The Nerja Museum which opened in December 2011 at a cost of over €5 million, has revealed that during its first year of operation, it only received 19,500 visitors. This is less than half the number of visitors the museum needs according to the official viability figures, of 40,000 visitors per annum.

When the museum was first being planned, during the boom years before the global financial crisis of 2008, 100,000 visitors a year were envisaged, compared to the 400,000 visitors a year that the Nerja Caves receives.

Angel Ruiz, the manager of the Nerja Caves who operate the museum said that “We are not completely happy with the visitor numbers, nor with the (museum’s) contents, but things have to be done slowly. We will not change content quickly. If from the beginning we do things wrong, we will not get anywhere. We are taking very firm steps, so that whatever is done will endure over time. ”

The museum tickets costs €4 for adults, €2 for children and is free on Sunday afternoons for visitors from the EU (bring identification). The museum itself has a number of interactive exhibits, a video about the history of the area and some artefacts from the caves. but clearly needs more if it is to attract visitors in sufficient numbers to justify its existence.

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