Cristina Hodgson
THE Cueva del Tesoro, located in Rincón de la Victoria, has experienced a notable boom in visitor numbers during the first half of 2023.
According to the Councillor for Tourism, Antonio Jose Martin, the unique underwater cave has received a total of 35,824 visits in the first six months of the year, an increase of 31.5% compared to the same period last year.
“These figures reflect the growing attractiveness of the Cueva del Tesoro as a unique cultural and tourist destination in the region” said Francisco Salado, Mayor of Rincon de la Victoria.
Given that this Treasure Cave is the only underwater cave in Europe and one of the only three marine caves known in the world, the other two are in Asia and Central America, it is no wonder that visitor numbers are on the rise.
The month of June in particular stood out as the month with the highest volume of visits, with a total of 7,633 people entering the cave.
This figure represents a significant increase of 60% compared to the 4,755 visits recorded in June last year.
As for the profile of visitors, national tourists continue to be the top visitors, representing 81.6% of the total number of visits, with the British being the most numerous international tourists to visit, corresponding to 28% of the total visits, followed by German, French and Italian visitors.
Additionally, this unique cave of marine origin also contains prehistoric cave paintings.
Its geographical location and mineralogy show that it was formed in the Jurassic period (200m to 150m years ago), making it stand out both historically and geographically.
The cave’s name Cueva del Tesoro (Treasure Cave) comes from the myth that the cave holds long lost treasure from the Golden Age of piracy.
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