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Malaga province has been to the fore of language tourism for many decades past, with students all anxious to learn or perfect their Spanish. And as the Spanish language has become the most important second language in many countries in Europe and the United States, the number of students coming here has been increasing over the years. Malaga is now the province with the highest number of language students in all of Andalusia, and one of the most popular language-learning destinations in the country.

It is clear that the climate has a lot to do with this popularity, but the fame of this region in the area of language learning has a great deal to do with the quality and prestige of the learning centres here as well. Other factors also come into play, such as the friendliness of the people, the leisure and cultural infrastructure and the possibility of visiting the fascinating towns and villages in the province. Recent statistics show that some 40,000 foreign students come to learn Spanish in Malaga province every year.

Meetings tourism

Always a prime international tourism destination in general terms, the Costa del Sol was quick to realise the immense possibilities of a type of tourism we know today as congress, convention and meetings tourism. In fact, this sector is not new on the Costa del Sol, given that the Congress and Exhibition Centre in Torremolinos was opened 30 years ago. Now, the Costa del Sol is a worthy rival to any large European city in this sector of the tourism industry. 

It did not take very long for other towns on the Costa del Sol to follow the example of Torremolinos, and we now have international Congress Halls in Marbella and Estepona, and of course, the Trade Fairs and Congress Centre in Malaga City. All these centres have multiple rooms for different types of functions, and all are fully equipped with the most modern audio-visual and interpreting facilities, to handle a congress or convention of any size. 

One of the reasons for the prestige of the congress and convention sector on the Costa del Sol has been the organisation of big events within the tourism industry itself in the Congress Halls in the region. Among these, the Costa del Sol hosted the general congress of the Association of Travel Agents of Great Britain (ABTA) and its German counterpart, the DRV. The success of these, and many more events, has led to the Costa del Sol being considered one of Europe’s prime destinations for the sector.

The expansion of the sector can also be seen in the large number of top hotels – about 20 four and five-star establishments – that offer congress and convention facilities. The result is that this is a tourism sector of vital importance to the local economy, and one that is not dependent on seasonal tourism.