Hoteliers, restaurateurs, and institutions in the province are calling on the Government for more resources against mafias following the recent shootings in Mijas, Marbella, and the Muelle Uno in Málaga. Aehcos urges preventive action to protect the image of a safe destination.
The tourism sector in the province of Málaga has expressed its concern about the effect that the recent shootings may have on the image of the Costa del Sol as a safe destination. Hoteliers, restaurateurs, and institutions have agreed to demand more human and material resources from the Government against the mafias established along the coast, as reported by Diario Sur after consulting the main representatives of the sector.
The executive vice president of the Costa del Sol Hotel Entrepreneurs Association (Aehcos), Javier Hernández, pointed out that the cases recorded this year have been isolated and occurred in different locations, such as Mijas, Marbella, and Muelle Uno de Málaga, a place "well-known" for its location. "We ask for an effort against the settlement of mafias in the Costa del Sol, and that they remain alert to act preventively," he stated.
Hernández explained that these episodes are usually investigated as supposed settling of scores between groups established in the area and admitted that, although they do not occur regularly, they do repeat from time to time. "Gunshots in an open area, in a zone with a high density of visitors, concern us," he added.
The spokesperson for Aehcos emphasized that the employers' association maintains regular contact with security forces and that this summer there have been no significant incidents in hotels beyond thefts or situations arising from excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs. "I would like to project the image that we are a safe destination, except for isolated cases," he affirmed.
The president of the Málaga Hoteliers Association (Mahos), Javier Frutos, described the coincidence of the last two cases in the same week, the young man shot in Barcenillas and the incident at Muelle Uno, as a "coincidence." "Málaga is a city where we are not accustomed to these events," he said, and called for increased security in higher-risk areas. "These cases cannot be overlooked and must be investigated thoroughly to ensure they do not happen again."
The manager of Mahos, Víctor Berbel, considered these to be "very serious situations but we hope they are isolated, so that people can go out and consume peacefully." "We should not sugarcoat it: it is very serious to shoot someone at close range in a restaurant, but it does not describe the situation in Málaga at all," he stated.
The president of the Málaga Provincial Council and the public company Tourism and Planning Costa del Sol, Francisco Salado, urged the Ministry of the Interior and the Government to "take security and the escalation of crime seriously." In his opinion, the lack of resources in the National Police and the Civil Guard and the dismantling of units against drug trafficking and mafias in the Costa del Sol explain why this criminal pressure is not effectively combated. "This is not a subjective perception; the data is there," he assured.
The Association of Tourist Homes and Apartments (AVVAPRO) advocates for prevention and institutional coordination to preserve the image of a safe destination. Its president, Juan Cubo, warned that an isolated incident can have a temporary impact, "but when this type of event is repeated, we must pay special attention to the image of safety projected by destinations, in this case Málaga." "In the tourism sector, as important as real safety is the traveller's perception of safety," he emphasized, and recalled that there are international destinations that have paid a high price when violence has been associated with their image.
The national deputy of the PP for Málaga Mario Cortés has demanded accountability from the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, regarding the security situation in the Costa del Sol. Cortés denounced that the Interior Ministry dismantled the OCON-Sur unit in 2022 and that the PSOE voted against its reactivation in Parliament alongside Adelante and Por Andalucía. The deputy warned that Málaga is already the leading province in war weapon seizures by the National Police and the second, after Cádiz, in the case of the Civil Guard, and estimated a deficit of more than 1,200 officers in the province.
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