“Golf represents one of the bases of the economy of Benahavís”.
Benahavís can legitimately boast of being the Spanish municipality with the most golf courses per inhabitant. With a population of less than 6,000 people, this Costa del Sol town has eleven courses plus a splendid municipal golf school.
To help promote this sector, which generates a lot of employment in the town, the Town Hall has just published a luxurious trilingual golf guide (Spanish, English and Russian) that also includes tourist information about Benahavís and its accommodation and restaurant offer. María José Guerrero, Councilor for Tourism, talks about the importance of golf in Benahavís.
-What does this sport represent for the locality in terms of tourism?
-Golf, above all, is the gateway for most of the tourists who visit Benahavís. Through our golf courses we are known internationally and from many countries players, professionals and amateurs, come to our golf courses. It represents, without a doubt, one of the bases of our economy.
-When was the Benahavís Golf School created and what advantages do the residents of this town have when using these sports facilities?
-The Golf School has been in operation for more than four years, and it was conceived precisely because in view of the call effect of golf to the Costa del Sol, and more specifically to Benahavís, the Town Hall had to do everything possible to promote this sport. It was a necessity, and the best way to promote golf, one of the pillars of our economy. The citizens of Benahavís have free access to the golf lessons organized by the Town Hall. I could argue several reasons, but the main one, as in other aspects, is that the Government Team has to offer all kinds of services to the citizens. This is an important service because thanks to golf, we also live, so it was essential to facilitate access to classes. The formula for success is that they are free for our citizens. With this, we guarantee that anyone who wants to can learn and, if luck smiles on us, maybe in a few years we will have a figure in the most important international tournaments. At the moment, some of our students are already making a name for themselves.
-Another of Benahavís’ tourist attractions is its scenic beauty. What places would you highlight in this regard?
-Benahavís is practically a green space in all its extension. It is a real natural treasure that offers visitors many possibilities to practice activities other than golf and in the middle of nature. It is advisable to observe the area known as Las Angosturas on the side of the access road to Benahavís, to know the Charca de las Mozas, a hole in the Guadalmina River which is located in the Angosturas and is visited by thousands of people every summer to bathe, as well as one of the most photographed spots throughout the year. We also have the Guadaiza and Guadalmansa Rivers that bring scenic beauty to our surroundings. You can enjoy different trails for those who want to walk among nature, or canyoning and downhill for the more daring and risky.
-Benahavís is known as the Dining Room of the Costa del Sol for its large number of restaurants and its varied gastronomic offer. What does this mean for the town?
-Gastronomy is the other part of the economic support of Benahavís. Those who know Benahavís come back and do it continuously to enjoy any of the restaurants in the municipality. The menus are every day more varied and very select because the clients demand quality and variety. Most of the restaurants in Benahavís have gone from offering traditional dishes of the area to improve their menus and expand them to cover more tastes. All this without losing our essence. We are just a few minutes from the coast and we are fortunate to be able to offer quality raw materials, both from the sea and from the land.
-Your City Council has the reputation of being one of the most economically sound in Spain. How is this “miracle” achieved?
-To have money, first you have to raise it, and then you have to ration it. There are no tricks. You have to invest in the people and you have to do it wisely. We have had many years of prosperity and we have saved for the bad times. Today, like ants, we find that our “pantries” are supplied thanks to this philosophy of economic management. There is no more mystery or miracle than saving.
-What kind of activities does your Department carry out to promote tourism in the municipality?
-The Department of Tourism and Promotion, as its name suggests, is everywhere. Tourism is very sensitive to the economic situation and also, sometimes, capricious, so the promotion of the municipality is continuous and very broad, in terms of promotion channels.
From the City Council sponsors some athletes, both golf and other disciplines, because they are moving around Spain and Europe and we are interested that our brand and our name appears where there is a potential tourist and future visitor to our town. We also make campaigns on radio and television, selecting specific programs related to tourism or sports. We are present in the most important tourist fairs in Spain and Europe and we do not miss an opportunity that could mean that the name of Benahavís is in the foreground. But, like everything else, it is a job that is not done in one day but it is done little by little.
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