Malaga is the capital of Costa del Sol and Spain’s fifth biggest city. A well known and excellent tourist hotspot and a fantastic cultural highlight right in the south of Europe that borders Africa from North. There is an approximate population of 600.000 inhabitants. This figure rapidly swells during July and August with hundreds of thousands of Spaniards from Granada, Cordoba and Madrid taking their holidays to enjoy the beaches of Malaga. Not to mention the 8 million plus tourists who holiday on Costa del Sol every year. Its no surprise if you think there`s almost 360 days of sunshine every year. The modern international airport with the new terminal building recently completed is to be expected to handle the doubling of passenger traffic at over 20 million a year through Malaga Airport alone within the next 10 years. An important business and tourist port in Southern Europe with over 2,000 tourist ships a year docking into the new Port at Malaga from all over the world including Canada and US bringing more than 2 million additional tourists to visit the City mostly for one or two days.
Culture
Culturally the City is very rich and varied thanks to the different cultures that were based here including Romans & Moors who have since left their mark, emphasizing the Cathedral, the Fortress, the Castle of Gibralfaro the Roman amphitheatre or the bullring. Sports, cultural events and much more: regatas, festivales and of course theatre and cinema, exhibitions, concerts, etc. The celebrations to watch out each year are Easter (Semana Santa) or the Fair of August (Feria) that turns Malaga to a collection point and diversion for people from all over Spain and Europe and a great reason to visit and experience the City of Malaga for an unforgettable holiday.
Transport
Thanks to the good communication by motorway, it is easy to visit some other nearby wonders of Andalusia in excursions: the Alhambra, the Moorish Palace of Granada, the Cathedral of Seville, the GREAT Mosque of Cordoba, the impressive landscape of Ronda and the old world white towns a little inland from the Costa Del Sol. There is a new metro system being built which will be finished at the end of 2012 and will be a direct link from Malaga airport to the city centre.
Local Business
Bearing in mind tha 85% of businesses in Andalucia are family owned and run, from fishermen to shop keepers to bakers, carpentry, wooden furniture, building, bars and restaurants all provide a local and mixed range of services. One of the biggest and most traditional one is the agriculture: where local food produced is served fresh to suppliers and consumers. A mix of traditional and Tropical fruits like Mangos, Kiwi, Peaches, Lemons, Oranges, Raisons, and Avocado are all grown locally. Malaga farmers produce and distribute through wine merchants some of the finest wines in Spain, “Malaga Wine” is now recognised internationally as a protected brand and the variety and quality of Malaga Bodegas is impressive.
International Business
Spain has one of the largest shoe making businesses in the world, including leather goods and handbags most made in Spain brands are available in Malaga Centre and through Corte Ingles – the well known international retailer. This manufacturing is recognised like the normal fashion houses of Paris and Milan to bring quality to the market. Lupo, Pons Quintana, and Paco Herrero are just a few on a major list of exporters. An international Aircraft building and parts industry to major car manufacturing partners with Ford, Honda, Fiat and Seat contribute massively to the overall economy. Big names like Carrefour, Leroy Merlin, Zara, HM and C&A already have a well established presence in Malaga.
Malaga Tapas
Spain is very well known for fresh food and there is an enormous variety of restaurants and bars that put salads, fish and fresh meat in a form of tapas. Meatballs, Pinchito (spicy meat), Pork in tomato sauce, Russian salad, varied fried fish.. . And it is to very Spanish thing to go out to eat in the evening / night and enjoy tapas with friends and a glass of Rioja (Spanish red wine).
