We already shared with you few months ago the exciting news that San Pedro Guide is now working in collaboration with Disfruta San Pedro and we are also being supported by the Tourism Department of the Mayor’s Office of San Pedro. Although we try to stay away from politics and propaganda, we thought it would be a great idea to introduce you to the person who is putting in a huge effort to make San Pedro a town that attracts even more tourists and also to provide to its residents with a great living environment.
Please meet Luis Cardo Jalón, Director General de Turismo. To let you get to know him better we made a few questions that hopefully explain what he does, what his role is and also what changes we should expect in San Pedro.
Q: What are your main areas of responsibility – i.e. your main tasks and goals?
A: My position is responsible for tourism and trade for San Pedro Alcántara and my main objective, for this year and the short period of time that I have been in office, has been to manage and develop a proposal to increase San Pedro Alcántara’s value as a destination in its own right.
Q: Could you tell us a little bit about your background and how you are bringing your Madrid experience to San Pedro?
A: I studied in Málaga and I have a degree in Economics and a Diploma in Business, with part of my training having been in Durham (UK) and Trento (Italy) through scholarships.
During most of my career, I was an Executive Manager/Director with Grupo Telefónica (Spanish multinational telecommunications company) and for more than 20 years I have worked in Spain, the United States, Central America and China.
At Telefónica I managed the development of several application solutions in the tourism sector, which is where I started various projects and became passionate about the sector. I then decided to carry out specific training in tourism with the IESE business school and started working as a technology and tourism consultant.
At the beginning of 2018 I had the idea of living on the Costa del Sol again, found out about a selection process for the Managing Director at the Marbella Town Hall…and here I am!
Q: A lot has been achieved in recent years, could you list some of the main things, such as cultural events, town improvements and other initiatives:
A: San Pedro has undertaken sanitation works, infrastructure improvements, pedestrianisation, the rehabilitation of emblematic buildings such as the La Alcoholera Performing Arts Centre…but let me focus more on what falls under my scope of responsibility.
Besides managing promotion, tourist liaison, licencing of markets, business association support and private initiatives etc., we have also undertaken some new projects.
We are working on the creation of our own brand, ‘Disfruta San Pedro’ (Enjoy San Pedro), under the umbrella of the Marbella brand. With this, under our new brand, we have been present at top level national and international events and fairs (Madrid, Berlin, London, Santander, etc).
We have hosted events to boost San Pedro’s town centre and especially including those from other areas, such as the World Padel Tour, Art Fest, Flamenco Heart, fashion catwalks, the town’s fair, Christmas concerts and a long list of other events. Another project was last year’s launch of a free tourist bus, which links the town centre with the beach and main hotels. We have also worked to optimise and rationalise the destination’s management: having restructured protocol and customer care at the tourist office and majorly focused on gathering and follow-up information in order to help us manage and track how we are evolving.
Q: San Pedro has come up a lot in recent years, largely thanks to projects such as the boulevard, and now there have been other improvements. Can you highlight any other projects and initiatives to be launched in the near future?
A: We are ready to release a specific guide of San Pedro Alcántara: ‘The Colony Route’ in Spanish and English. It is a guide that covers the development of the town through its colonial history. On one hand, we want to provide tourists with reference material that encourages them to discover the town and on the other it will be an informative tool so that residents and schoolchildren can find out about their origins.
Soon we will have elections and the resulting government must establish priorities for the district and, if appropriate, ratify the initiatives in progress. Among these, is the development of new local tourism information, such as a hiking guide, promotion as a tourist destination; the improvement of visitor experience; support for sustainable, accessible and inclusive tourism.
Digitisation should be a priority and we will continue with projects already underway based on technologies such as big data and the internet. An emblematic project will be the creation of a new, modern, technological and interactive tourist office that will be a trendsetter in the municipality and the entire Costa del sol.
Q: What would you say are the best things that San Pedro can offer visitors and local residents?
A: San Pedro Alcántara is an ideal place to get away or spend long periods of time. With a warm climate all year round, set between the sea and the mountains, it is the perfect location from which to visit the main attractions across the western Costa del Sol.
It is also an environment that is perfect for outdoor sports, embracing a wide gastronomic, entertainment and cultural offer.
But the differentiating factor in my opinion is that it retains its authenticity, tradition and closeness. It still preserves the Mediterranean town’s essence. With a stable population throughout the year, many of who have lived here for generations, San Pedro maintains its own special charm and character.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to mention?
A: I would just like to thank the San Pedro Guide and take advantage of this channel to reach out to your audience of English speaking residents and visitors. As part of the local administration, we must support initiatives such as yours that provide a benefit to the population as a whole and we are available to anyone who wants to become involved in tourism or commercial initiatives in the San Pedro area.