Golf has always been, and remains, the main international flag-bearer for the Costa del Sol’s diverse array of attractions away from the beach. Over the past two years, however, another major local tourism attraction has been gaining its own significant headlines around the world – appealing to visitors seeking a range of complementary activities to enhance their holiday by the sea (and on the fairways). The New York Times is the latest publication to add its authoritative voice to those lauding Málaga’s growing status as a hub of culture. “Málaga has long been a vacation spot for sun lovers in search of an affordable beach getaway,” reported the newspaper in August. “The metropolis… is part of the country’s tourist-heavy Costa del Sol and full of beachside resorts offering all-inclusive packages at wallet-friendly prices. “Today, the growing number of cultural attractions here may be more of a reason to come than the soft golden-sand beaches and sparkling Mediterranean. In the last decade, more than 20 museums have opened in the port city showcasing everything from paintings by art world heavy-hitters to rare automobiles. Many are concentrated in the historical centre, much of it entirely pedestrian and dating back to Phoenician times.” The Times noted that two of the most prominent institutions had arrived in March 2015 – the Centre Pompidou (first branch of the Paris museum outside of France) and the Collection of the Russian Museum St. Petersburg/Málaga (also a first venture outside of Russia for the State Russian Museum) – although “the tide started to turn” with the 2003 opening of the Museo Picasso Málaga. “Picasso was born in the city and lived there with his family for about a decade, and many of the museum’s more than 200 works were donated by his daughter-in-law and grandson Christine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso. “More museums over the next decade continued to follow Picasso’s. The Automobile Museum of Málaga… houses more than 90 rare vehicles from the 19th century to the present… Also in the historical centre and in a 16th-century building like the Museo Picasso’s is the Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga… home to more than 200 works of Spanish art.”