Date Published: 04/05/2021
ARCHIVED - Work begins on Malaga megayacht marina in move towards luxury tourism
ARCHIVED ARTICLE Works to create a megayacht marina in Malaga are under way in an €11-million project to promote the city as a luxury tourism destination and boost the local economy with income and jobs from the lucrative boat industry.
Málaga is pushing to create increased business opportunities linked to the marine sector, using its privileged position on the vast 1100 kilometre long Andalucían coastline and reputation as a port associated with high-end retail spend.
As part of the push towards luxury tourism, and the development of the marine business in the city ( known as the blue economy) the Port Authority is undertaking a major construction project within the Plan Especial del Puerto de Málaga, creating not only a dedicated dock area for luxury yachts, but also a sporting port dock capable of holding between 500 and 600 vessels at any given time, complete with nautical services, sailing school, restaurants, leisure zone and social facilities.
The first works to create two breakwaters required for the marina have now begun after Malaga’s Urban Planning Management approved a licence for the plans several days ago.
The proposed megayacht marina is capable of housing 31 boats of up to 180 metres and offers electricity, water, and Wi-Fi. A glass building in front of the dock will also be refurbished to provide a high-end restaurant area and other services.
The works, which are part of a plan to set Malaga out as a luxury destination for tourists and attract wealthy boat owners, join other projects including the opening of luxury hotel La Torre in Malaga Port in a bid to boost the port area.
The new marina is expected to generate €100 million for the local economy and create 800 jobs.
The president of Marina Malaga, Jose Luis Almazan, spoke about its importance to Malaga’s luxury tourism industry.
He said: “A megayacht leaves a shipyard every month, and until now they were looked after in London, Italy and New York. From today Malaga enters that distinguished club.”
The works are expected to take around 250 days and once complete, the marina will be managed by Ocean Capital Partners (OCP) and international company Island Global Yachting (IGY).
The Andalusian Maritime-Marine Cluster (CMMA) is a body which has been created to look after the interests of those working in this sector and has published a report highlighting the economic importance of the different businesses related to Malaga’s coastline, which are contributing more than 2 per cent of regional GDP; of this 1.8 per cent relates to industrial activity at Malaga Port.
Javier Noriega, head of the Andalusian Marine Maritime Cluster, said that the sector offers further opportunity for growth and economic development: “Malaga needs to talk about a blue economy development model, because in ten years turnover can be doubled. It is a strategic sector.”
The CMMA has been participating in a project known as the WestMed Initiative in Spain, a European project that has been created to help public institutions, academia, SMEs, entrepreneurs and local communities in the Western Mediterranean to jointly develop maritime projects, with the stated aim of maximising "The Blue Economy Opportunities in Andalusia," creating employment and opportunity for marine-driven entrepreneurs.