Tenders sought for maintenance of Malaga's 900-kilometre-long hiking path

The Diputación, Malaga's provincial authority, has put out to tender for 1,819,813 euros the maintenance and conservation work on the almost 900 kilometres that make up the Great Malaga Path (Gran Senda de Málaga (GR-249) in its 35 stages and variants. The four-year contract for the repair or replacement of damaged signposting or path protection elements.

Cristóbal Ortega, vice-president for Infrastructure and Sustainable Territory, said that the deadline for submitting bids will remain open until 30 August. He added that it is essential to maintain the trails in perfect condition, for the safety of users.

Every year almost two million hikers walk stages of the path, which runs through four natural parks, two nature reserves and three natural areas, and passes through 54 towns and 61 municipalities. The route links up with the Mozarabic Way of St. James (GR-245) and with the GR-92 E-12 European long-distance footpath, which crosses the Mediterranean arc and ends in Greece.

Ortega said that the path stimulates interest in the natural spaces of Malaga province and helps to encourage visits to the towns through which it passes. "It has established itself as a very important resource for boosting the economy of the inland villages and creating employment, as the enthusiasm of hikers for walking the stages of the Gran Senda has significantly increased stays in hotels and rural houses, as well as purchases in shops and restaurants in the inland municipalities.”