THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 12 16 Issue No. 1979
8 - 14 June 2023
AXARQUIA - COSTA TROPICAL • EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
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Betty Henderson FRIGILIANA, one of Axarquia’s hidden gems, has found an unexpected admirer in the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The town’s traditional architecture and mesmerising vistas of the Mediterranean Sea earned it a position in the top five of a list of picturesque Spanish towns, com piled by an AI tool. The study completed on Saturday, June 3, used upandcoming AI tool ‘Chat GPT’ to make the list which placed fellow Andalucian town, Ronda in the first posi tion, thanks to its stunning location upon a gorge and iconic Plaza de Toros. Cadaques in Catalonia took second place, described as a picturesque fishing town, while Albarracin in Teruel came third with its charming mediaeval town and colourful houses. Frigiliana took fourth position in the ranking with the AI tool describing it as “a
Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Frigiliana
HEAD OVER HEELS Photogenic Artificial Intelligence has picked up on Frigiliana’s beauty.
charming village renowned for its tradi tional architecture of whitewashed hous es and winding cobbled streets.” It also admired the picturesque landscape, with colourful floweradorned houses, delight ful squares, and breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea. The AI also highlighted Frigiliana’s rich
history and culinary delights, with a par ticular mention of its famous wines and miel de caña, sugarcane honey, adding an extra layer of sweetness. Frigiliana, with its timeless beauty and incredible aesthetic appeal, continues to captivate both human admirers and now even the realm of Artificial Intelligence.
TOURISM is an important part of the economy of much of Axarquia so the easier that visitors find it to get to the area, the bet ter it is. Spanish holidaymakers can easily drive from as far afield as Cordoba, Sevilla, and Madrid in a matter of a few hours, but foreign visitors are most likely to fly into Malaga Airport, al though there is an option of Granada for internal flights. The good news for the hospitality industry is that according to an announce ment on Tuesday June 6 by the acting president of Costa del Sol Tourism and Planning, Francisco Salado, the number of seats on in ternational flights into Malaga this summer will increase by 17.3 per cent. Added to this is that there will be flights to
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FLYING VISITS Malaga Airport will be busy this summer.
more cities than ever with an increase of just over 3 per cent to 132. In total, 3,876,794 seats will be offered by 53 air lines, 8.2 per cent more than the same period of the previous year. Forecasts anticipate that the largest number of for eign tourists flying into Malaga Airport will be from the UK despite the
restrictions on length of stay imposed by the rules of Schengen, although the largest rise in passengers from any country is an im pressive 81.1 per cent from Poland, although Italy is doing well with a jump of 34.1 per cent. The busiest internation al airports are London (with its five airports, City, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton
and Stansted) followed by Paris and Dublin. Germany also looks to be increasing both the number of seats and air ports it operates out of and every European coun try that flies into Malaga is increasing the number of seats on offer. Let it not be forgotten that the popularity of a staycation rose dramati cally in the aftermath of Covid19, when it was im possible to fly internation ally and Spanish holiday makers are still happy to stay within the peninsula rather than travel abroad. The only real downside to Axarquia is that it does n’t have a strong railway infrastructure so those ar riving at Malaga can only take a train to VelezMala ga and then travel on wards by bus, taxi or hire car.
AS the summer season ap proaches, beach enthusiasts are on the lookout for the most stunning coastal re treats to visit. And in one list of ‘The Most Instagrammed Beaches in Europe’, com piled by Weloveholidays, Nerja made the top 20. Nestled in the heart of Axarquia, Nerja boasts an array of picturesque beach es that have captured the attention of avid Instagram mers and travel enthusiasts. The town ranked in the 11th position on the list, with an incredible 603,534 posts tagged in the location. Renowned for its breath taking coastal vistas and the iconic Balcón de Europa, Nerja emerged as a social media sensation in the list released onThursday, June 1. Its pristine sandy shores, azure blue waters, and rugged cliffs create the per fect backdrop for capturing those envyinducing holiday moments.
It’s no wonder that Nerja has become a mustsee des tination for photography enthusiasts worldwide. Its stunning cliffs, hidden caves, and breathtaking sunsets provide an endless array of pictureperfect mo ments. The list, created by online travel agent Weloveholi days, saw Positano beach in Italy take the crown as the most Instagrammed beach in Europe, with over 2.5 mil lion posts under the hash tag #Positano. Spain was similarly popu lar on the list with four en tries in the top 20 Insta grammed locations in Europe, most notably Sitges in Catalonia which came in third place with a staggering 1.5 million Instagram pho tos posted in the location. Nerja’s place on the list will guarantee its popularity with tourists seeking the perfect Instagram shot this summer.