In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Mariano Paco Serrano, Minister of Culture and Sports of the Community of Madrid.
What kind of promotions are you doing in the US to promote the Community of Madrid?
Considering that our main tourist-issuing market is the United States, but also Latin America, we have already made this alliance with Iberia on three occasions. We have been to Colombia, to Mexico, and now we are here in Miami, USA, precisely to present what the destination Madrid, the Community of Madrid, is all about.
We are talking about 179 municipalities full of culture and heritage that make up our region, and we want to present them to all visitors, taking into account also that the country is already a very important issuing market.
We have had more than 1 million North American tourists this past year, of which almost 400,000 were from Miami, so this communication is already taking place, this bridge is already established. And now alliances like the one we are making now with Iberia, aim through eco-marketing and advertising actions to put the destination on the table, and for this number to continue to increase, because Madrid's offer also continues to increase and it can still accommodate many tourists from all over the world.
Outside of Miami, what are the main markets that require more promotion?
We were talking about the North American and Latin American part as well. We have a lot of visitors from French and English tourists and we are also very present in the Asian market. Iberia has mentioned it, a line with Doha has recently been opened, there has also been talk of an upcoming line with Tokyo, and the idea is that we can continue talking about the Community of Madrid destination, beyond America and Latin America, of course in Europe, but also in Asia, and that is where we are focusing.
But there is also a very important element in the cultural offer of Madrid and that is that we speak the same language. There are 600 million people and that is especially important. Our offer is based on culture and heritage, and the fundamental element of our heritage is precisely our word, that word that unites us and that is why the great communication efforts of our destination are focused both on North America and Latin America.