Costa Press Club teams up with Axarquía tourism association to promote east of Malaga province

The Costa del Sol's international Costa Press Club (CPC) has teamed up with the association for the promotion of tourism in the Axarquía (APTA) in the east of Malaga province, to organise a day for members to get to know some of the inland villages in the area.

The event was officially presented at the APTA offices in the Mancomunidad association of town halls in the Axarquía headquarters in Torre del Mar on Tuesday 15 July. CPC president Neil Hesketh and APTA manager Elisa Páez were joined by the mayor of Almáchar, Antonio Yuste and mayor of El Borge, Raúl Vallejo, as well as Aroa Palma, owner of the finca the group will visit and Elena Sanchís from Plan A Málaga.

Elisa Páez explained the importance of initiatives such as this trip which she said, "help us to relaunch tourism in our inland areas in the autumn-winter period".

The press trip is scheduled for Saturday 6 September and will allow CPC members to delve into the history and traditions of Almáchar and El Borge, which are closely linked to the cultivation of the muscatel grape, recognised by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as an Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).

The programme will begin in Almáchar, where the group will visit key places such as the Lagar Tunante de Arriba, where they will see grapes drying and being processed using centuries-old systems, the raisin museum and the Fabio Coullet vineyard.

In El Borge the group will visit the Centro de Interpretación Galería del Bandolero (bandit museum) where there will be an informative talk by authorities and staff about the Axarquía, the Corazón Moscatel project and the importance of agriculture and tourism in inland Axarquía.

The visit will conclude with a stroll through the historic centre and lunch at the Hotel Restaurant Posada del Bandolero, an iconic place in this town which was the birthplace of one of Malaga's most infamous bandits, El Bizco de El Borge.

Neil Hesketh, said: "We are very pleased to be able to bring our press partners to the Axarquía, especially during the harvest season. We are very grateful to APTA for their commitment and organisation of this very interesting day"

He added, "The Axarquía is an area that stands out not only for its great cultural and agricultural wealth, but also for its openness to modernity and the diversification of its rural economy in response to the new reality of tourism and other sectors. We are looking forward to this visit."

Founded in 2002, the Costa Press Club is an association of international journalists and content creators based on the Costa del Sol and across the province of Malaga. It is open to all nationalities and encompasses a diverse group of members with backgrounds in journalism and content creation.