On Friday 22nd, the mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP), and the councillor for Economy and Finance, Mario Bravo (PP), eceived the members of the Mijas Pueblo Traders and Business Owners Association (ACIM) at the Town Hall. This followed the presentation of their new executive committe, chaired by Alejandro Jaime, in an initial meeting to analyse the sector’s main needs to improve the municipality's overall offering.

Key issues such as mobility, parking, the promotion of events, the joint organisation of recreational initiatives, and ACIM’s contribution to municipal decision-making related to the general interests of the trade were discussed. The mayoress welcomed this initial meeting with the new executive committee, which she described as “very satisfactory” for promoting joint action and achieving better results. “I am very pleased that we have an association with which we can organise activities and events and resolve all those issues where traders see that we, as the Town Hall, need to improve so that we all contribute to making Mijas a benchmark”, explained the mayoress, adding that “I believe that having people like those I met, with that enthusiasm and willingness to work with the Town Hall, means that the joint effort will surely contribute to achieving better results than those obtained so far”.

 

ACIM’s Role

This group is a non-profit association that seeks to promote and collaborate with the development of trade in the Village. Its president and local businessman, Alejandro Jaime, stated that “it is very important to have someone to represents all the businesses we have in Mijas and who can act as a intermediary between the Town Hall and the businesses on many issues. This ranges from attracting people to the village and collaborating on events, to more regulatory matters like licensing”. He was joined by the secretary, Isabel Pérez; the vice-president, Guillermo Morillas; the treasurer, José David; and a large group of committee members. They all shared their vision of the current commercial landscape in Mijas with municipal officials, offering ideas to make Mijas an even more attractive destination for both residents and visitors.

Events

In this regard, the meeting addressed the need to expand joint planning for the numerous events organised in Mijas, as well as improving communication to tackle key challenges such as access routes, parking, shuttle bus services between the quarry and the Mijas Pueblo town centre, and traffic signage.

Regarding municipal initiatives aimed at boosting visitor numbers, ACIM highlighted the latest Christmas’s lighting display, which led to a significant increase in turnover for shops and the hospitality sector; and proposed extending the lights to more areas to revitalise other key spots across the municipality.

Public spaces

Furthermore, the traders discussed the current situation regarding the use of public pavements and spaces by shops and hospitality establishments with the Town Hall. They also explored options to enhance the municipality's leisure offerings and attract more customers through various incentives.

On this point, the municipal representatives also expressed interest in current opening hours and the willingness of businesses to operate at unconventional times for special occasions, such as visits from cruise ship excursions.

Collaboration

The mayoress stated: "From the Town Hall’s side, as the local administration, we are going to offer our full support. We will make ourselves available to meet those needs and also create joint campaigns to establish Mijas Pueblo as an international benchmark. The traders and business owners are embarking on a new chapter with a positive outlook: “With great enthusiasm and excitement. We have a great team, made up of representatives from various sectors, and we are eager to start working with the Town Hall to organise events and collaborate with them”, concluded Jaime.

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