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THE Costa del Sol has lost out on over €100 million in tourist revenue as a result of the ongoing shutdown of the Madrid–According to local officials, the Malaga high-speed railway line is being built.
Two high-speed trains crashed in Adamuz in Cordoba on 18 January in Spain’s worst rail accident since 80 deaths in Santiago de Compostela, in 2013.
After the rear carriages of a Madrid bound Iryo train carrying more than 300 passengers flipped on to an adjacent track and collided into an oncoming Huelva-bound train, 46 people died and hundreds were injured.
The high-speed line has been closed ever since, but it may reopen this week.
According to a study conducted by Turismo Costa del Sol, and the provincial council of Malaga, the closure resulted in fewer than 65,000 tourists visiting the area.
The disruption is especially damaging during this time of the year when domestic tourism provides a steady stream of visitors into the province.
Based on official mobility data, and travel patterns that are standard, the study estimates that 66,000 trips, which would have normally taken place, will not take place.
READ MORE: Broken rail preliminarily confirmed as cause of Cordoba train disaster that killed 45 – after previous convoys ‘narrowly escaped’ disaster
Those missing visitors represent €71.8 million in direct tourist spending.
When indirect and induced effects on the wider tourism economy are included, the total impact reaches €109 million.
Francisco Salado, president of Turismo Costa del Sol and the Málaga Provincial Council, said the consequences stretch beyond hotels, bars and restaurants.
He pointed out that Málaga has a strong business and technology sector, with thousands of professionals regularly travelling to and from Madrid.
Read more: Costa del Sol Cercanias celebrates its 50th anniversary as coastal mayors raise concern over its future expansion and limitations
He said business travels, conferences, and short stays will also be affected by the lack of a fast, reliable rail line.
The line was first disrupted after the Adamuz accident near Córdoba and later compounded by a landslide in Álora, which also affected Cercanías services linking Málaga with the Guadalhorce area.
Salado is calling on the Spanish Government to provide extraordinary financial aid to help reduce the losses.
He said that the restoration of normal rail services as quickly as possible is crucial to protecting one Spain’s most important tourist economies.
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