COSTA DEL SOL

WTM

2013

ANDALUSIA

MALAGA

www.laopiniondemalaga.es

DE MÁLAGA

n the south of andalusia, ba-thed by the warm mediterra-nean waters, rests the provin-ce of malaga, land of great be-

auty between sea and mountain, withamazing tourism possibilities. more than300 days of sun per year would be thebest identity card to describe malaga'spleasant climate, with warm winters, de-licious springs and autumns, and sum-mers generally made much more tempe-rate by the sea breeze.

The coast is a tourism gem under theandalusian sun, dotted with whitewas-hed villages; it is the richest and mostuniversal heritage, the most precious le-gacy of the malaga province. but the inte-rior of the province is also of great be-auty, with its white villages and naturalparks. malaga is blessed with breathta-king natural spaces: the Torcal in ante-quera, a rocky landscape sculptured bythe wind and by water; the sierra de lasnieves natural Park, where unique natu-ral species can be found; the Fuentepie-dra laguna, breeding grounds for a largepart of southern european flamingos orthe alcornocales natural park, an exten-sive park with singular local vegetation.

specific locations and interior areas

have become either the main destina-tion, or a complementary one to the tra-ditional sun and beach offer. mijas andronda are the most visited destinationsby holidaymakers, but places like theaxarquia area are also becoming majordestinations. These are com-pleted by an extensiveexcursion demand,with places suchas the guadal-horce reser-voirs, the ar-dales Park,the desfi-ladero delos gaita-nes, thebobastroruins, andtowns ofantequera,Frigiliana,Torrox, bena-havis, istanand ojen.

it is said, andrightly so, that thecombination of the mala-ga coast, with its dozens ofsplendid beaches, and its beautiful cli-mate are malaga's main tourism resour-

ce, and thanks to that alliance of sun andbeaches, the Costa del sol has become inrecent years the most complete destina-tion for tourists in europe. it is the firstchoice for a major portion of visitorsfrom spain and from the rest of the world

thanks to the high number of pos-sibilities it offers: sunba-

thing, swimming, thepractise any kind of

sports, from snor-kelling to scuba

diving, fromwindsurfing tosailing, fromboating to fis-hing, orsimply enjo-ying life inany one ofthe many be-

ach huts, or«chiringuitos»

that cover thecoast, with a plate

of fried fish, succu-lent seafood or barbe-

cued sardines, while sip-ping a cold beer with the sea

practically lapping at your ankles. The malaga coast has the highest con-

centration of golf courses in europe, in

the short distance between rincon de lavictoria and sotogrande. its 40 golf cour-ses make up an unprecedented tourismoffer thanks to their high quality, somecourses actually being considered as partof the world's greatest. The malaga coas-tline, from la Caleta de velez in easternCosta del sol to manliva, has a great re-putation for water sports, with this stripof coast covering little more than 100 Kmaccounting for 60% of andalusia's mari-nas.

once again, the climate has played adetermining role in the development ofresidential tourism. This is proven by theever-growing numbers of foreigners cho-osing to stay for longer periods of time, orto live on the Costa del sol, where thequality of life is much higher than in anyother region in europe. in these times ofchanging and ever more demanding tou-rists, the success or not of a tourism des-tination is very dependant on the com-plementarity of its offer. Practising asport, going shopping, visiting a mu-seum, watching a show, enjoying greatfood, having a drink, going on an excur-sion, dancing all night, gambling at thecasino or simply enjoying a good chatwith friends all require a high level of ser-vices, which are available all along themalaga coast.

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COSTA DEL SOLParadise in the south of Spain

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ore than 150 kilometres of co-ast-line and 325 days of suns-hine a year is the best intro-duction to the Costa del sol. a

paradise that combines charming bea-ches, noisy or quiet and solitary ones, vir-gin beaches and others that offer the mostadvanced services.

in total, 14 malaguenan municipalitiesare on the coast, and others in the interiorare at a minimal distance from the sea.each one of these municipalities brings aunique geography to the coast, from ex-tensive sandy beaches perfectly equippedwith all types of services- the norm- alongwith those that are close to a modern pro-menade, to hidden coves, completely vir-gin, presided by exceptionally beautifulnatural landscapes. From one extreme toanother, a whole range of beaches imagi-nable- including seven nudist beaches- to

enjoy taking a swim and basking in therays of the sun.

The malaguenan coast has been con-verted into one of the most developedtouristic zones at both the internationaland national level for different reasons.Firstly, due to its warm, mild mediterrane-an climate and, secondly, for its calm wa-ters, clear and warm, and its beautifullandscapes, where numerous beaches aredistributed between the mountains andthe sea.

ServicesThe coast has accumulated a great quan-tity of touristic services of every kind,among which, 40% of moaring points forrecreational sailing boats on the andalu-sian coast are distributes among 11 recrea-tional porst and nautical clubs. besides,the malaguenan beaches have facilities forall types of sports, from diving, motorboa-

ting to fishing. restaurants are another ofthe great attractions of the coastal area,being able to enjoy malaguenan cuisineen many of the «chiringuitos» –beachbars– that line the whole coast, where youcan try the typical fried fish, succulent sea-food and fresh sardines roasted on a stick.

as in all turistic áreas, and as well in theCosta del sol, hotels and residential com-

plexes are generally located in front of thebeach or very close to it. The range in offer of hotels especially de-dicated to sun, sand and sea tourism areas extent as they are varied and combineestablishments of all categories, from tho-se of great luxury, located mainly on theCosta del sol west, to the most simple andeconomical

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COSTA DEL SOLSun and sand,dream beaches

he association of Hoteliers ofthe Costa del sol (aeHCos)presented its mobile applica-tion for hotel establishments

of the Costa del sol today at the Chamberof Commerce, industry and navigationof málaga.

This application offers the tourist thepossibility of finding the category, locationand detailed information of a hotel, as wellas, the possibility of contacting the same tobook their stay.

The president of the Chamber of Com-merce, Jerónimo Pérez Casero and the

president of aeHCos, José Carlos escri-bano attended the presentation. The latteremphasized the importance of new Tech-nologies and the private/public collabo-ration, specially the contribution of the má-laga Chamber of Commerce, which hasbeen essential for the launching of this ap-plication.  «at the moment any tourist maydownload this new free application that in-corporates more than 65,000 beds and of-fers updated and very visual informationof the associated hotels», affirmed escri-bano.

The application called «Hoteles Costadel sol» is currently available on app sto-re and offers the possibility of searching ac-cording to the customer's preferences: byHotel, Health & beauty, sporting facilitiesand golf Courses. additionally, we offer theoption «near me» to locate the closest

options to the users' current location.The application is currently available in

spanish and english and we are working ona French, german and russian version. es-cribano also emphasized that all the com-panies that have collaborated in creatingthis application are local companies, frommálaga. He also mentioned the importanttask that aeHCos personnel have perfor-med to enable its presentation.

The application has been presented, indetail, by Jesús maría Pérez Caño, head ofthe department of new Technologies ofaeHCos and it may be found on its ownwebsite www.appcostadelsol.com for pro-motion purposes and to encourage down-loads.  The president of the Chamber ofCommerce, Jerónimo Pérez Casero and thepresident of aeHCos, José Carlos escri-bano both attended the presentation.

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Aehcos develops an app for hotels

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he province of malaga is a cul-tural mosaic resulting from thelegacy of many different civili-zations that have settled or

passed through this area, leaving nume-rous artistic examples sure to impress thevisitor. Traces of prehistoric life can beseen in the cave-paintings at the Cave ofPileta and the incredible underground ca-thedral in the nerja caves. The dolmens(ancient burial sites) of menga, viera y elromeral and antequera are consideredamong some of the most important mega-lithic monuments in europe.

The giant rock of Toscanos, next to thevélez river, and the necropolis of Traya-mar, in the municipality of algarrobo,show the first signs of the Phoenician civi-lization, while the roman legacy is clearlyseen at acinipo in ronda, singilia barba inantequera, the roman theatre in málaga,the roman villa of the river verde in mar-bella and at the el Faro (lighthouse) in To-rrox. also worth visiting is the sculpture ofel efebo in antequera, of great historicalimportance.

The number of relics inherited from thearab culture would be difficult to calcula-te, but perhaps one of the most important

is the alcazaba which is situated next tothe gibralfaro Castle.

it is possible to find every artistic stylein malaga from the middle ages untilnow. late gothic examples can be seen atthe Convents of san Francisco and santodomingo in ronda, and the door of theTabernacle (la Puerta del sagrario), in ma-laga. The most outstanding examplesfrom the renaissance are the cathedral inmalaga and the real Colegiata de santamaría la mayor in antequera.

There are also numerous examplesfrom the baroque period, as can be seenin many monuments in malaga and ante-quera, as well as in every corner of theprovince. From the 18th century there isthe Plaza ochavada in archidona y elPuente nuevo (the new bridge) and thePlaza de Toros (bullring) in ronda. in the19th century, various buildings of archi-tectural interest were constructed in ma-laga, such as the Town Hall and the bankof spain.

even though every village and town hasits own artistic treasures, antequera, ronda,vélez málaga and, of course, malaga capitalhave the greatest concentration of importantmonuments: cultural treasures that are wellworth discovering.

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TREASURESArt and heritage

astronomy is one of the greatattractions and valued bonu-ses of tourist destinations.Theprovince of malaga can claim

fame to the development of the medite-rranean diet; being known for its deli-cious, extensive and varied cuisine. What

tourist hasn't come to malaga and triedpescaito frito (fried fish), a dish of porraantequerana (cold soup) or a good mala-ga wine?

one hundred municipalities shape thegastronomical wealth of malaga, difficult tocompare, that extends from the sea to the

mountains. on the coast of malaga, fried fishand fish-based soups are the most popularchoices. anchovies, mackerel, red mullet, ca-lamares and octopus make up an excellentdish of malaga style fried fish. Hot soupssuch as la cachorreñas (a bitter orange ba-sed soup), wine soup ab (winw and seafo-

od soup) or gazpacho shouldn't be missed.another characteristic dish is roasted sar-dines on a stick (espetos de sardines).

in the interior of the province, goat, rab-bit or lamb stews are very common. sau-sages and cold cuts from the province ofronda are famous too. also important tohighlight is the natural produce of the areasuch as avocados, raisins, peaches andcustard apples (chirimoyas). The most well-known dishes from malaga are the coldsoups ajoblanco, (garlic and almond based)and porra antequerana (a thick gazpachotype soup.)

malaga also offers the rest of the world agreat variety of white, sweet, semi-sweet anddry wines, certified under the denomina-ción de origen, made from grapes cultiva-ted in malaga and slowly dried under theplentiful sun.

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GASTRONOMYThe flavour of the sea

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cosol, a public water com-pany, dependant on the Wes-tern Costa del sol municipa-lity Commonwealth, progres-

ses firmly in the service that will offerrecycled water for 37 golf courses of theWestern Costa del sol.

The aim of this company is to reachpractically all these facilities and for this pur-pose, is promoting the expansion of the wa-ter plants of “la víbora” in marbella and“Cerros del águila” in Fuengirola, which areincluded in an agreement with acuamed(company owned by the ministry of envi-ronment).

The expansion of these water plantsshall be considered as an important mo-mentum for the golf sector, which occupiesa privileged place in the Western Costa delsol Tourism industry.

An important roleWe must bear in mind that the golf in-dustry plays an essential role in the diver-sification from seasonal tourism and this

is why acosol emphasizes the importan-ce of the role of the golf courses in theWestern Costa del sol.

Throughout this year and until septem-ber, acosol has provided golf courses a to-tal of 4,359,975 cubic meters of recycled wa-ter.summarY: The expansion works wouldmean increasing the supply in 1 millioncubic meters in the first year and anothermillion during the second

acosol supplies in the region of 300,000cubic meters per golf course each year; be-aring in mind that during the months bet-ween october and march, their watersupply comes from rainwater or own re-sources.

on the other hand, as well as golf cour-ses, other well known sites such as the sel-wo Park, in estepona, or green areas in mar-bella and benalmádena are also wateredwith recycled water coming from the watertreatment plants.

in this respect, acosol has developed aninfrastructure which consists of seven wa-ter treatment plants, six of them alreadyhave a tertiary treatment, with capacity todeal with more than 158,000 cubic metersof water daily for watering purposes.

all this with the exception of Casares, de-signed for 3,000 inhabitants and the onlyone located on the mountain ledge, because

the rest of the villages towards the interiorhave different collectors that connect themup to the main pipes of the Total sanitation,that run parallel to the coast, as is the casewith the villages of mijas, benalmádena andojén.

additionally, used water must be «clea-ned» before being thrown into the seathrough underwater pipelines (large pipesof more than one kilometre in length fromthe coast offshore) or reused for wateringpurposes, according to the plan for drainageand waste water treatment.

We must highlight, on the other hand,that filtration and disinfection with uvrays that kill any viruses that may be con-tained in the water is added to the tertiarytreatment.

This way, acosol's six large water treat-ment plants in the Western Costa del solshall be above the requirements of the eu-ropean union.

Quality Waterin terms of the quality of the recycled wa-ter used for watering purposes, acosolbases their activity on royal decree1620/2007, of 7 december, which deter-mines the necessary requirements to en-able the use of recycled water, the proce-dures to obtain the concession requiredby law and the dispositions pertaining to

the accepted uses and the quality requi-rements for each case.

acosol intends to continue working withthe maximum respect to the environmentat the same time as offering satisfactory ser-vices to their users.

rationalisation of the resourcesThe use of recycled water coming from

the different water plants to water golfcourses not only supports the golf industry,but also helps rationalise current waterresources. With this, acosol also fulfilsanother objective that this company has hadsince it was created in 1994 and that was toprovide water supply to the municipalitiesof Torremolinos, benalmádena, Fuengiro-la, mijas, ojén, marbella, istán, benahavís,estepona, Casares and manilva.

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In the short term, Acosol shall beusing recycled water on all golf

courses on the Costa del SolThe public company bases their ser-vices on the respect towards the en-vironment

- Acosol has supplied 4,359,975m3of recycled water up to September.- Acosol supplies an average of300,000m3 of recycled water eachyear for each golf course.- An 18-hole golf course needs ap-proximately 2,500m3 of recycledwater daily.

Quality

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«A bunch of sensations» isthe motto you can see on theManilva Website, what does thismean?Grapes are the most distinctiveproduct of Manilva. We havewanted to use the image of abunch of grapes to show all thepossibilities that the municipalityoffers at a cultural, social, festiveand sporting level, all this in an

unbeatable climate and atmos-phere.

2. What is it that makes the Ma-nilva beaches so popular?The main reason is the quality ofthe sea. This is confirmed eachyear by the European Union whoawards various Blue Flags to ourbeaches. There are eight kilome-tres of coastline, where there is acombination of both untouched

beaches and sweeping beachesprovided with all the relevantequipment for bathers in terms ofdisabled access, showers, beachbars and all the necessary servi-ces for an enjoyable day on thebeach. On top of this, a team of li-feguards and medics patrol thebeaches for the peace of mind ofresidents and visitors alike.

3. It is a coastal municipality,but what else does it have to of-fer other than sun and beach?The municipality is structuredaround three urban areas. Manil-va occupies the most northernarea and Sabinillas and El Casti-llo, the coastal areas.

This enables us to offer moun-tain tourism and to do so, thereare hiking trails together with ru-ral and golf tourism, with one ofthe main golf courses in Andalu-sia, the Duquesa Golf andCountry Club.

4. What role does gastronomyplay in the municipality?The Mediterranean gastronomyis varied, delicious and healthyand is considered one of the mainattractions of the municipality.As well as good fish and the fa-mous sardine spits, there are alsotypical dishes such as tomatosoup, homemade brown bread, asweet bread called «Torta de Pe-llizco» or the famous Manilvawine.

Guests are able to enjoy lovelymeals in any of the restaurants orbeach bars, or do a tapas-barcrawl in the more traditional bars.

5. Golf or water sports are someof the possibilities one can en-joy locally.As we were saying, the DuquesaGolf Course, does not only allowa fantastic rounds of golf, but itssituation, its wonderful views, itsidyllic setting all helps to com-plete the sporting experience andensure a relaxing enjoyment.

6. Another thing that Manilva isfamous for is the Grape Harvest

Festival known as «La Vendi-mia», what is this exactly?The Grape Harvest is the munici-pality’s most famous festival. It isa tribute to the grape vine and thewine. Hundreds of people gatherup in the Calle Mar in Manilva at

the beginning of September toenjoy music, good atmosphereand local activities.

The big moment, apart fromthe Mass and the procession ofthe «Virgen de los Dolores», is theoffering of the largest bunch ofgrapes, and, of course, the trea-ding of grapes. In a «grape vat»constructed specifically for thispurpose, the residents performthe art of Grape Treading in thepresence of numerous onlookerswho observe how an ancestralfruit begins its transformation tobecome wine.

7. What projects does the TownHall have in mind to improvethe municipality?The Manilva Town Hall, bearingin mind the current climate, con-tinues to create services, squares,parks and improvements, cons-tantly and uninterruptedly, to en-sure that both the resident and vi-sitor have a good quality of life.Some green area projects, whichare already a reality are the cons-truction of the Vendimia Squarein Manilva or the InterpretingCentre of Las Viñas, were theywill show everything there is toknow about wine and grapes. Im-provements in infrastructures,the construction of a sportingcomplex in Sabinillas, the con-nection of the coastline througha promenade and an endless listof basic projects have been per-formed to enable the municipa-lity of Manilva to continue gro-wing and developing in an or-derly manner, with the residentsand their well-being as a priority.

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MELANIE SOLER MÁLAGA

Antonia Muñoz

«One of the mainattractions of themunicipality is themediterraeangastronomy»

MADAM MAYOR OF MANILVA

«We have wanted to use theimage of a bunch of grapes toshow all the possibilities thatthe municipality offers»

«The Town Hall continues tocreate services to ensure boththe resident and the visitorhave a good quality of life»

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ndalusia sun, nature and artdefine the essence of Andalu-sia. A region full of aromas andcolours whose most prized

possession is its people. Andalusia hasbeen the cradle of cultures and civiliza-tions that have left their imprint throughmonumental buildings of unequaled be-auty scattered throughout its eight provin-ces.

Andalusia possesses 900 kilometres ofcoast-line which has given place to exten-sive beaches bathed by the Atlantic andbeautiful cliffs next to the Mediterranean.With more than 100 natural protectedspaces, the region is marked by its con-trasts, from ascending the snowy peaks ofthe Mulhacen to descending to the desertlandscapes of Almeria.

The Andalusian territory is full of fla-vours and aromas, a true reflection of theMediterranean diet based on olive oil.Andalusians enjoy their gastronomy, asthey do life. Their extensive calendar offestivals tells of a land that possesses aprofound sense of pleasure and joy.Sports, culture, flamenco and healthcomplete the offer of a unique and in-comparable land that walks firmly to-wards the future without forgetting itsidentity.

Beach and sunSun, sand and sea’ tourism is the most im-portant tourist sector in Andalusia, andaccounts for the majority of hotels and

other accommodation. Due to its mildwinters the Andalusian coast offers tou-rists the chance to spend enjoyable holi-days during the whole year. The coast ofAndalusia lies between the Mediterrane-an Sea to the east and the Atlantic oceanto the west. 65% of the coast is made up ofbeaches, with 20% consisting of cliffs andthe remainder made up of marshes anddunes.

COSTA DE ALMERIA

The virgin beaches, first class touristresorts, sports tourism, an outstandinggastronomy and attractive, charmingcities turn the Almerian Levante into acomplete choice and one of the maindestinations for tourists. The exceptionalcoast surrounding the Cape of Gata-NÌjarNature Park, the first marine-terrestrialNatural Park of Andalusia, provides itsvisitors with impressive cliffs, small andisolated coves, fine-sanded goldenbeaches with beautiful sea bottoms,which are ideal for scuba-diving.

COSTA DEL SOL

The region which pioneered tourism in An-dalusia extends from the province of Gra-nada to Sotogrande (San Rogue) on the co-ast of Cádiz. Along this coastline can befound resorts such as Torremolinos andMarbella.

COSTA TROPICAL

This coast, located in the province ofGranada is a centre of both tourism andsub-tropical agriculture, thanks to itsexcellent climate. La Herradura has amagnificent beach and the small yetattractive harbour, Marina del Este. InAlmuñecar, the economic centre of thearea, the beaches lie side by side withplantations of avocados and custardapples. A little further, past some of thelast remaining sugarcane plantations inEurope, you will find the village ofSalobreña.

COSTA DE LA LUZ

This coast, beginning at the mouth of the ri-ver Guadalquivir in Sanlúcar de Barrame-da, in Cadíz, and ending at Sotogrande,near the Strait of Gibraltar, has also expe-rienced major growth over the last few ye-ars. In addition to Sanlúcar, the coast spansthe municipalities of Chipiona, Rota, ElPuerto de la Santa María, Puerto Real, Cá-diz, San Fernando, Chiclana de la Fronte-ra, Barbate, Taria, Algeciras, San Roque andLa Línea de la Concepción.

COSTA DE LA LUZ-HUELVA

Costa de la Luz-Huelva: The light of theAtlantic ocean casts a soft glow over eachof the resorts which lie along the coast ofHuelva. From Ayamonte, on the borderwith Portugal, the Costa de la Luz advan-ces to Isla Cristina, Lepe, Cartaya, PuntaUmbría, Huelva, Palos de la Frontera, Mo-guer and Almonte.

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AndalusiaPrivileged destination and fun beach

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he charm of Andalucía goesmuch further beyond whattourists can experience in peakseason. Culture, gastronomy,

nature and traditions are just some of themain attractions that can be enjoyed du-ring autumn and winter, principally in theinterior provinces. As well, thanks to themild Andalusian climate, the whole coas-tal area makes for a first-class destination.For those who want to get to know aboutAndalusian customs, the Christmas sea-son is one of the best opportunities.

The diversity of the tourist industry re-mains clear in one of the sectors that hasflourished most in recent years. We aretalking about farm-houses, ranches andtheir collaboration with the hospitality in-dustry; a type of tourism that is more andmore in demand. Andalusia is famousfor its big old estates, many ofwhich form part of its idios-yncrasy. In recent years,many of these spaceshave been rehabilita-ted with a particularfocus on offeringtouristic services ofexcellent quality.

Andalusian gas-tronomy, a true re-flection of its history, isfull of aromas, flavoursand colours. A well-roun-ded cuisine in which tradi-tional products are prepared in adifferent and attractive way. For example,fruits, vegetables, fish, pork and «bravo»bull meat result in characteristic dishessuch as gazpacho, ajoblanco, migas, sal-morejo, fried fish, and bull’s tail, among awider range of possibilities.

But Andalusian cuisine goes beyondtradition and popular dishes. In recent ye-ars, a new generation of the region’s cookshave been reinventing the most acclaimedrecipes, making Andalusia a referencepoint in world-wide gastronomy. Thework of these young professionals showsthat Andalusian cookery has reached amost prestigious level. Dani García, ÁngelLeón, Celia Jiménez and Kisko García aresome of the names that «rub shoulders»with the most prestigious chefs on aworld-wide level. The Andalusian coastpermits one to enjoy pleasant holidaysthroughout the whole year thanks to themild winter climate. One of the main des-tinations is eastern Almeria as it has all thepossible tourist attractions from virgin be-aches, high-class tourist complexes,sports tourism, exceptional gastronomyand charming municipalities. The privile-ged coastline surrounds the Natural ParkCabo de Gata-Nijar, the first land and seanatural park of Andalusia that offers thevisitor impressive cliffs, small, hidden co-ves, golden beaches of fine sand and seabeds of incredible beauty- ideal for scuba-diving.

Sun, sand and sea, mountains, natural

parks, culture, gastronomy…this great va-riety also stretches to one of the elementsthat has made both Andalusia and Spainfamous. We are referring to wine, a sectorthat also combines tourism with an en-dless variety of products that characterizeeach one of the Andalusian provinces.The wine tradition has been maintainedin the region to the point of forming an ex-tensive route where visitors can enjoy thebest wines while getting to know the landsin which they are cultivated. This routecould begin, of course, in the province ofCadiz, the perfect province to get to knowthe world famous production of sherry inJerez, and Manzanilla in Sanlucar de Ba-rrameda and include a collection of uni-que tourist attractions, among whichstand out the extensive vineyards, visits tohundred-year old wine cellars and many

monuments of great historic and artis-tic value and interest.

On the wine route «Conda-do de Huelva», full-bodied

Andalusian wines aremade. Just as interestingis the route that givesits name to the winesof Montilla-Moriles inCordoba, land thathallmarks its wines

with continental aro-mas that, over the years,

have become one of thebest ambassadors of Anda-

lusia. Malaga also possesses anoffer difficult to turn down. Here

wines are elaborated in two differentways. On the one hand, we have the coast,specializing in sweet wines, Moscatel andPedro Ximenez, and to the south-east ap-pear the mountains of Malaga, where redand white wines with a special identity arecultivated. Christmas in Andalusia is fullof colour and different traditions that tou-rists cannot experience in any other desti-nation. An important symbol of Christmasin this country is the «Belén»- or crib/nati-vity scene. The representations of thebirth of Jesus can be seen in city plazas, atthe entrance of people’s houses and instore-front windows. Visiting the nativityscenes has become a tradition for manyfamilies in Andalusia. Some of the mostnotable nativity scenes, full of detail, arethose of the Belen Association ‘La Rolda-na’ in Seville and another one in Jerez. InRute, Cordoba, a nativity scene is made ofmore than 800 kilos of chocolate. Themost unique nativities are performed byreal people. The most famous are those inBeas, Huelva; Fontanar-Poza Alcon, inJaen; Arcos de la Frontera in Cadiz; Archi-dona in Malaga and Almayate in Velez-Malaga, Malaga.

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WINTERAndalusiastays open

LaOpinión DE MÁLAGALaOpinión DE MÁLAGA LunES, 4 DE novIEMBRE DE 2013 11

he Andalusian gastronomyfaithfully reflects its history,being full of different aromas,tastes and colours. Being a

complex cuisine, the use of traditionalproducts makes it different and appea-ling. Fruits, vegetables, fish, pork andwild bull meat are used to prepare typicaldishes as gazpacho (cold Spanish toma-to-based raw vegetable soup), ajoblan-co (cold soup made of bread, crushed al-monds, garlic, among others) , migas(crumbs), salmorejo (tomato and breadsoup), the pescaíto frito (fried fish) or

bull-tail, among a vast variety of possibledishes. But the Andalusian cuisine can´tbe reduced to its tradition and populardishes. During the last years a new gene-ration of regional cooks has been rein-venting the most popular recipes, turningAndalusia into a reference of internatio-nal gastronomy. These young professio-nals´ work proves that Andalusian stovesare at the same level as the most presti-gious cuisines.

Dani García, Ángel León, Celia Jimé-nez y Kisko García are some of the namescompeting with the most prestigiouschefs internationally. Their working

technique is based on tradition and rea-ches into the heights of creative cuisine,combining traditional flavours with diffe-rent and innovative textures. The investi-gation of new formulas often results inastonishing recipes. This is the case ofDani García, talented apprentice of Mar-tín Berasategui and pioneer in using li-quid nitrogen in the kitchen. This techni-que can be used to obtain different textu-res when preparing food. Dani García,from the restaurant Calima in Marbella,has transformed textures and deoxidizedingredients in order to elaborate disheslike frozen olive oil ground rice, toasted

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GASTRONOMYA reference in haute cuisine

utical tourism is defined as ac-tive vacations in contact withthe water where one can expe-rience any type of recreational

and sports activities. Even though it isusually identified with leisure ports, it ismuch than that, extending to segmentssuch as fishing, sailing, surfing and crui-ses, among others. What is certain, leisureports do hold a lot of weight in the nauti-cal sector. Andalusia has a total of 42 wor-king leisure ports that offer 14,470 moo-ring points along the Atlantic and Medite-rranean sides of the Andalusian coast.Theprovince of Malaga has the most leisureports in all of Andalusia. The Malaguenancoast is planning to exceed its number ofembarkation points to over 10,300. Cu-rrently, there are 4,800 mooring points inits 11 leisure ports. By the same token, An-dalusia is the ideal destination to do anykind of water sport. Sports such as sailingand windsurfing in all of its variations,have converted the region into the idealplace for their enjoyment, thanks to thestrong winds on the coast. Also the richAndalusian sea bed is ideal for diving. Aswell, in many of its rivers it is possible toenjoy activities like canoeing and rowing,sports of increasing popularity.Cruise

tourism is one of the most increasing seg-ments in Andalusia, having tripled thenumber of passenger arrivals to the portsof the area in the last five years and rea-ching 1, 065,903 travellers in 2010 (35%more than in 2009), a 15% increase on the

national total. The evolution of cruise-ship passenger travel puts the port of Ma-laga as the fourth largest in Spain in thissector.

NNautical Tourism. Leisure and sport

bread and garlic; pickled lobster, raft to-mato pop corn with olive oil, cherry gaz-pacho, cottage cheese snow with ancho-vies; and bulls tail ravioli with cauliflo-wer and truffle.If there is any Spanishcook that can be called the «sea chef»,then it´s Ángel León.

The immense effort he puts into theconstant search for new ways of servingseafood can only be compared to his ta-lent in preparing dishes with a really ge-nuine flavour at Aponiente, his restau-rant in the port of Santa María (Cádiz)Kisko García carries out a constant workof stengthning his Cordovan culinary ro-ots, having become a reference amongthe renovators of the southerncuisine.Presently, he can be found in ElChoco, in the Cordovan area of Fuente-sana.Celia Jiménez was the first Andalu-sian woman earning a Michelin star. Shepresently works for the famous Cordo-van company Bodegas Campos directingits new project of Innovation and Gas-tronomy (Cocina I+G). Gastronomy (Co-cina I+G).

Landscapes with FlavourTo reinforce the local gastronomy evenmore, the Regional Tourist Board has cre-ated a gastronomic event called «Lands-capes with Flavour» an initiative based onfour themes with the most representativeproducts linked to the different Andalu-sian landscapes.

The four work groups are: Andalusia,mountain landscapes (products of themountains, meats and cold meats), Me-diterranean Andalusia (fruit and vegeta-ble produce, oils and derivatives), Anda-lusia, from the sea and the land (fish,shell-fish and derivatives, together withproducts of the interior) y Andalusia,land of wines (wines, liquors and deriva-tives).

The gastronomy is an industry that at-tracts 600,000 travellers to the regioneach year, according to the figures of theBoard, and approximately 10% of inter-national tourists that travel to Spain en-joy this type of activities.

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ndalusia has a great varietyof landscapes that permitone to enjoy an escape intothe interior at whatever time

of the year. Choosing any one of the nu-merous rural routes that the area offerscan be the best way to spend the holi-days. The charm of the local artesania,the gastronomy, the fiestas and tradi-tions of each one of its villages are othergreat attractions of rural Andalusiantourism. This has become of vital impor-tance to the combined tourist and eco-nomic activity. Andalusia is proud topossess such impressive lands and natu-ral spaces. It is a region of contrasts thatascends up to the snowy summit of Mul-hacen and descends to the desert lands-capes of Almeria. More than one hun-dred protected natural spaces that makeup eighteen percent of the total Andalu-sian territory puts Andalusia in the leadof Spanish communities defending theirenvironmental patrimony.

The territory of Andalusia conservesnatural gems unequaled in all the world.This is the case of the last great Europe-an wetland reserve Doñana and theonly lagoon, along with the French Ca-margue, where pink flamingos nest, inFuente de Piedra, being the biggest la-goon in Andalusia. The arid rocks of ElTorcal in Antequera contrast with thesource of life that rises from the peaks ofthe Sierra Nevada, that possesses thehighest mountain on the Iberian penin-sula. The Natural Park of the Sierra de laNieves is a natural paradise that has alsobeen declared a Biosphere Reserve,which includes a 3,000 hectare forest ofPinsapos, a species of fir trees that can-not be found in any other part of theworld, and that extends to the Grazale-

ma Natural Park and to Los Reales deSierra Bermeja.

Cazorla, Segura and las Villas is oneof the most fascinating spaces in all ofEurope. It is not only the greatest interms of size, but also for its flora, fauna,landscapes and villages. Its territory ta-kes up one fifth of the total surface ofthe province of Jaen. It was declared aBiosphere Reserve in 1983 and a SpecialProtected Zone five years later due to

birds native to the area. Also in the park,one can find 23 municipalities that be-long to the region of Cazorla, Segura,Quesada and Las Villas. There are un-countable landscapes to contemplatehere. Natural landscapes of olive andpine trees and mediterranean scrublanddotted with hamlets and farmhousesthat still conserve the flavour of ances-tral traditions. The biggest natural parkin Spain had as one of its most illus-

trious advocates and conservators thedoctor Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente. No-wadays, one of the most beautiful tou-ristic itineraries in the interior of thesemountains bears the name of the latenaturalist.

The Sierra Morena is protected by asuccession of natural parks and spacesfrom the Despeñaperros Gorge and theSierras de Andujar in Jaen, passingthrough the Sierras de Cardeña andMontoro, the mountains of Hornachue-los in Cordoba, up to the Sierra Norte ofSeville, the Sierra de Aracena, the Picosde Aroche, Sierra Pelada and Ribera delAserrador in the province of Huelva. Inthe south of Cordoba the Sierra Subbeti-ca is also protected, where one can findtypical villages of exceptional beauty,such as Cabra and Zuheros.

The major part of the Natural ParkDoñana is situated in the province ofHuelva. It possesses two clearly differentzones. On one side, the coastline strip,where one can find the dunes; and theother part, areas where one can find lar-ge forests. The Natural Park of Doñanahas as its objective to gain the possibleimpacts of the National Park of the samename, that counts on three zones: bea-ches and dunes, marshes and game pre-serves. One of its fundamental characte-ristics is that the marshes provide themost important wetland reserve insouth-western Europe, indispensiblestopping point for many migrant birdsand chosen nesting ground of a greatquantity of species.

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NATURETourism in the interior

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olf tourism has consolidateditself into being one of the tou-ristic products of major im-portance in Andalusia. With

more than 100 golf courses, the Andalu-sian community has the biggest concen-tration of these types of facilities in Spain,representing 28% of the national offer andholding 47,000 licenses. Every year, im-portant golf championships are held inAndalusia, from the Volvo Masters, whichcounts on the sponsorship of the Ministryof Tourism, Commerce and Sports untilthe year 2010, the Open of Andalusia, thatalso counts on the support of the regionaladministration, without forgetting otherprestigious events held in past years, likethe Ryder Cup.

Golf constitutes one of the biggest at-tractions in Andalusian sports

tourism, with a spectacular increase inrecent years, making it the second biggestsource of tourist income, after the 'sun,sand and sea' segment. Thissport is one of the most at-tractive sectors that An-dalusia counts onand one of the mostdemanded by Bri-tish tourists. TheUnited Kingdomprovides theprincipal sourceof travellers thatcome to this re-gion to play golf,in total 36%, fo-llowed by Ger-mans at 10%.

Within the Andalu-sian offer of golf courses,Málaga and Cadiz are thecities that have 72% of the golfcourses in the region, followed by Alme-ria and Huelva. The majority of the cour-ses add unique natural landscapes totheir impeccable specifically sporty de-sign, whether the course be next to thesea or found in the interior.

The use of valleys and streams, trans-formed into spectacular green carpetswith lakes and indigenous plants, hasbeen looked upon as a model by somespecialists in this field. This recognitionhas not been fortuitous, rather a productof a firm dedication to this sport, a dedi-cation that has counted on the supervi-sion of some of the most outstanding gol-fers in the world and the best designers ofthese types of facilities, in which many ex-pert urban planners have worked. Allhave contributed to combining sports fa-cilities with complementary infrastructu-res, to configure spaces that before hadno continuity, that now serve as an exam-ple in other areas that are currently ope-ning up to this sport and to all that itbrings with it.

The majority of the courses are of 18holes, but there are also courses with 9,27 and up to 36 holes, with designs owed

to well-known golfers of internationalprestige such as Gary Player, Dave Tho-mas, Severiano Ballesteros, José MaríaOlazábal and Piñero, among others. In2008, Andalusia was named the best golfdestination in Europe, recognition obtai-ned from the Golf Travel Market, an inter-national fair specializing in this sport.Thanks to this award, Andalusia leadsthis segment at the European level, com-parable only with a few other parts of theworld such as Great Britain and the Uni-ted States.

The unbeatable climate allows golf tobe played in all months of the year. Golfcourses are located in privileged areas,with beautiful landscapes and close tostunning beaches. Visitors have at theirdisposal golf courses spread out over 8provinces, offering various courses, whe-re beginners can enjoy the game as muchas amateurs or professionals. However,the biggest concentration of courses is onthe Costa del Sol, so it is not surprising

that it is also known as the Costadel Golf. Many of these

courses are located at lu-xury hotels that also

offer excellent facili-ties for an even bet-

ter stay. The servi-ces they offer arenumerous: dri-ving ranges, ma-terial rental, tea-chers, play areasfor children, res-

taurants, swim-ming pools, chan-

ging areas, etc., thatcomplete the offer of

the clubs.There is an increasing inte-

rest in this sport, in a sector with asustainable increase, with golf course de-signs that respect the environment anduse indigenous plants, like holm oak,cork oak, olive trees, palm trees, poplarsand other species. Andalusia will soonhave two golf courses categorized as 'oftourist interest', one in Cadiz and theother in Granada. Besides these two,which are in an advanced stage of deve-lopment, there are 8 more applications:three in Cadiz, and one in Granada, Sevi-lle, Malaga, Jaen and Cordoba. In order toget this touristic declaration, the courseswill have to meet special conditions interms of environmental quality and beespecially respectful to water resources,the environment and indigenous species.Specifically, this kind of golf course willbe required to have more than 18 holes,with dimensions of more than 70 hecta-res and 30 more for every additional nineholes.

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GOLF A big attractionin Andalusia

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he region boasts of a wide re-pertoire of fairs and festivalsthroughout its territory thatdisplay the art and traditions of

their people. Each fair, «romería» or «vela-dilla» is fed on elements such as art, music,colours or the desire to enjoy oneself and itmakes the occasion a unique and inesca-pable experience.

One of the best known «fiestas» is the Má-laga Fair, an event that attracts thousands ofpeople from all over the world each August.With different scenes and something foreveryone, the fair held in the city centreand that of the «Real», located at the Corti-jo de Torres offer concerts and music both du-ring the day and night during several days ina row. The city centre becomes a dance flo-or, with Larios street as its backbone, whereone can enjoy typical Spanish dance, aswell as other dance styles. The Malaga BullFair is also worth a mention, being the mostimportant of the Spanish Summer, and forwhich the bullring called «La Malagueta» isdecked out in all its finery to touch the soulof the spectator.

One of the most renowned fairs in the re-gion is the Seville Fair, a true explosion of fun24 hours a day and for which the Sevillianturns the stand into his own home to recei-ve family and friends. More than 1,200,000square meters where one can find an abun-dance of Sherry wine from Jerez or «Man-

zanilla» wine from Sanlúcar de Barrameda,accompanied by Spanish ham and the soundof a guitar.

One cannot appreciate the fullness of theApril Fair without bulls. The so-called «Maes-tranza», the main bullring, is an experienceof its own, because Seville is one of the Spa-nish cities that preserves this tradition most.

In the province of Cádiz, a visit to the Hor-se Fair in Jerez de la Frontera is a must, whe-re wine, flamenco and, of course, horses arethe main attraction of the most representa-tive event of the city. It is a week during whichthe «Real de la Feria» is filled with horsemen,glasses of wine, dances, colourful hair clipsand singing.

May in Cordoba is different. It coincideswith the festival called «Cruces y los Patios deCórdoba» (Crosses and Courtyard Festival),a unique one of a kind tradition based on theCordoban way of life, the houses with lands-caped inner courtyards and balconies whe-re the decorative elements are the flowers.

The «Cruces de Mayo» contest marks thestarting point for all the festivities that coin-cide this month, such as a very well knownfestivity in Granada where they celebrate the«Día de la Cruz» that starts with a largenumber of crosses displayed in the streets,squares, courtyards and establishments allover the city. Since its origins, the 3rd of Maymeans an explosion of popular imaginationto turn each corner of the city into a real workof art.

The «Romería del Rocío» is one of Huel-

va's biggest festivities, the largest pilgrimagein Spain that starts its path through millen-nial trails that run through the proximities ofthe Guadalquivir River. A mixture of feelings:joy, singing and party as opposed to tears,sighs, silences and promises.

Nobody sleeps on Sunday night; insteadthey visit the chapel to take the virgin, «LaBlanca Paloma» through a specific routeround the village. The moment of greatest fer-vour is the leap, when the people from Al-monte invade the shrine, jump over thefences and take the Virgin through the villa-ge. Another important Romería is that of the«Virgen de la Cabeza» in Jaén, the oldest inSpain and declared of Natural Tourist Inte-rest, which takes place on the last Sunday inApril in Andújar.

The province of Almería has an importanttradition and appeal to the tourist, which re-volves around the festivities of the Moors andChristians that are held in more than 30 vi-llages, such as Carboneras, Mojácar o Senés,amongst others. It is a festivity created to re-member The Reconquista, «Reconquest» ofthe Iberian Peninsula and commemorate theepic stories of the cultural and religious in-terchange between Arabs and Christians.

Holy Week If any tradition were to highlight the feelingthat surfaces in each and every province asthey become invaded by their own sensesis that of Holy Week. To breathe the subtlearoma that permeates the city, a mixture of

incense and orange blossom; to becomemoved with the heartfelt singing of the sa-cred songs, called «Saetas» or to hear thesilence of a respectful multitude, is all pos-sible in this tradition which embracesthousands of followers. The region dressesup again on Palm Sunday, trembles in thesilence of Good Friday and resurrects onthe following Sunday, covering the distan-ce between death and life. Andalusia istransformed each year when this greatweek comes round (between March andApril) to celebrate the «Passion» amongstthe popular fervour: the «madrugá» in Se-ville, The «Cautivo» in Málaga; to follow thetrail of the Christ of the Gypsies («Cristo delos Gitanos») in the hillsides of Sacromontein Granada; be a witness of the solemnityof Good Friday with the «Santo Encierro»in Huelva; to see the «El Abuelo» leavingthe chapel in Jaén; to feel the passion of thebrotherhoods of Cádiz; to go through thestreets of Córdoba amongst the silence, thesinging of the sacred songs («Saetas») orthe sound of the bells of the foreman; orhave the privilege of observing the en-counter of the brotherhoods of Almería.

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Andalusia's fairs and festivalsTradition and the Holy Week

he Villas Turísticas de Anda-lusia (Tourist Villas) offer vi-sitors a wealth of culture, ac-tive tourism, first class ac-

commodations and delicious cuisine,all surrounded by nature. It’s impossi-ble to resist these charming villas pro-viding a firsthand view of the persona-lity of Andalusia, reflected every step ofthe way in the different villas of the re-gion.

The Andalusian legacy comes to life inthe gardens, courtyards, and terraces ofthese villas, and through the local people.Farm houses and typical villas convertedinto houses or apartments give you thechance to enjoy all the things history hasleft behind over the centuries and whichare still intact today.

Moorish architecture is one of its pi-llars and is evidenced by the flat roofsand countless chimneys, and the slate,stone masonry and whitewashed faça-des, not to mention the decor, everylast detail of which has been cared for.These are features of every one of theVilla establishments, which combinerustic elements such as ceramics andclay in the common areas with hard-woods and classic furniture.

Only the most natural ingredientsare used at the tourist villas of the An-dalusia community to prepare cuisinesthat will satisfy even the most deman-ding palates. Ham, fried fish, gamestews, olive oil and the wines of Jerezand Córdoba are just some of the de-lights the Villas have to offer, and fi-lling up on this exquisite food anddrink is a reason in itself to come visit.

However, there are also a lot of otherreasons to visit these marvelous spots,like excursions through the Villas ofAndalusia and a number of other fabu-lous opportunities offered by this te-rrain. From recreational areas to he-alth and beauty facilities, these corners

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Villas Turisticas, sleep in the heart of the history of Andalusia

Situated in the Natural Park of Ca-zorla, Segura and Las Villas, the be-auty of its landscapes and its biolo-gical richness has led this spot to bedeclared a Biosphere Reserve, andhas made it one of the most populardestinations in all of Spain. Amongits lush forests and fauna includingdeer, wild boar and mountain goats,you will encounter an emblematicspace perfect for adventure sportssuch as ziplining, canyoning and raf-ting,as well as hiking, cycling andhorse riding trails where you can en-joy active tourism. The Villa, which isonly 200 meters from the town ofCazorla, takes up three streets andhas two squares and two viewpoints,giving it the appearance of a typicalsmall Andalusian village.

Villa de Cazorla (Jaén)

Located in the heart of the Alpuja-rra region of Granada and withinthe Poqueira gourge, enjoy magni-ficent views stretching as far asthe Mediterranean sea. Declared aHistoric-Artistic Site, its architec-ture is typical of Berber towns,with steep streets and steppedhouses covered by flat slate roofsadapted to the steep terrain.This spot offers endless alternati-ves including routes for off-roadvehicles, hiking and photographicsafaris allowing visitors to captu-re the landscapes of Pampaneiraand Capileira, Órgiva, Pitres orLanjarón, among others.

Villa de Bubión (Granada)

Set on grounds extending over50,000 square meters, the Villa deLáujar is located within Alpujarrain Almeria on the Southeast edge ofthe Sierra Nevada Natural Park.The complex comprises a main buil-ding and 31 villas in an area oflandscaped gardens and woodland.It is located at a height of 921 me-ters above sea level, and has a widevariety of indigenous fauna and flo-ra, such as golden eagles, mountaingoats and wild boars.Enjoy the eco-tourism facilities andhiking trails, and the La Ragua re-creational resort located just ashort distance away.

Villa de Láujar (Almería)

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In an environment dominated by ariver basin formed by the Salado andZagrilla streams and the Genilla Ri-ver, lies the town of Priego, a typicalAndalusian village. Its 52 indepen-dent villas are distributed in streets,squares, fountains and whitewashedwalls that offer the typical aesthe-tics of this region, dotted with watercanals and gardens. The complex iscomprised of a main building whichhouses the reception, restaurant,bar and meeting rooms. The site is embraced by an impor-tant geological mountain range withdeep valleys, steep summits andpractically vertical cliffs, arrangedirregularly forming a landscape withtypical flora and fauna of these be-autiful contrasting landscapes.

Villa de Priego (Córdoba)

The Villa de Grazalema is locatedon the edge of the village of Graza-lema in the province of Cádiz, nes-tled in the natural park of thesame name. It has a total of 24 ro-oms and 38 villas, as well as largegardens, pool area and parking.An establishment with capacityfor 175 travellers, which combinesa main building with various villasdistributed in three streets.The Mountain Range of Cádiz has agreat archaeological heritagewhich gives rise to the "Ruta delos Pueblos Blancos", a route thattakes you to the heart of the Gra-zalema National Park, declared asa Biosphere Reserve, and boastsof one of the most spectacularlandscapes of the region.

Villa de Grazalema (Cádiz)

offer something for everyone, andeven those who have to mix businessand pleasure, with salons equippedfor meetings, work spaces and cele-brations.

Permanent contact with nature is oneof the Villas' main attractions, makingeach visit an unforgettable experience,where you can relax and rest while en-joying high quality service and facilities.

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