ALORA – The Caminito del Rey in the province of Málaga has a lot of audio-visual potential. The new concessionaire, therefore, wants to take advantage of this. Consequently, they plan to make the famous gorge walk even more attractive for Instagrammers and other influencers.
The union of companies Sando, Salzillo Servicios Integrales and Mundo Management will take over the commercial operation and maintenance of the Caminito del Rey. Furthermore, once the contract is formalised, the plans of the winning provincial tender proposal will be analysed.
Ideal decor for influencers and Instagrammers
One of the details that the newspaper El Español already claims to know is that the new concessionaire wants to make the most of the audio-visual potential of the Caminito. Because of the attractiveness of the environment and the path through the spectacular gorge provides, it is an ideal backdrop for Instagrammers’ images and influencers.
The plan of the new concessionaire is to work with Andalucía Film Office to make the area a ‘natural set for sustainable filming’. The Andalucian Film Commission is a non-profit institution. It aims to promote the southern Spanish region as a film location and to support companies and professionals in the audio-visual industry in the logistics of their productions in Andalucia.
The film office offers up to twenty possible locations for audio-visual productions. These include the English Cemetery in Málaga, La Alcazaba, and the Botanical Garden in the same city. The white villages of Cómpeta and Frigiliana are also often chosen as locations by production companies. However, the Caminito still shines by its absence on this list.
The new concessionaires want to create signage of spaces for the so-called ‘Photocall Instagramer’. This will emphasise the attractiveness of certain points. It will also increase safety for those who come to record these points for social media.
Fam trips
To promote tourism to the Caminito del Rey and its surroundings, fam trips will also be organised. These are special trips bloggers, influencers, and travel agencies can participate in to entice them to publish about the location.
Travelling Exhibitions
The new owners of the Caminito also want to draw attention to the past of the location. To this end, old material will be recovered in collaboration with the municipalities of Ardales and Álora and Sevillana/Endesa to ‘carry out travelling exhibitions’. The Caminito was built to transport materials for the construction of the hydroelectric power station in El Chorro.
Other plans
In addition to a refurbishment for the Puente del Rey, named after the visit of King Alfonso XIII now a century ago, the Casa del Hoyo property in the Valle del Hoyo is also being restored. The presence of medieval Islamic and Castilian ceramics was once established there by archaeologists. They also want to refurbish the old train station for various purposes. These would include luggage storage, shuttle bus service, information, and tourist office, exhibition, and training spaces.
Visitor Centre
Anyone who has ever visited the Caminito del Rey has probably noticed a huge, empty car park. This is next to a modern building that has not been in use for years. Moreover, this would be the visitor centre. It was built for €1 million and paid for by the province of Málaga. Furthermore, Sando, Salzillo Servicios Integrales, and Mundo Management propose improvements related to this complex. They want an inclusive library space with reference material about the Caminito and its environment in different languages, and in Braille. In addition, illuminated display cases are to be built to display objects from the prehistoric cave of Ardales and original pieces from the Caminito. Furthermore, three more spaces are created about Malaga’s hydropower industry, the geological origins of El Chorro, and the first Neolithic settlement of 7,000 years ago. All with information panels and QR codes.
Concession contract
The concession contract that has already been formalised with this union of companies has a duration of five years. In return for their commercial exploitation, the companies undertake to pay an annual fee of €350,000 to the Provincial Council. They must also cover the maintenance costs of the largest tourist attraction in the province of Málaga.
