New tourism website in five languages for east of Malaga province

The Axarquía area to the east of Malaga province is diverse and in just 20 kilometres as the crown flies it is possible to go from the seashore to the highest point in the province, La Maroma mountain, at 2,068 metres above sea level.

In its 31 towns and villages there are also great contrasts, from the most densely populated coastal towns to the smallest villages, such as Salares, which is home to just 200 people. With such a wide offer and as people discover other parts of the Costa del Sol and inland areas, tourism in the Axarquía is growing rapidly.

Now the president of the Mancomunidad association of town halls of the Costa del Sol Oriental-Axarquia, Jorge Martín, the vice-president of tourism, Jesús Pérez Atencia, the mayor of Periana and president of Ceder Axarquia, Meritxel Vizuete and the general director of MK Action, Blanca Sánchez, presented the new Axarquia Tourism portal, available via www.turismoaxarquiacostadelsol.com.

"It is the first with tourist information of the area that comes from the Mancomunidad Axarquia as a public institution responsible for the management, planning and promotion of tourism," said Martin, explained, "In the first place, we wanted to unify the contents of the tourist offer in an official portal promoted by an administration and by the town halls themselves. I would like to highlight the opportunity it represents for the promotion and integration of the small inland villages of the area, which have more and more to say in the global offer," Martín said in a press release.

"Secondly, I would like to emphasise that in this joint promotion we have integrated the business network that exists in each municipality. From hotels, hostels, campsites and restaurants, to handicraft companies, active tourism, guides or wineries that can be visited, to name but a few," he said. "The aim is to improve the tourist experience by adapting to the new needs and habits of visitors so that at the click of a button they have digital information before, during and after their holidays," Martín added.

In addition, as Martín explained, "the website will be continually updated with information provided by the town halls on events, festivals, exhibitions, the state of the beaches or any other information they wish". He explained that CEDER has paid for the website through a grant of 14,486 euros, including IVA sales tax.

Jesus Atencia explained that "this website is dynamic and accessible and includes information on five routes certified with the 'Q' for Tourism Quality, as well as specific sections dedicated to gastronomy, culture, golf, inland tourism, the SIPAM system, ancient olive trees, wineries, beaches, museums, interactive maps, tourist offices and downloadable brochures", One of the great advances of this portal is that all the resources are geolocated and georeferenced, which allows the user not only to know the tourist information, but also to access directly to its exact location through Google Maps".

It also has an intelligent route planner, "designed for today's tourists, who want to organise their trip in advance, but also make decisions during their stay or even afterwards". This tool makes it possible to design personalised routes with recommendations on what to see and do depending on the visitor's profile. "From the Mancomunidad we continue to be committed to a quality tourist destination and it is available in five languages: Spanish, English, French, German and Italian, which allows us to open up even more to the international market", added Pérez Atencia, who considered in the aforementioned communiqué that "a firm step has been taken towards a more modern, accessible and competitive destination".

For the president of Ceder Axarquia it is "a modern, visual and accessible tool designed to provide quality tourist information, updated and unified by way of the 31 municipalities that make up this region so rich in heritage, culture, gastronomy and nature. "With it we wanted to offer a complete, professional and cohesive vision of the whole territory; and we managed to position the Axarquia-Costa del Sol brand, integrating both coastal and inland municipalities, some with less than 2,000 inhabitants," he added.

About the contents, Vizuete said that it will be possible to find from the natural parks and protected areas, heritage, exhibition spaces, beaches, active tourism, local gastronomy, festivals and access to the 'app' Gecor Turismo Axarquia Costa del Sol, to the QR codes of the municipalities, to the web of Tourist Quality Sicted and Axarquia Film Office.

In addition, through the section 'Charter of services', the entire tourist offer of accommodation, restaurants, wineries, guides or local craftsmanship is made visible, encouraging a joint, professional and regional promotion. "From Ceder Axarquia we continue to support strategic projects like this, which reinforce our rural development, promote sustainability and strengthen the regional brand," said Vizuete.