Expect traffic as Costa migration begins

THE annual migration of North African nationals from their places of work in Europe to their respective home countries is under way, with the Costa’s ports preparing for the influx of more than 2.5 million people and 600,000 vehicles between now and mid-September, in what is widely considered to be the largest movement of people in Europe.

Malaga and other ports gave the green light to ‘Operation Cross the Strait’ on Wednesday, June 15, although the majority of movement is expected to occur after July 6, which marks the end of Ramadan.

In 2015 the city’s Port Authority registered a significant increase in passengers due to a new high-speed catamaran service and an overall improvement in services between the provincial capital and Malaga, although the province’s motorways are once again expected to be chock-a-block, with many travellers preferring to drive further south and catch a ferry from Algeciras or Tarifa.

For this reason, the Junta de Andalucia regional government is advising residents to avoid long car journeys between Malaga and Cadiz provinces from July 23 – July 25, July 29 – August 2, and August 25 – August 28, since these dates are expected to see the greatest impact on the province’s traffic.