Laurence Dollimore
THE Caminito del Rey has been praised for its success as a sustainable tourist attraction.
Costa del Sol representatives gave a talk and lecture on the world-famous walkway at the Spain’s biggest business conference FETAVE last week.
Director of tourism for the Costa Arturo Bernal said 245,000 tourists have already visited the site this year, while ‘last winter saw visitors of 84 different nationalities flock from five different continents’.
The ‘little king’s walkway’ near El Chorro is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Andalucia, with around 1,000 visitors a day.
It was closed for over a decade after falling into disrepair but reopened in 2015, and was once known as ‘the world’s deadliest walkway’.
But now, thanks to attractions like the Caminito del Rey, Malaga has seen inland tourism soar by 39% this August compared to last year, while overnight stays increased by 50%.
FETAVE bosses said the Costa del Sol is one of the best success stories when it comes to diversification of the tourist product.
In recognising the province, FETAVE said: “Malaga is one of the most important success stories in Spain for its courage in updating the traditional sun and beach tourism model and betting decidedly on the diversification of its inland tourism”.
