Destination attractiveness is a subjective concept that has raised discussions among academics and researchers within the field of tourism. Attractiveness has been studied from different approaches, and due to the importance of tourism in contemporary societies, it has also been studied within different disciplines of knowledge, without achieving an agreement on its definition, measure and creation. This thesis is an attempt to contribute to these discussions through the analysis of the case of Malaga, Spain, a city with a long and strong relation to tourism, but which for particular reasons and context, had to develop its tourism sector almost from the scratch over the course of recent decades, before becoming one of the most important urban cultural destinations in Spain.

This thesis will explore the factors that influenced the creation of Malaga’s attractiveness and the strategies that supported this evolution.