One of Malaga's prettiest towns turns to AI to help tourists discover its delights

Frigiliana boasts of being one of the prettiest towns in Malaga province. Its privileged location, in the foothills of the Sierra Almijara mountains and a stone's throw from Nerja, as well as its historic centre which dates back to Andalucía's Islamic period, make it a tourist gem that is increasingly popular with visitors.

Known as “Barribarto”, it is one of the most visited towns, with its cobbled streets, whitewashed houses and colourful flowerpots and the town's slogan is “light of Andalucía”.

Traditions and popular festivals have hardly changed over the years and include Holy Week, the May Crosses, the San Antonio pilgrimage, the June fair and the Three Cultures festival at the end of August. The registered population exceeds 3,300 inhabitants and it is home to a wide range of nationalities.

The town has been part of the exclusive network of Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España (the most beautiful towns/villages in Spain) since 2015, in which the only other villages in Malaga are Genalguacil, since 2021 and Parauta, since 2023.

976,000 people over the age of 18 visited Frigiliana in 2024 alone, with an average stay of more than three days according to data collected by Frigiliana town hall through a study carried out by Telefónica Tech, using information provided by telephone companies through the mobile devices of those visiting the town.

Hoping to hit the one million visitor mark this year, the town hall has now turned to artificial intelligence (AI). To this end, they have launched AMALia, an application that offers a virtual assistant based on artificial intelligence, developed by the Malaga-based technology firm Rebeldía Tech, which seeks to transform the tourist experience.

This innovative system allows residents and visitors to access personalised recommendations on plans, routes, events and local businesses through a simple contact added to their phone's address book via WhatsApp, without the need to download any additional apps.

The CEO of Rebeldía Tech, Noemí Carbonero, has highlighted the importance of this initiative. ‘AMALia represents a significant advance in the digitalisation of local tourism, combining cutting-edge technology with a human and sustainable approach,’ said the Malaga-based entrepreneur.

With the launch of AMALia, Frigiliana town hall says it is positioning itself "as one of the first rural municipalities in Spain to integrate artificial intelligence to improve the service and satisfaction of tourists and residents".

The town hall has invited "all visitors and residents to save AMALia's contact details on their phones to enjoy personalised tourist services that are accessible anytime, anywhere". The AMALia WhatsApp number is +34 613 01 47 57.