Malaga presentation; Credit: Chronicle.lu

On Monday 17 June 2024, the Spanish Embassy in Luxembourg hosted a presentation organised by the City of Malaga and the Spanish Office of Tourism BeLux.

The presentations were made part in French and part in English and focussed on the city of Malaga on the southern cost of Spain on the Costa del Sol.

No less than 23 million passengers passed through Malaga airport last year on a total of 150 flight routes (origins).

With around 14 million people visiting the province annually, the city of Malaga - with a population of 600k population - welcomes around five million tourists annually. In 2023, it witnessed a 28% increase in tourism sector income.

Malaga city presentation, under the banner “Luxury & Exclusivity”

With Spain being the most competitive tourism market in the world, the Malaga Office of Tourism is focussing on "quality" tourism, offering sustainable tourism - being respectful of history and of nature - smart tourism, etc., and promote a diverse tourism offer (gastronomy, history, etc.).

With Luxair and LuxairTours, Luxembourg has become an important source of tourists to Malaga, with 540 travellers (1,200 overnight stays) recorded so far in 2024 since April. Such tourists spend more than €200/day (on top of hotel costs).

Malaga is not just a coastal resort: it boasts the largest number of pedestrian streets and no less than 36 museums, as well as gastronomy and culture offerings. Historically, its architecture and cultural heritage has Roman, Moorish and Christian origins.

Culturally, it offers an international film festival, musical theatre (resident and Malaga native Antonia Banderas bought a theatre there to put on a range of productions), a carnival and others, including a famous Christmas lights festival in December when temperatures are around 20C.

On the economic and innovation side, a total of 650 tech companies are based there and employ 30k people. Its port has been refurbished over last decade and now attracts cruise ships whose passengers disembark to explore the city.

It also offers three golf courses around the city, with the water used coming either from rainwater or has been recycled.

LuxairTours presentation

Acknowledging a future potential of business travel in both directions, the current offer focusses primarily on leisure tourism.

Luxair / LuxairTours currently has daily flights until the end of October, when the summer season ends; it will then operate five flights/week

The airline and tour operator currently serve no less than 94 destinations, of which Spain is their most important.

Their current fleet comprises a total of 21 aircraft (eleven De Havilland Q400 turbo-props (76 seats); four Boeing 737-700s (141 seats); four Boeing 737-800s (186 seats); and two Boeing 737-8s (186 seats).

In addition, the first of the new Boeing 737 Max aircraft ordered are scheduled to arrive at the end of 2025; and they have already planned to replace the De Havilland Q400 turbo-prop aircraft with Embraer 195-E2s which have p to 146 seats (depending on configuration).

Currently LuxairTours offers accommodation packages at six hotels in Malaga, of which half are boutique hotels.

The presentations were followed by a networking lunch.