The promotion of the historical heritage and the creation of tourist and cultural products are presented as key elements to enhance the old town of Marbella, in addition to promoting the promotion of the commercial and gastronomic offer of the area, mainly at a digital level.
The Hospital Real de la Misericordia hosted this Wednesday the presentation of a diagnostic study of the enclave prepared by the company Intueri, which is part of a strategic project that the City Council is developing to boost trade and reinforce the hallmarks of the historic center.
The director of the consulting company, María Segarra, has highlighted as one of the main lines of action the development of a “plan for revitalization and comprehensive management”
around communication and “operational marketing”, as well as highlighted the importance of “plan a calendar of activities during the low season and communicate it with time in the neighbourhoods” to attract the resident to the old town for its deseasonalization.
For her part, Monserrat Arnau, a consultant who has collaborated with Intueri, has pointed to the need to “create tourism product”, something that he has considered as “one of the points to be dealt with most urgently”. “There is no tourist and cultural product and it has to be created, and the City Council has to work because it is its own heritage”, she replied when asked how the study and opening of the Castle would promote the area.
In this way, he underlined the importance of “prioritize the cultural part because it is the greatest legacy we have in the old town”, to which it has added elements such as commerce or gastronomy to complete the area’s offer.
The document contains a analysis of weaknesses, threats, strengths and opportunitiesand part of a strategic approach with the development of strategies of a territorial or local nature, at the level of product, revitalization, tourism marketing and management.
About the old town fortresses, highlights the power of the Marbella brand and the need to associate the enclave with it, the weather, security, the unique space on a human scale, the churches and their Andalusian typology. Also, it stands out the urban centrality and the proximity services it providesthe accessible pedestrian zone or the friendliness and sympathy in dealing with the client.
Among the weaknesses, the document highlights the commercial offer of the historic center the limited existence of “indigenous and unique shops” or the scarcity of it for the resident, its standardization and the “banalization of the souvenir”, the “little differentiation of shop windows” or the high price of renting commercial premises. In addition, regarding the promotion points to “the little digital strategy” in the tourism field or the “lack of a unifying brand”, among others.
Regarding the threats, the text highlights the existence of “irregular business hours and little tourist-oriented”, “the perception of low quality products”, the density of empty commercial premises, the “exhibition of products and the excessive occupation of public roads” or the lack of parking. Added to this is “the abundant offer and other commercial alternatives”, “the specialized and unique proposals from other environments” such as Puerto Banús, the “promotion aimed at foreign tourists” or that “the communication of the activities arrives late”.
Among the opportunities, he highlights “the construction of new high-end hotels”, the recovery of historic buildings, cruise, conference or sports tourism; open the old town to the sea, promote the presence of differentiated designers or artisans and promote public-private collaboration, among other aspects.