The New York Times once again names Malaga as a cultural hub

2016-08-24 09:00:00

The mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, wrote a message last week on Twitter celebrating the fact that The New York Times had written its third article about Malaga in seven months: “If they had told us 20 years ago, we would not have believed it," he said.
Shivani Vora of The New York Times wrote the piece in the travel section of the newspaper with the headline “A Cultural Hub Takes Form in Málaga”, focusing predominantly on the Centre Pompidou in Muelle Uno.
The article discusses how previously Malaga was seen as the capital of the Costa del Sol, referencing the beaches that provided tourism for the area. However, Vora writes that today, “the growing number of cultural attractions here may be more of a reason to come than the soft golden-sand beaches and sparkling Mediterranean.” Vora continues by stating that in the last decade, “more than 20 museums have opened in the port city showcasing everything from paintings by art world heavy-hitters to rare automobiles.”
Two of the most important sites were created in March 2015, explains Vora, with the arrival of the Centre Pompidou, the first branch of the Parisian museum that lies outside of France, and the Collection of the Russian Museum St. Petersburg, also the first of its kind outside of Russia.
This was “part of an ambitious plan driven by the local government to transform Málaga into a global center for the arts,” Vora concludes, noting that the city council spent over seven million euros to help set up these two museums. These museums have caused a “revolution” in Malaga’s tourism industry, according to Virginia Irurita, founder of the travel company ‘Made for Spain and Portugal’, who is quoted in the article as saying, “It’s become the place now where all the Spanish want to come and stay to see the museums.” source surinenglish