This 37-year-old lawyer, president of the Diputación Provincial de Málaga (provincial parliament), Patronato Provincial de Turismo (Costa del Sol tourism board) and Málaga provincial branch of the ruling Partido Popular party, has a very expansive vision of golf, no doubt helped by the fact he plays the game and for several years was the councillor with responsibility for sport and tourism at Málaga City Hall – two departments that fit together perfectly.

1 -Golf has a major role in the Costa del Sol’s tourism sector, especially during the winter months when golfers visit from other European countries. Do you believe that politicians, in general, are aware of golf’s relevance as a tourist resource?

–Completely. I don’t know of any politician, from any of the parties, or at least the majority groups, who doubt golf’s importance to the tourism sector. In fact, that is why the Costa del Sol is also known as the Costa del Golf, and its importance is clearly highlighted by the data we have access to: number of courses, quality of amenities, economic benefits generated. In addition, another benefit for the industry is that golf is a key element in the battle against the seasonal nature of tourism, as its high season coincides with the low season of traditional sun and beach tourism.

2 -The Patronato de Turismo over which you now preside has for the past few years carried out an intensive promotional campaign, both in Spain and overseas, to attract more golfers to Costa del Sol courses. Will this continue along the same lines or will there be new strategies?

–Of course. We are already continuing to promote golf at a national and international level. The objective, as always, is to attract more quality tourism – that is, those who spend more during their stay – and in this respect the profile of golf tourists is of huge interest to the Costa del Golf. To that end, in this year’s Action Plan we will retain the current initiatives that business people in the industry say they are satisfied with while also incorporating new initiatives, which we are currently working on, both in new markets and in strengthening the traditional ones.

3 -The volume of tourists visiting the Costa del Sol could reach record figures for 2011 (when the final data is released). Do you believe we are starting to see the end of the tunnel of the tourist crisis, or is this just a temporary digression due to instability in the Arab countries as a result of their popular uprisings?

–Without a doubt the final figures for the year are reaching significant levels, in comparison with the years before the current crisis, at least when it comes to number of tourists. The benefits are something else because production costs have increased considerably and revenue (i.e. the average amount spent by tourists during their stay) has fallen or remained the same. What concerns me more is that this situation could end up affecting the quality of services.

The Costa del Sol does not compete on prices: it competes in the quality league. As for the instability in Arab countries you refer to – and, as a result of these circumstances, international tourism operators believe it could last for several years more – I don’t believe it has benefited us as much as was predicted at the start of the year. At a national level, the increase is obvious, but it’s been focused on the Canary Isles and in areas where the “all-inclusive” model is well established.

It is other factors that have worked in our favour, and which should represent the basis of our new competitive strategy: improvement in transport communications, hotel quality, quality and professionalism of tourist services and transport, and a long etcetera which doesn’t need to be listed. And, above all else, two key factors that make us stand out: climate and hospitality.

4 -Two decades ago, an Arab businessman announced an initiative to build a major Disneyland-style amusement park near Marbella, although ultimately the project didn’t go ahead. Have you ever considered the possibility that, one day, something truly grand could be developed to attract a large number of new tourists to the costa del sol?

–At the time I was very young but, from what I have been able to learn since, there were good intentions but also an element of short-sightedness, especially on the part of the Junta de Andalucía (regional government)), which failed to value the importance of a project that could have been hugely beneficial to the Costa del Sol. Something similar happened when approval was granted for the casinos. In the end, Disneyland was built on the outskirts of Paris, which indisputably does not enjoy our climate or the number of visitors who would have made it a profitable business (at the moment it isn’t) for the investor and the whole community and tourism industry. As for those major projects you refer to, there is no shortage of ideas, but everyone realises the current situation is not the most ideal to undertake them. We have to start by giving due value to all the events currently being held throughout the Costa del Sol, events which provide enormous cultural wealth and help to promote our traditions.

5 -It is clear that we have to look after the traditional markets that provide tourists for the Costa del Sol (British, German, Nordic…) but is enough being done to attract visitors from other countries?

–A lot of hard work is being carried out in the traditional markets as well as the emerging ones and, just as important, in those which have, for one reason or another, “abandoned” the Costa del Sol. In that respect, we should focus on the gains we are once again making in the Nordic market, the Russian market, the French, Belgian and Italian, and especially the efforts we are making to boost the North American market

6 –In your opinion, does the private sector do enough to promote golf on the Costa del Sol?

–YI believe so, the same as I believe that, in tourism industry matters, the private and public sectors should work together. We have to avoid any dispersion of our efforts, and I believe there have been some excellent examples of public-private synergy In Málaga and the Costa del Sol’s recent history

7 -The Patronato sponsored the 2011 Spanish Women’s Open at La Quinta. Do you plan to continue sponsoring major professional golf tournaments?

The Patronato de Turismo de la Costa del Sol sponsored that tournament the past two years. It was a major commitment but I believe the promotional results for the Costa del Sol were more than satisfactory. Obviously, we will continue along these lines, combining promotional activities in the golf industry, marketing directly to potential clients, which has worked so well, with professional events and tournaments that have a major media impact in source markets.

8 -Are the Costa del Sol’s courses, in general, of sufficient quality for the area’s ongoing requirements?

- In general, undoubtedly yes, as demonstrated by the number of people who return year after year to play golf on the Costa del Sol. That is not to say that, as in other aspects, we cannot improve, and in that respect I would like to recognise and praise the efforts of the majority of clubs and accommodation establishments associated with this sector that are undertaking major investment programmes to cater to clients’ more demanding requirements.

9 -Assuming that you still find time to play, how is your game?

- To be honest I would like to have the time to play more, but you will appreciate that my new responsibilities mean I have priorities.

 

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