Por Redaccion 
Representatives from Q-Innovate Consultores have visited Vélez-Málaga this morning to deliver to the City Council this maximum tourist recognition, with which the Spanish Institute for Quality Tourism (ICTE) has distinguished the excellent work of coordination in security and emergencies during the celebration of one of our great traditions, a centennial event deeply rooted in our municipality, which combines history, devotion, and art.
To assess the impact of this high consideration, it is the first City Council in all of Spain to receive this certification for its Holy Week, thanks to the tireless work carried out by all security and emergency agents, technicians, brotherhoods, institutions, operational services, and citizens. This union has allowed the municipality to be placed in a privileged position at a national level, with the invaluable collaboration of the Brotherhood Association.
This high tourist distinction, symbolically delivered today, will provide new tools and resources for the consolidation and national and international projection of our Holy Week, which will result in the projection of Vélez-Málaga to the world.
As we announced approximately a month ago, our magnificent Holy Week has been distinguished with the «Q for Tourist Quality,» a historic milestone that makes the town of Vélez the first in the country to achieve this distinction for its Holy Week. The communication of this wonderful news by the Spanish Institute for Quality Tourism (ICTE) took place a few weeks ago, and today the act of delivering this high recognition has been carried out, adding to the list of distinctions of our Holy Week, already recognized as a Cultural Interest of Andalusia in 2001, granted to a centennial staging deeply rooted in our municipality, which combines history, devotion, and art.
The corresponding procedure for the achievement of this decisive praise has been driven by the Presidency Area and the Culture and Tourism delegations, in close collaboration with the Brotherhood Association of Vélez-Málaga. On May 8, 2025, the certification of Tourist Quality was confirmed according to the requirements of the reference standards UE-EN ISO 9001:2015 and the ICTE Technical Specification, for the Holy Week of Vélez-Málaga, an assessment that, as highlighted by the mayor of Vélez, Jesús Lupiáñez, is «the result of the efforts made by the staff of this City Council and the Brotherhood Association, in the management, coordination, and tourist promotion of our Holy Week.» The candidacy received technical advice from Q-Innovate Consultores, present today through Adrián Macías. Also present at the meeting were the first deputy mayor of Vélez-Málaga and councilor of Tourism, Jesús Pérez Atencia, and the general director of OCA GLOBAL, David Laos.
The Holy Week of Vélez-Málaga has written countless pages of gold in the history of our municipality, with unforgettable moments and experiences given to its faithful and devotees and to all the neighbors and visitors who have paid tribute to one of the most emblematic traditions of our city for decades. Every year, thousands of people gather in the streets of Vélez 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 countless events that bring life to the town.
«We are the first City Council at the state level to obtain this certification for our Holy Week,» Lupiáñez praised, visibly satisfied with the work carried out and coordinated among the multiple agents that make the full development of our Holy Week possible.
Regarding the impact of this award, in terms of quality and tourist quality, the mayor emphasized that «the City Council of Vélez-Málaga will have more tools and resources to promote tourism during Holy Week, as well as to guarantee 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 Brotherhood Association of the municipality.»
The highest authority of Vélez has emphasized that the line of action will continue to be «the one we have carried out all this time, the goal is to continue with this pioneering project of implementation and certification in terms of quality and tourist quality of our great tradition, which has guaranteed the improvement of the level of quality in the services offered, as well as to promote tourism during Holy Week in our municipality.» This has entailed, to a large extent, a thorough compliance with requirements in terms of heritage, security, emergencies, and evacuation.
From this moment on, the City Council of Vélez-Málaga 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 improving the level of excellence and tourist quality of its Holy Week, contributing to the development of sustainable tourism in the municipality.
The first deputy mayor of Vélez-Málaga and councilor of Tourism, Jesús Pérez Atencia, also spoke, stating that «this achievement is part of a strategic and constant line of work that we have been developing from the City Council to implement and reinforce certified quality criteria in different areas. First it was the turn of our beaches, then several municipal buildings, routes in the Axarquía, and now we have taken a step further, applying that same rigor and methodology to a fundamental pillar of our identity: our Holy Week.»
On behalf of the Brotherhood Association, Pablo Domínguez, the fiscal of the group, also spoke, recalling that «such a positive piece of news as this would not have been possible without the work carried out by the CECOP and all the security and emergency forces that have worked every day, and, of course, without the work carried out by the 19 brotherhoods, of which I am very proud and satisfied, as the fiscal of the Association and a resident. What we are receiving today is a tourist recognition of a manifestation of faith that the people of Vélez carry out year after year and that is reflected in our streets,» Domínguez emphasized.
A Historic Journey
This is a historic milestone for our city and its Holy Week, an unprecedented recognition that places, through its own merits, these celebrations among the most prominent and relevant in all of Spain. The security and emergency device organized, through the CECOP, during this last Holy Week, has highlighted «the impressive dedication of all those involved: Local Police, Civil Protection, Firefighters, operational services, cleaning staff, brotherhoods and associations, neighbors, visitors… each and every one of them has contributed their grain of sand so that our Holy Week occupies a place of privilege with the granting of this «Q for Tourist Quality,» as detailed by the mayor of Vélez. All this has led the Holy Week of Vélez-Málaga to be the pioneer in all of Spain to obtain the prestigious «Q for Tourist Quality» (UNE-ISO 9001 Standard), after successfully passing an external and independent audit, which evaluated the management, coordination, and tourist promotion of this grand event.
The certification granted by the Spanish Institute for Quality Tourism (ICTE) to 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.
FUENTE