Rural tourism gains prominence in the province of Málaga

Rural tourism is gaining prominence in the province of Málaga. The president of Turismo Costa del Sol, Francisco Salado, has presented the balance ... of inland tourism and highlighted that this sector is growing in travelers, revenue, employment, and profitability. He stated that "2025 was extraordinarily positive, with growth in all parameters but even more so in revenue, employment, and profitability. In inland tourism, the results are even better."

During the presentation, he detailed the data that this sector is currently generating, noting that the report estimates that 1,442,500 tourists stayed inland, a 3.9% increase from the previous year. These travelers generated spending that had an economic impact of 1.867 billion euros, which also represents an increase of 4.2%. The ever-growing tourist offer has led to a 5.5% increase in employment, up to 19,738 jobs. Salado also focused on the fact that according to the Costa del Sol Tourist Observatory, last year 25.2% of the tourists who arrived in the province visited the interior. "This means that we estimate that about 3.7 million travelers visited some of the municipalities in the interior of Málaga, on a trip of a few hours, that is, without staying overnight," he explained.

Salado boasted that travelers in rural accommodations account for 43% of all of Andalusia and highlighted that Málaga has consolidated its leadership in 2025: "we remain, by a large margin, as the Andalusian province with the greatest weight of inland tourism, receiving three out of every ten travelers who seek this segment in our community and registering more overnight stays than the rest of the seven provinces combined." In addition, he emphasized that the rural accommodation offer in the interior of the province represents 33.1% of that of the entire autonomous community. "It is greater than that of the interior of the provinces of Almería, Córdoba, Huelva, Jaén, and Sevilla combined," he specified.

In this regard, he advanced that Málaga has 70,266 tourist accommodation places inland, which represents an increase of 6.2%. And he detailed that, of the total volume of tourists staying in these Malagueño towns, it is estimated that 117,600 travelers did so in rural houses that have seen demand grow by 25.3% compared to 2024. A growth that has raised overnight stays to 951,000, that is, 26.2% more.

Salado pointed out the Serranía de Ronda, Valle del Guadalhorce, and Axarquía as the areas that concentrate more than 70% of the accommodation places. "The tourist offer in the province of Málaga is characterized by possessing unique resources, high visitor satisfaction, and excellent conservation of historical heritage. Sustainability, cultural authenticity, diversification of experiences, and digitalization are key trends in inland tourism," Salado stated before confirming that they will maintain a strong commitment to rural tourism. "We have been working for years to leverage the tourism potential of our coast and transfer it inland. And the numbers and objective data confirm the success of the joint work we are doing," he declared to highlight that "sustainability, cultural authenticity, diversification of experiences, and digitalization are key trends in inland tourism."

The president of Turismo Costa del Sol has outlined the actions that confirm this commitment, pointing to projects such as the Guadalhorce Green Corridor, the Gran Senda de Málaga, the Caminito del Rey, or the Puente del Saltillo. Salado also highlighted the joint strategy with the Rural Development Groups in the execution of an Action Plan to promote these projects for the generation of employment and wealth in the inland municipalities.

Salado also expressed his satisfaction with the outstanding rating that tourists give to their stays in the interior of the province. "The reasons, as you can see, to bet on the interior are unquestionable," he affirmed.