El Burgo opens new hiking trail in Malaga province's Parque Nacional Sierra de las Nieves
The local association for towns and villages within the national park has invested 80,357 euros in this project to improve accessibility in the area and strengthen its tourist appeal
The small town of El Burgo in Malaga province has recently opened a new facility that will improve internal communications and accessibility within the municipality. The Sierra de las Nieves association of municipalities has confirmed the opening of a footpath, one of the projects within the local 'tourism sustainability plan', a nationwide initiative led by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism in Madrid but executed at the local level. This particular project strengthens the public infrastructure network with the aim of making it more comfortable for people to move around the town and its surroundings and, at the same time, providing a new tourist attraction in the heart of this beautiful countryside.
The project has made possible the creation of this trail inside the parkland and mountain ranges of the Sierra de las Nieves, declared a national park in 2021 and now one of the main natural attractions in Malaga province. The new footpath thus becomes an additional resource for both the residents of this municipality and for visitors drawn to the scenic and environmental value of this special place. The local 'mancomunidad' (association of municipalities) stresses that the project is part of the strategic objectives of improving accessibility, promoting inclusive public use and enhancing the park's natural heritage.
In fact, the organisation itself has insisted that this project should be known for being a "significant step up" towards a model of tourism that holds sustainability, inclusion and respect for the environment at its core. The association considers that protected natural areas can only reach their maximum potential when they are enjoyed in a responsible manner, guaranteeing the preservation of their values and, at the same time, facilitating access for everyone.
Investment allocation
Such a project needed financing - 80,357.14 euros to be exact - and this came from EU Next Generation funds within the Spanish government's nationwide recovery plan for the post-Covid economy to boost, transform and make it more resilient. The project achieved faster planning approval via a simplified, streamlined and open procedure, designed to eradicate bureaucratic delays while ensuring transparency in the process.
80,357.14 euros
was the investment
The official reception for the project's completion, held only recently, was attended by the president of the Sierra de las Nieves association of municipalities and mayor of Istán José Miguel Marín, the mayor of El Burgo Mariló Narváez, the national park director for the Sierra de las Nieves Rafael Haro, as well as representatives from the company awarded the contract for creating this hiking trail. The presence of these dignitaries highlighted the importance given to a project considered key to tourism and the development strategy for the land and its people in this natural beauty spot.
The Mancomunidad noted that this hiking trail is part of the aforementioned wider plan for sustainable tourism in selected destinations, whose purpose is to ensure a balanced use of the land for the people, locals and visitors alike. The aim is to make universal accessibility compatible with preservation of the natural environment and the promotion of the Sierra de las Nieves as a benchmark destination for nature tourism. This specific project is in addition to others underway that seek to consolidate what can be provided to boost tourism without losing sight of the need to protect this environment.
