“Golf bestows us with prestige as a tourist destination”
Geographically bordering Marbella and Estepona, Benahavís can proudly boast – among many other things – to having the highest number of golf courses per capita of any municipality in Spain. This charming white village certainly doesn’t lack tourist attractions: apart from golf, it offers a stunningly picturesque mountain landscape, and a wide and varied range of restaurants.
Those fortunate to be living in Benahavís enjoy an exceptional experiences enjoy an ahavand a wide and varied range of of restaurants. . The local tax office is one of most prosperous on the Costa del Sol, providing residents with an enviable standard of living. The key to Benahavís’s solid financial state is a relatively scarce population (7,500 inhabitants) and considerable revenue collected by the town hall, highlighted by major contributions from the many prime urbanisations developed in the municipality… and, of course, golf.
The municipality is home to 10 golf courses: three at Villa Padierna Golf (Flamingos, Tramores and Alferini); two at the La Zagaleta urbanisation (La Zagaleta and Los Barrancos); one of the two at Atalaya Golf & Country Club (the New Course – the Old Course is located within Estepona municipality); and La Quinta, Los Arqueros, Marbella Club Golf Resort and El Higueral. In total, 180 holes for golf enthusiasts to enjoy. There is also another 18-hole course, Montemayor, which has been inactive for several years but could re-open in the short to medium term.
Presiding over this rare breed, a Spanish town hall with healthy finances (in fact, actually a surplus!), is a lawyer who loves motorcycles, follows a healthy lifestyle and plays golf. José Antonio Mena (from the Partido Popular – or Popular Party), now serving his third consecutive term as mayor, is well aware of the importance of golf for his municipality. “Benahavís owes a lot to golf,” he says. In addition to the aforementioned courses, located next to the township is a superb municipal golf academy equipped with magnificent amenities, where Benahavís youngsters receive complimentary classes.
It is not only the local children, however, who have the opportunity of learning and playing the sport for free: adults can also play at various courses without paying a cent. “There are some courses on municipal land where those born and resident in the municipality don’t have to pay, and this has led to significant growth in popularity for golf,” notes Mena. “Many years ago, when agreements were reached for the construction of golf courses, the remuneration comprised, on the one hand, a financial payment and, on the other, a social commitment in which Benahavís-born residents could play golf for free.”
Benahavís is not only the municipality with the third highest number of golf courses in Spain, after Marbella and Mijas, but also leads the way in courses per capita. What does that mean for the municipality?
It’s a matter of pride as well as responsibility, because we have to offer a quality product that meets the expectations of golfers who are then satisfied with their experience and want to visit us again. Fortunately, that is happening.
In addition to bestowing us with prestige as a tourist destination, golf also generates major economic benefits for the municipality, and keeps visitor numbers high throughout the year, especially from other European countries.
The fact that you play golf, does that give you a wider perspective than others of what it means in a tourist and economic sense?
It does help you understand golf tourists, and appreciate their concerns and their requirements and, at times, even take the initiative in certain aspects. Golfers are always very well attuned to the market and its trends. As mayor, I have the responsibility of maintaining a perspective that ensures supply meets demand and golf helps me in that respect because, by being involved in the game myself, I never lose sight of the various turns and changes in the market.
There’s a lot of competition, and you can’t let down your guard. It’s not just enough to have excellent golf amenities: you also have to let people know this – that’s essential.
What are the key pillars that sustain Benahavís’s tourist amenities?
Without a doubt, golf and all that surrounds the sport. Our hotels welcome thousands of golfers throughout the year, and the other “leg” of the local economy is gastronomy. It is well known internationally that Benahavís offers quality cuisine at good prices. The attraction of being a village, typical of inland Andalucía in spite of the proximity of the coast (just seven kilometres away), also helps the municipality attract tourists every year. Benahavís is the vertex of the “Golden Triangle” (Marbella, Benahavís, Estepona).
For several years now the municipality has also been home to the Benahavís Sabor a Málaga Academy (“Tastes of Málaga”), headquarters of the Hispano-Arab Mediterranean Diet Foundation. Top culinary and hotel professionals are training, and have trained, at the academy. Our town is very proud of the academy.
Also a matter of great pride was Michelle Obama’s choice of the municipality for her 2010 summer holidays at Hotel Villa Padierna. That was a fantastic visit for Benahavís, but also for the whole Costa del Sol.
Can you imagine your village without golf and the golfers who fill restaurants and hotels around the municipality?
You could not imagine my village without golf, but neither could you imagine it without the attraction of its restaurants, or the idiosyncratic identity of its people. As a typical village, with an Arabic past, it has been able to grow without being taken over by urban overcrowding trends.
Tourism in general, not only golf, seems to be one of the few sectors that is experiencing some growth in Spain. What do you believe needs to be done to attract more visitors to the Costa del Sol?
That depends on the objectives outlined in our tourist policies. Each era is different. Above all else, this sector is influenced by economic issues. Nevertheless, we always have to be aware of tourists’ needs and demands, what other destinations are offering, and any changes in the market in a strictly financial sense. We have to attract tourists from the emerging countries but we also have to do so by offering diversified, interesting and quality amenities.
With so many golf courses and resorts in your municipality, presumably you pay special attention to promoting that sector of the industry?
It is vital to provide complete institutional support to the local economic sector. The town hall promotes all sports activities, but especially golf.
As a golfer, what would you say is the standard of Benahavís’s golf amenities, in general terms?
As mayor, I’m obliged to reply that they are at the highest level. And as a golfer I am pleased to be able to confirm that this is the case. The level is high because we have good courses and they all operate throughout the year.
How did you first start playing golf?
Taking up golf is an intrinsic part of living in Benahavís. If you are born and live in this village you play golf. There is no other explanation.
What was the best shot of your life – in golf, of course?
I have to admit I’m not a great golfer, although I play regularly. I don’t tend to win many prizes. I remember a round at Valderrama, playing with Manolo Piñero, when I carded two pars and a birdie – on consecutive holes.
