Malaga’s official Tourist Board said on Thursday that the office located in Nerja continues to provide career guidance services and other services to the tourism sector of the Axarquía region.
This office was opened in the town of Nerja last year with the aim of providing services as requested by businessmen in the Axarquía, and to implement an online promotion service and a contact service for the tourism agency in the premises provided for free by the town of Nerja.
The Board Managing director, Arturo Bernal, said about the Nerja offices that the continue doing their job, focusing their effort more towards the professional sector rather than direct attention to the public at large.
He also pointed out that after having to restructure the Board, as a result of the agreement signed with the Association of Municipalities of Axarquía, Costa del Sol and the School of Industrial Organization, a Ministry of Tourism’s foundation, the functions that are being developed are “related to consulting and the logistic and technical support to businessmen and professionals in the tourism sector of the Nerja and Axarquia region, so that they can create and develop new products and services in a logical fashion, able to transform natural and cultural resources into tourism products, within the framework of sustainability.” Those involved include many from the hotel and hostel industry, taxi and minibus drivers and those involved in airport transfers in the Nerja and Axarquia areas.
“Their main objective is to enhance the image and brand of the Axarquía’s tourism industry. This business development is linked to the development of tourism products, transforming and converting the natural resources of the area”, Bernal said through a press statement. At the moment, the office staff is composed of a tourism executive promoter, trained by the Board, who offers professional attention to the businessmen of the area, and one member in charge of Information and Communication Technology.
“The office has to remain closed every now and then because of meetings with entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses. These meetings force the office employees to travel to their locations in the region,” said the Manager of the Board when he was faced with criticism from the Socialist party, PSOE about the office being closed at times during the month of August.
However, “the office will be open for business and professional consultation three days a week, from 9:30 AM to 2 PM during the month of August. In September, it will be open on weekdays”, said Bernal.
When he heard about the statement made by Francisco Conejo, spokesman for the Socialist Party of the County of Málaga, Bernal also emphasized that the office is not a tourist’s service office, since “this service is provided by the Office of Tourism of Nerja’s Town Hall, right next door. If it did, it would lend a double duty. That’s why our job is aimed towards tourism professionals, to help them improve their product”, he concluded.
