Mijas Beach Bars See Golf Visitors as Key to Extending the Season

Mijas town hall has met the owners of the town’s beach bars to review the summer season and discuss how to keep trade going through autumn and winter, with golf tourism a central theme. According to a statement published on the council’s website, Tourism councillor Francisco Jerez held the meeting on 9 October at the Royal Beach chiringuito in Calahonda.

A chiringuito is the traditional Spanish beach bar-restaurant that lines much of the Costa del Sol coast. The Mijas group was represented by Carlos Morales, president of the Association of Chiringuiteros of Mijas.

A look back at summer

Morales told the councillor that domestic Spanish tourism had played an important role this summer, particularly in August. He added that the sector must keep adapting to changing demand and rising costs, and that each stretch of coastline has its own type of visitor.

Jerez said such meetings help the tourism department understand how individual businesses are performing and what sets each area apart. They also let it share the promotional campaigns planned for the coming months.

Golfers as a year-round opportunity

The discussion turned to golf visitors, a market the tourism department has been promoting internationally. Jerez said results from this kind of work are not immediate, but that business owners now report seeing more golfers. He noted that these visitors also bring custom to hotels, restaurants, taxis and other local services.

Morales said golf tourists tend to spend significantly and stay for several days. He said more of them begin arriving from September, and he described this as an interesting bet for Mijas.

Jerez said a key aim of municipal tourism promotion is to spread activity across the whole year. He recalled that hotels and beach bars used to close once winter arrived. Today, some stay open until the end of November, and a few are considering opening all winter.

Keeping in touch

Both sides stressed the value of regular, direct contact between the tourism department and industry professionals. Jerez said this allows the council to adapt its initiatives to each part of the municipality, while Morales welcomed the chance to pass on the sector’s concerns and proposals first-hand.

Source: www.mijas.es