Malaga's Axarquía to promote its Al-Andalus heritage through interactive signage

The Axarquía area of Malaga province is home to some of Spain's most important examples of Arabic architectural heritage. During the Islamic reign of Al Andalus, the Axarquía, which formed part of the Kingdom of Granada, was one of the last areas to be conquered by the Catholic monarchs.

This heritage, which can be seen and felt in many of its 31 towns and villages, is a major tourist attraction, which the eastern area of Malaga province hopes to use to continue attracting visitors.

The Mancomunidad association of town halls in the Axarquía has announced a new network of tourist signage to promote the area’s Andalusian heritage through information panels and interactive QR codes distributed across the towns and villages.

The initiative, presented in Torre del Mar by the president of the association, Jorge Martín along with other representatives, includes the installation of around a hundred interactive displays linked to some fifty heritage sites of Al-Andalus origin.

As Martín explained, this initiative forms part of the ‘Innova Experiencia Andalusí’ project, funded by the EU and promoted by the association’s tourism department. “This is yet another of the many initiatives we have launched over the past two years to showcase our Andalusian heritage,” Martín said.

He went on to say that “around fifty new tourism and cultural initiatives” linked to the Al-Andalus heritage of the Axarquía have been launched, including dramatised tours, talks and concerts and explained that this new signage will have “a physical presence” that will ensure the project “stands the test of time”.

The campaign will enable local residents and visitors to access detailed information about each site by scanning QR codes: a historical description, photographs, location via interactive maps, contact details and heritage classification. “When you’re travelling, hiking or exploring a village, there’s nothing better than knowing what you’re looking at, when it dates from or what its significance is,” said Martín in a statement, in which he argued that the initiative will bring “added value” to the tourist experience in the region.

In total 78 heritage sites spread across 27 municipalities will be signposted. These include fortresses, cisterns, fountains, medinas and old Jewish quarters, in a region where the Andalusian legacy remains very much present both in the urban layout of many towns and villages and in the architecture, agriculture and culture inherited from the Islamic period.

The initiative also includes an interactive digital guide integrated into the Turismo Axarquía Costa del Sol website and developed by the Ideanto agency in collaboration with the Sharquí association. The platform will allow users to locate the various sites via an interactive map and filters by municipality, type, historical period or accessibility.

Each display will automatically detect the language of the mobile phone used to scan the QR code, offering content tailored to the visitor and the interactive guide will also be available in English.

The Axarquía has been striving for years to broaden its tourism offering beyond the traditional sun-and-beach segment, promoting activities linked to the inland areas, historical heritage, active tourism and gastronomy. In this context, the Al-Andalus legacy has become one of the main cultural pillars of the region’s promotional efforts.

The Mancomunidad believes that this new signage will enhance the visitor experience and reinforce the region’s historical identity, combining technology and heritage to create a more modern, accessible and sustainable tourism product.