Spotlight on Malaga as city prepares to host international summit of luxury travel planners

Dozens of professionals from 25 countries and the world's most exclusive tourism agency networks will descend on Malaga when the city hosts a luxury travel summit.

From 11 to 14 September, eighty of the world's elite professionals in the luxury travel planning sector, including representatives from Virtuoso and Signature, will meet in Malaga for the summit.

It is a huge opportunity for local travel operators and business, with 4,000 new contracts expected to be drawn up with companies from Malaga and wider Andalucía. It is being organised by the tourism department of Malaga city council, in collaboration with Turismo Costa del Sol, Turismo Andaluz and Turespaña. It also forms part of a string of activities organised by the city hall to honour the 50th anniversary of the death of Malaga-born Pablo Picasso.

During the summit, international buyers will hold meetings with local business people in different key locations of the city, such as the Alcazaba, the Picasso Museum, the Malaga Museum and the Miramar Hotel.

Councillor for Tourism in Malaga Jacobo Florido said the event will cover all markets, from the United States and Canada; Latin America, with representatives from Mexico, Brazil and Argentina; the Middle East; Southeast Asia, India and Singapore; Asia, China and Japan; and Oceania, among others. "These buyers belong to the exclusive networks of luxury travel agencies such as Virtuoso and Signature, which provide services to the majority of the world's high-net-worth travellers," he said.

These international professionals are increasingly dealing with luxury travellers as this type of tourism gains popularity, industry experts said. Data from Virtuoso, which has declared Malaga city as a preferred destination in 2023, show that luxury travel is on the rise and that in two years' time it is expected to grow by 39% over 2022 and 107% more than in 2019. About 37% of tourists spend between 25,000 and 50,000 dollars on each of their leisure trips and 47% spend between 10,000 and 25,000 euros, the data also showed.

"Malaga has great potential to attract these visitors who are looking for culture and good gastronomy above all," Florido said. "The city has all the necessary resources to satisfy this key tourist market of great importance."