Nerja Cave tourist attraction recuperates Covid-19 pandemic losses
Work is currently being carried out on a new auditorium which will host this year's music festival starting on 30 June
Eugenio Cabezas
Nerja
Miércoles, 14 de junio 2023, 16:32
Outgoing president of the Cueva de Nerja foundation, Javier Salas, has highlighted in a statement "the great recovery" that the popular tourist attraction has seen following losses it made when it was forced to close in 2020 and subsequent low visitor numbers due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Salas said that in 2022 the cave reached visitor figures "very similar" to those obtained before the pandemic. In 2022, some 436,107 people visited the cave, very similar to the figure for 2019, with 441,590 visitors. "A significant recovery in the volume of visitors, which has meant the economic recovery of the Nerja Cave foundation this year," he said.
"This is a recovery in line with what tourism is experiencing in Spain, in general, and on the Costa del Sol, in particular; showing the great potential that this natural monument represents for the sector," a press release said.
The press release was published following the foundation’s last board meeting, during which members unanimously approved the works contract for the exterior fencing of the site and the contract for technical assistance and consultancy services to continue with the quality management system that was implemented in the cave in 2018.
Salas is stepping down from the role as he is standing as a candidate in the forthcoming general election. Salas thanked "all the staff for their work on behalf of this entity" and also thanked the Cueva de Nerja foundation, especially the mayor of Nerja and first vice-president; the auditor, the curator and the manager, “for the good work between all for the permanent enhancement of the cultural and archaeological heritage of this asset of cultural interest".
Salas also visited the work currently being carried out to a new auditorium that is being built in the grounds of the cave, which will host this year’s international music festival, now in its 62nd years. The annual event starts on 30 June with a concert by Les Luthiers, and will take place every weekend until August 12.
