Malaga begins its journey towards Expo 2027
The capital of the Costa del Sol has long since ceased to be a mere beach destination. Its gigantic transformation has turned it into a city where technological innovation competes without complexes with Barcelona or Madrid, while at the same time offering an ever-increasing cultural and museum offer, zealous to safeguard and showcase its three-millennia-old history.
A first advance party of journalists and correspondents from the International Press Club, based in Madrid, visited the city to check Malaga's merits to be designated as host of the International Expo 2027. One year remains until the 170 member countries of the Bureau International d'Expositions (BIE) vote in Paris on the candidatures presented. A country's bid, which ours delayed until the last moment, before the government deposited the papers when the window was about to close.
And yes, the expedition members have been able to see and verify in situ such innovative initiatives as the Digital Content Hub, located in the buildings of the Automobile and Fashion Museum, where individuals and companies provide education and develop start-ups and events dedicated to 3D animation, virtual reality, video games, video production, graphic design and the entertainment sector.
Together with 42 Malaga, the intuitive computing school, twin of the 41 already installed in the five continents, and the Malaga TechPark (PTA), they make up a more than significant offer to showcase at this Specialised Expo 2027, under the generic title of "The Urban Era: Towards the Sustainable City".
As stated by its mayor, Francisco de la Torre, with a metropolitan population of one million inhabitants, a growth of 5.4% (2021) and established as a capital of economic and technological vanguard, Malaga has been recognised as the third city in Spain in terms of the best cultural offer in 2022. It had already been awarded in 2021 as the second European capital in Innovation, and in 2020 as the capital of Smart Tourism.
This environment, which is not unrelated to the good climate, led Forbes to include Malaga in its list of the 20 Best Places for Americans to live, work and invest in Europe. This was also corroborated by the Eurobarometer, which placed Malaga in the list of the 10 Best European Cities for Quality of Life.
As for the Malaga Tech Park, known as Malaga Valley, and more popularly as the Silicon Valley of Spain, it already houses 624 companies with more than 22,000 highly specialised workers, and has become, among others, the headquarters of the Centre of Excellence in cybersecurity of Google/Virus Total or CapGemini for cyber defence, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
Indeed, the cutting-edge technology being developed in Malaga does not overshadow the immense cultural offer that the city has to offer with its 36 museums, starting with the one dedicated to the work of Picasso, the Pompidou Centre or the one that houses the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, embedded in the streets of its historic centre. And, of course, Soho, Antonio Banderas' great commitment to the performing arts because the Costa Rican capital has a range of theatre, music and dance that allows you to see the best shows from Broadway, London or Madrid.
Of course, the resident or visitor to Malaga has a great opportunity to enjoy, savour and drink in history. Because, as far as its gastronomy is concerned, there are few indications needed, such is the enormous and famous offer of an emblematic city to show the fabulous strength of Andalusia.