement of the destination. “All the problems we face regarding connectivity, beaches, water, and competition with other destinations… everything is solved with resources, obviously, but communication is also vital”, said Luque. Frutos added that “there are clear examples in other municipalities that have worked very well, such as the Costa del Sol Permanent Tourism Commission or the Málaga Tourism Forum, so I am sure this working group will also have a positive influence here in Mijas”.

Also taking part in this inaugural meeting were the president of the Beach Business Association, Manuel Villafaina, and the president of the Mijas Golf Clubs Association, Sean Corte Real; the head of the Málaga Tourist Guides Association, Sergio Garrido; the CEO of Exploramás, Manuel Araújo; the director of CRN Hostelería-CIOMijas, Raquel Hidalgo; the president of the Andalusian Car Hire Business Association, Félix Pinar; and the director of Investur, Javier Fructuoso.

Also in attendance were the president of Cepyme Mijas-Fuengirola, Ana María de la Torre; Adolfo Trigueros, from the Mijas Business Circle; Guillermo Martín, president of the Mijas Radiotaxi Association; the Mijas Craft Association, represented by board member Humildad Ríos; and the Mijas Beach Business Association, represented by its president, Carlos Morales.

 

Rail connectivity

One of the most controversial topics was rail connectivity in Málaga in the run-up to Holy Week. In Mijas, this situation is causing a general decline in bookings across hotels, restaurants and golf courses, among other sectors, “affecting more than 800 businesses in Mijas and over 7,000 people in the tourism sector”, the mayoress noted. The councillor for Tourism also stated that “this problem translates into economic losses of 130 million euros in Mijas alone and 1.3 billion across the Costa del Sol”.

The lack of AVE high-speed rail links between Málaga and Madrid since the accident in Adamuz two months ago is also causing a drastic reduction in business travel, stated the president of Mahos, “affecting those who travel for the day or stay overnight for conferences, not to mention weekend tourism, which has also been severely affected”. Regarding this, the head of Aehcos explained that “hotels in the province are lowering prices to attract international demand, as the airport continues to perform well”. The most optimistic view came from Villafaina, who emphasised that “Málaga and the Costa del Sol have sufficient capacity to ensure that Holy Weekis as successful as possible".

The Regional Minister for Tourism again called on the central government to restore normality to the high-speed line swiftly, while describing as "unfortunate" the social media comments by the minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, regarding the Málaga press. “The Government now has an obligation to deliver results, provide information and manage the situation. We are not interested in disputes or confrontation. We just want effective management”, he stated.

 

Coastal conservation

Beach business owners also expressed their concern about the storms that have been recorded throughout the winter, leaving numerous incidents in their wake. In this regard, the mayoress Ana Mata stressed that Mijas needs a comprehensive plan for the conservation and maintenance of its entire coastline, which also protects the beach bar sector, “which also makes a significant financial effort to refurbish its establishments, and cannot constantly worry that their premises will be affected by heavy swells”. In this regard, Villafaina noted that “we must follow the example of other countries and install detached breakwaters or rock armour along our coastline, as well as the odd groyne”.

Mobility

Road transport was also a topic of debate at this meeting, where the deterioration of the A7 motorway or motorway tolls were treated as the main problems, “and we must find a solution to this gridlock in our communications, not just in summer but now in winter too”, stated the councillor for Tourism. In this area, regional minister Arturo Bernal reported that “the Regional Government is allocating 500 million euros to ensure that no town in Andalusia remains disconnected by road”.

Promotion and planning

Mijas Lab-Tourism Cluster will serve as a place for proposals and analysis of the tourism reality of Mijas, as well as its strengths and weaknesses. IIt will be held every two months in different locations and will be the link between the public institution and private initiative to prioritise needs and projects that strengthen the attraction of visitors, the improvement of segments and the attraction of investment.

According to Mata, it will also be the appropriate forum for the discussion and organisation of Mijas’ various attractions, such as Holy Week, the fairs, the carnival, or sporting or unique events, where the tourism approach must also incorporate the private business vision in terms of original proposals or orientation towards specific tourist markets.

The operation of Mijas Lab will include an agenda with current issues relating to the tourism sector, as well as proposals put forward by the business community concerning the tourism industry in the municipality.

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