'Winter in Spain' promises to restore tourism

27 August 2008

'Winter in Spain' promises to restore tourism

For holidaymakers, Spain was the land of sand, sea and sun. Now that this formula is wearing off and faced with a dramatic decline in foreign visitors, Spain’s tourist authorities are taking drastic actions. In fact, the land of Costa del Sol is being re-branded as a chillier monthly destination, under the counter-intuitive, if somewhat uninventive slogan ‘Winter in Spain’.

New strategy details were not instantly available. "They are ideas, proposals at this early stage, work in progress", was all the spokesperson will say, promising more details after a brainstorming meeting at the end of September in Seville. "Then we'll be in a position to mount our international campaign for winter holidays in Spain".

Alarm bells begun ringing the previous month: total overseas tourist numbers declined 8% in July’s peak month against the same period the previous year. Italian, French and Swiss tourists, in particular, stayed away, with leading Spanish destinations of the Canary Islands, Catalonia, the Balearics and Andalusia hardest hit by the recession.

The government has vowed to give €500 million to renovate worn resort and hotels installations, but the outcome will not be felt till next year. Thus the ‘Winter in Spain’ wheeze. The slogan summons all types of imaginative ideas that may persuade out-of-season visitors: sun-drenched snow sports, blockbuster art shows, cultural visits to historic monuments and ancient cities, gastronomic tours on some of Europe's most spectacular wineries and finest eateries.