Por Redaccion 
The Holy Week of Vélez-Málaga has been distinguished with the "Q de Calidad Turística", a historic milestone that makes the town of Vélez-Málaga the first in the country to achieve this distinction for its Holy Week. This extraordinary news was announced yesterday by the Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality (ICTE). This prestigious recognition adds to the significance of our great event as a Tourist Interest of Andalusia since 2001, a centuries-old celebration deeply rooted in our municipality, combining history, devotion, and art.
The Vélez-Málaga City Council, driven by the Department of Presidency, and the departments of Culture and Tourism, in close collaboration with the Association of Brotherhoods of Vélez-Málaga, have revealed, on May 8, 2025, the Tourism Quality certification according to the requirements of the EU-EN ISO 9001:2015 standards and the ICTE Technical Specification, for the Holy Week of Vélez-Málaga. This evaluation, as emphasized by the mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, is the result of the efforts made by the staff of this City Council and the Association of Brotherhoods in the management, coordination, and tourist promotion of our Holy Week. The candidacy received technical advice from Q Innovate Consultores.
The Holy Week of Vélez-Málaga has written countless pages of our municipality’s history in golden letters, with unforgettable moments and experiences bestowed upon its faithful, devotees, and all the residents and visitors who have revered one of the most emblematic traditions of our city for decades. Every year, thousands of people gather on the streets of Vélez-Málaga to enjoy a liturgical event that adorns our corners like never before and shines as always, thanks to the immeasurable work of all the brotherhoods, associations, groups, and individuals who take part in the numerous events that bring life to the town.
"We are the first Town Hall at the state level to obtain this certification for its Holy Week," declared Lupiáñez, expressing his "absolute satisfaction" regarding the work done. In terms of the impact of this award on quality and tourism, "the Vélez-Málaga City Council will have more tools to promote tourism during the Holy Week, as well as to ensure the safety and proper management of the celebration, achieving the satisfaction of all citizens, tourists, and devotees of our Holy Week, in collaboration with the Brotherhoods Association of the municipality."
The mayor of Vélez-Málaga emphasized that the goal remains the same. "The objective is to continue with this pioneering project of implementation and certification in terms of quality and tourism quality of our great tradition, which has ensured the improvement of the quality level of the services offered, as well as to promote tourism during the Holy Week in our municipality." This has involved, especially, a thorough compliance with requirements related to heritage, safety, emergencies, and evacuation.
From this moment on, the Vélez-Málaga City Council will continue to undergo strict annual audits, ensuring the continuous improvement of its management system, compliance with all applicable legal requirements, and the commitment to enhancing the level of excellence and tourism quality of its Holy Week, contributing to the development of sustainable tourism in the municipality.
The president of the Association of Brotherhoods, Rafael Moreno, recalled that "such a positive news as this would not have been possible without the work done by the GECOR and all the security and emergency services that have worked every day, and, of course, without the work carried out by the 19 brotherhoods, of which I am very proud, as president of the Association and resident. What we are celebrating today is a tourist recognition of a manifestation of faith that the people of Vélez-Málaga carry out year after year and that is reflected in our streets," highlighted Moreno.
Councillor David Vilches valued "the relevance of this certification, which our Tourism councillor, who could not be present for personal reasons, especially celebrates due to its connection with numerous brotherhoods that parade in Vélez-Málaga. It is the first of its kind for a Town Hall in Spain and reflects the history, devotion, art… and all the work on different fronts that has been done during the Holy Week."
A Historic Journey
The Holy Week, in its 2025 edition, has taken an extraordinary step in terms of organization and security, with a magnificent organization by the Vélez-Málaga City Council, in collaboration with the Local Police, Civil Protection, operational services, and all the agents involved, to achieve excellence in incident control and event management that has marked a before and after in the celebration of Lent. These are some of the reasons that have led the Holy Week of Vélez-Málaga to be the pioneer in Spain to obtain the prestigious "Q de Calidad Turística" (UNE-ISO 9001 Standard), after successfully passing an external and independent audit that evaluated the management, coordination, and tourist promotion of this major event.
It is a historic milestone for our city and its Holy Week, an unprecedented recognition that places, by its own merits, these celebrations among the most outstanding and relevant in all of Spain. "It is a pride for the entire city and a consideration of the tireless work of brotherhoods, technicians, institutions, and residents, who make our Holy Week a unique celebration," emphasized the mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, who stressed "the feeling of joy and jubilation that such distinction provokes in me, which values more than ever the work done to exalt a celebration that is an essential part of the city’s image, and one of its greatest symbols wherever we go."
The local mayor wanted to emphasize, once again, "the extraordinary joint effort made by all sectors of the municipality to bring our tradition to this high level of recognition, a hard work that thousands of people carry out every year, and of which I am tremendously proud to participate in." Regarding the security and emergency plan organized through the GECOR during this last Holy Week, he again thanked "the impressive dedication of all those involved: Local Police, Civil Protection, Firefighters, operational services, cleaning staff, brotherhoods and associations, residents, visitors… each and every one of them has contributed their bit to ensure that our Holy Week occupies a privileged place with the award of this ‘Q de Calidad Turística’."
International Promotion
The certification obtained by the Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality (ICTE) for the Holy Week of Vélez-Málaga represents one of the highest ratings at the national level. This certification provides a reliable and prestigious distinction at the national and international level, which ultimately translates into the maximum dissemination of the event beyond our borders, focusing on values such as security, quality, and uniqueness.
The Holy Week of Vélez-Málaga has achieved a more international dimension than ever in 2025, with its streaming broadcast by the Vélez-Málaga City Council through a Youtube channel, surpassing 65,000 views worldwide and over 1,500,000 views of the posts and videos shared on social media. Nearly twenty countries from around the world accessed our content related to the Holy Week.
In conclusion, the mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, reiterated the "firm and determined commitment to continue promoting our Holy Week and each of our traditions, we continue to work to highlight each of them and project Vélez-Málaga to the world."