Mijas’ ‘burro taxi’ inventor honoured

JULIAN NUÑEZ ANDREU, the creator of Mijas’ well-known ‘burro taxi’ donkey rides, has been remembered and honoured by the council this week.
His widow Maria Peña received the Mijas Tourism Prize from Tourism councillor Santiago Martin to acknowledge his contribution to the village’s tourism industry.
“Julian Nuñez Andreu was a man who used his donkey to transport stones from the quarries in the mountains. In the 60s, with the decline of the quarries and the first tourists arriving in the area, Julian started giving visitors rides round the village on his donkey in exchange for a tip. That was how our donkey taxis began, and they are now one of the things Mijas is known for,” Martin explained.
Nuñez Andreu’s name joins those of Jose Navas, director of the La Cala Resort hotel, Mateo Perez, director of Mijas Golf, Felix Reyes, director of TRH Mijas Hotel and Manuel Molina, president of TSS Group, on the list of people honoured for their work for local tourism.
The prize itself is an ornament of the Inmaculada church by Jose Almiron, which marks them as contributors to Mijas’ status as one of the most important tourist destinations in southern Europe.
After receiving the ornament on behalf of her husband, Maria Peña thanked the council for the award and said it was a shame he had not lived to receive it himself as it would have pleased him very much.