If in all of continental Europe there is one enclave that can guarantee the visitor nearly three thousand hours of sun per year and an average temperature of 18 degrees centigrade it is the Costa del Sol. That name (Sun Coast) was well-chosen for its extraordinarily benign, predominantly Mediterranean climate.

This is one of the main drawing cards available to the province of Málaga when inviting travellers to explore its 101municipalities at any time of the year and is also one of its greatest assets for avoiding the seasonal nature of tourist traffic, which has no place here.

The fact that at this destination Old King Sol shines more than three hundred days over the course of the year goes a long way toward making the Costa del Sol offer one whose enjoyment shouldn’t and can’t be restricted exclusively to the summer months, and the continuous diversification of an internationally renowned product capable of meeting the wants and needs of the most demanding tourist at whatever time he chooses to arrive, land or disembark in this region has also contributed to this reality. 

This circumstance has not gone unnoticed by tour operators, travel agencies, airlines, and other entities involved in promoting the vacation industry who, aware of the enormous potential of this enclave for its enviable climate, have worked together to also make the Costa del Sol a world standard for winter tourism. 

In fact, the number of slots (landing and takeoff permits) requested by airlines operating out of the Málaga airport between the months of October and March grows each year at an exponential rate, while some of the main shipping companies are choosing more and more to include the port of this province’s capital as a port of call on their cruise liners’ winter routes, mainly through the Mediterranean Sea.

Also contributing to the increase in air routes, flights, berths and accommodations is the determined commitment of tour operators and intermediary firms, as well as a greater inclination on the part of the final consumer to make a getaway to the Costa del Sol by taking advantage of the low season, when temperatures rarely drop below 14 degrees during the day. This has caused a good number of local firms to adapt, increase and improve their products and services with respect to the winter demand, whose incessant growth has also encouraged the exploration of novel niche markets.

In the province of Málaga, unlike in other destinations, practically all hotels whether coastal or interior remain open twelve months out of the year, which is the traveller’s best guarantee for finding a lodging that fits his requirements, be it winter, summer, autumn or spring. A number of these establishments even draw up specific programmes for their winter guests, with activities that seek to adapt to the interests and profiles of what are now called low season tourists.

Nor do apartments, tourist camps or rural houses hang out the “closed” sign in the months farthest removed from the summer season. Some of these kinds of lodging probably even record a greater volume of reservations and contracts during certain periods between October and March.