MALAGA — Travel marketing experts from more than a dozen countries around the world took part in the recent Malaga Costa del Sol Marketing Summit in Malaga, Spain, with an aim to discuss marketing issues, trends and techniques with some of the most innovative brands shaping the future of travel marketing.

Hosted by the Travel Consul, Costa del Sol Malaga and Diputacion de Malaga, the summit was attended by Travel Consul experts from 16 countries including Canada, marketing representatives from the Costa del Sol Malaga and other tourist bureaus, tour operators and marketing experts representing countries all over the world, from Peru, Iceland, Australia and France to Netherlands, Spain, Russia, China, India and Canada.

The TravelConsul.com is an international travel marketing alliance consisting of advertising, brand strategy, PR, digital media and marketing firms operating in over 16 different countries. Travel Consul admits only one member from each country and all members must be focused and specialize in the tourism and travel industry.

RadonicRodgers Strategy+ Travel and Tourism Marketing is the Canadian member of the Travel Consul and Edward Radonic, Managing Director, represented RadonicRodgers Strategy+ at the summit. Radonic said its access to the expertise and knowledge of the other Travel Consul members allows RadonicRodgers Strategy+ to build on its expertise and offer superior consultative services to its Canadian clients.

The summit included various panel discussions covering such topics as Leveraging Data in Travel and Tourism, Responsible Destination Marketing and Sustainability, The Shifting Profile of Leisure Travellers and Booking Behaviours and Reaching the Luxury Market and Shopping Traveller.

Travelweek took part in the Spain trip and found that Malaga – long considered the gateway to the Costa del Sol – has become a destination in its own right. Its modern airport and updated train station make it easily accessible by high speed trains and by air. And with the Mediterranean coast on its southern boundary and surrounded by hills, Malaga boasts a micro climate with winter temperatures averaging around 20 degrees Celsius and sunshine 325 days a year.

Here are some of Malaga’s top attractions and activities:

• Like many areas bordering the Mediterranean, Malaga has its own Roman ruins including a Roman theatre, providing the centerpiece for a leisurely tour of the town centre where other highlights include Malaga Cathedral, the sprawling 11th century fortification Alcazaba and the nearby beach, featuring a long beach-side promenade and beach bars serving tapas unique to Malaga.
• The birthplace of Pablo Picasso, Malaga hosts the Picasso Museum located near the Plaza de la Merced. The museum displays many of Picasso’s earlier works depicting local life in the region and boasts some 285 works donated by members of Picasso’s family.
• Among the other 30 or so museums in Malaga is the must-see Carmen Thyssen Museum, also in the city centre. Its main focus is on 19th century Spanish and particularly Andalucian painting.
• Food lovers can take the ‘Taste of Malaga Tapas Tour’ offered by Spain Food Sherpas, a locally-owned and operated company. Tours start around lunch time at the local central market (an experience in itself), where you sample several varieties of tapas and sip some of the local wines in one of the market’s food stalls, sample some Spanish olives at another food stall and chat with the local merchants. You then move on to a local bar and sample different grades of Iberian hams (Jamon Serrano), then to a restaurant serving modernized versions of traditional tapas and finally to a wine bar to sample more local wines. Lasting about four hours, the tour becomes the most pleasant extended lunch. For more information see spainfoodsherpas.com.
• El Caminito del Rey (‘The King’s Little Pathway’) is located just over an hour outside Malaga and can be reached by either train or car. It provides a great opportunity to escape to the countryside and experience some adventure. A path cut out of the steep walls of a gorge in El Chorro, it was known for many years as the most dangerous walkway in the world, originally built in 1901 and rising 330 metres on a sheer cliff above the river flowing through the gorge. After it was closed and rebuilt, the walkway was re-opened in 2015 for public use. The gorge is part of a larger nature reserve in one of the most picturesque areas of the Malaga mountains. For more information go to caminitodelrey.info.
• Nearby is the town of Ronda, the home of bullfighting in Spain featuring an original bullfighting ring and other artifacts relating to bullfighting for those who are interested. For others the city epitomizes rural life in the region.

For more information about Malaga and its surrounding region go to visitacostadelsol.com.