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HIDDEN GEM
FRIGILIANA is no stranger to the global travel spotlight, but the town has once more made the coveted ‘Travel’ section of the international magazine, the National Geographic. In a recent feature for the travel magazine, published on Friday, June 23, the town was described as Mala ga’s “best kept secret”. With a Moorishinspired historic centre which repeatedly captivates the hearts of many travellers, it’s no wonder that Frigiliana continues to attract praise from prestigious pub lications like the National Geo graphic. The magazine highlights the town’s San Antonio church, with a bell tower that was previously a minaret in another nod to its his toric Moorish civilisation. National Geographic's fascination with Frigiliana extends beyond its historical sites, with the magazine also identifying its cuisine as unique, including dishes like ‘el choto’. The town has already been recog nised by the magazine several times this year, including earning a well deserved place among its list of AS of Saturday, July 1, a new parking system came into force in Almuñecar and La Herradura. New regulations have been in troduced along the towns’ coastal promenades with the aim of improving park ing infrastructure. The Blue Zone system aims to improve signage and upgraded parking payment machines. Pay ments can now be made through the ‘parkinglibre’ app or by using a bank card. The Blue Zone will re main active throughout the busiest period for the tourism industry, until Thursday, August 31. The system also restricts parking to three hours per day between 11am and
Tourist hot spot
FRIGILIANA: The town also has an incredibly vibrant culture.
Spain’s 100 most picturesque vil lages, back in January. The news spells good news for the town’s economy in the runup to
the summer period, with bookings to the town likely to increase as a result of the publicity in the Nation al Geographic.
Blue Zones Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Almunecar
The system affects various sites along the promenade.
3pm and again from 7pm until 10pm. Car parking users must display their
parking ticket on their ve hicle’s dashboard to avoid a fine.
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Under the new system, vehicle number plate in formation is now required when buying a ticket, in an effort to enforce the rules. The Blue Zone covers various sections along the beachfront promenade, including Puerta del Mar, Velilla, Playa del Tesorillo and the Paseo Maritimo Andrés Segovia in Al muñecar. If drivers require assis tance, the car park company can be contacted via email at info@iberpark.es.
ALMUÑECAR has earned a welldeserved spot among Spain’s most popular tourist destinations. According to a report re leased by Exceltur on Friday, June 30, the charming coastal town surpassed internation ally famed destinations in cluding Bilbao, Sitges, Santia go de Compostela, and Santander, securing a place in the top 100. The report highlights the town’s strong economic and social ties to tourism, ranking it 67th in the country, an im pressive fourth in Andalucia, and first in the Granada re gion. Exceltur, an alliance of leading Spanish tourism companies, created the re port to shed light on the local impact of tourism, including employment opportunities and the effects on the econo my. Almuñecar’s success is like ly due to the town’s large quantity of accommodation for tourists to stay in. In 2022,
Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Almuñécar
6 - 12 July 2023
Photo credit: Festival Frigiliana 3 Culturas
Issue No. 1983
The tourism industry is off to a good start thanks to several events.
the town boasted a total of 14,507 rooms in hotels and other forms of accommoda tion. This has a substantial im pact on the local economy, generating 2,180 jobs last year (also ranking 67th na tionally and 16th in Andalu cia). The report also highlighted the importance of tourism for the town’s economy, ac counting for 57.4 per cent of its overall income. This achievement places the town above other popu lar destinations including Marbella, Adeje, Lloret de Mar, and Tarifa.