The southern Spanish city of Malaga has revealed it wants more tourists despite anti-tourism protests rocking much of the country.

The coastal city hopes to attract more British tourists to its sights at the upcoming annual World Travel Market (WTM) in London. Tourism officials will attend the major fair, which will run from November 5 to November 7. 

City councillor for tourism Jacobo Florido and tourism director Jonathan Gómez will lead the delegation at what is considered one of the three major tourism fairs in the world.

Up to September, Malaga hotels gained 15 percent more British tourists and stays, surpassing the figure of 100,000 for the first time from the main international market, according to Florido. 

However, the pair highlighted that they hope to close 2024 with a 10 percent increase in the arrival of Brits, wrote Sur in English.

So far this year, hotels have registered 114,538 visitors, who have made 300,075 overnight stays. 

With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia and the sixth-most populous in the country. It lies in Southern Iberia on the Costa del Sol of the Mediterranean, an incredibly popular tourist destination. 

The city is an important tourist destination, with an estimated six million visitors each year. Tourists usually visit the birthplace of Pablo Picasso and the Museo Picasso Malaga, the Carmen Thyssen Museum, the old town, or the beautiful beaches. The Malaga Harbour is also the second busiest cruise port on the Iberian Peninsula.

For the first time since 2006, Malaga City will not have its stand but will join Andalusian tourism officials at a combined stand, at the request of the Junta in a bid to unify the offer of the two destinations.

Malaga City Council wants to attract tourists with greater purchasing power and continue to increase a visitor’s average stay in the destination, which, until last September, stood at 2.62 days, while the global average is 2.22.

“The objective is to reach three days as soon as possible, bearing in mind that we have a great airport and that the agreements we plan to close next month with other cities will help,” said Florido, who pointed out that Malaga connects with 17 British airports.

“One month ahead, more than 240,000 airline seats have already been booked from the various British airports to Malaga, which represents an increase of 11.5 percent over the same period last year.”

Florido also announced that ahead of the preparation of the strategic tourism plan for 2025 to 2028, they will be attending the WTM to promote “the particularly relevant segments in the roadmap for the coming years, such as premium tourism, shopping, conferences, food and wine, and nature, while maintaining our commitment to culture”.

Malaga City’s delegation has some 40 meetings planned with tour operators, travel agencies, tourism companies, airlines and suppliers. 

However, their minds are not only focused on the UK but also on other international markets such as North America, the Middle East, Asia, and all of Europe.

The city personnel have scheduled meetings with British Airways, Ireland’s Aer Lingus, and Qatar Airways, which this winter is launching a flight that will operate all year round between Malaga and the Qatari capital of Doha.

Malaga city will also be promoted on London’s tourist buses with advertising that reads ‘Enjoy Picasso’s hometown’. This year will mark the 45th WTM, in which 184 countries will participate through 3,875 exhibitors.