The capital, Málaga, has a population of more than 560,000 inhabitants, making it the 6th-ranked Spanish capital in terms of numbers.
But being the capital of the Costa del Sol, its area of influence in the business sense extends widely throughout the Costa, reaching over 850,000 inhabitants who are no more than 40 minutes away by car.
To this local population figure must be added the more than three million tourists who visit the city of Málaga each year, with a love for shopping in one of the most distinctive areas of the city, namely the Port of Málaga.
It is worth pointing out the significance of cruise liner tourism because, by the end of 2008, the Port will have played host to almost 250 of such vessels, with their 325,000-plus travellers leaving the port to the sight of Muelle Uno Sea Shopping.
With the new Ferry Terminal, officially opened in 2008, it is forecast that over the next four years the number of cruise passengers will increase to around 500,000 annually.