Lorraine Williamson
The Costa del Sol sells itself as effortless. Two hours and change from Madrid, straight into Málaga María Zambrano, and the weekend begins before you’ve finished your coffee. That convenience vanished on 18 January, when the Adamuz high-speed crash shut down a key corridor and left Málaga province without a direct rail link to the capital.
Now the province is putting a price tag on that break in the chain. An analysis commissioned by Turismo Costa del Sol and the Diputación de Málaga estimates the shutdown will cost the tourism sector €109 million between 19 January and 1 March.
The timing is painful. Winter is when the domestic market matters most in Málaga, and Madrid is one of the biggest feeders after Andalucía itself.
Not just lost hotel nights — a hole in the winter pipeline
The report’s headline figure isn’t money. It’s people.
Under normal conditions, the study says 140,599 passengers would have used the AVE to reach the Costa del Sol over the period analysed. Even after accounting for travellers switching to car or plane, mixing transport, or being local residents, the estimate is that 65,848 tourists simply won’t come.
Their missing spend is calculated at €71.8m in direct tourism expenditure, rising to €109m once indirect and induced effects are included.
The business travel factor that rarely shows up in glossy brochures
Francisco Salado, who heads both Turismo Costa del Sol and the provincial authority, argues the damage goes beyond tourism operators. Málaga’s tech and business ecosystem relies on quick intercity mobility, and he warns that the loss of a “direct and competitive” rail connection affects meetings, projects, and MICE travel too.
That matters because the Costa del Sol’s winter economy is increasingly blended: leisure trips, work trips, and the growing “work from anywhere” crowd that treats Málaga as a base rather than a destination.
Relief is close — but the scars are real
There is at least a turning point in sight.
Adif says repairs on the damaged infrastructure are complete and the high-speed traffic between Madrid and Andalucía is set to resume on Tuesday, after final checks and operator tests.
Even so, the province is pushing for extraordinary support measures to soften the impact, arguing that a prolonged break in connectivity damages confidence as well as revenue.
Why this story will not end when the first train runs
A reopened line will restore timetables. It won’t automatically restore a lost winter.
The question for Málaga is what happens next time infrastructure fails — because the region’s tourism model, and an increasing share of its wider economy, depends on being easy to reach. This episode is a reminder that “accessibility” is not a marketing slogan. It is the product.
Sources: Hosteltur, Cadena SER, El País