Valencia seeks to attract Madrid market with special tourism campaign
For the first time, the smell of the sea, the Valencian orange trees or the typical wood-fired paella is transported with posters installed in the streets of the capital
Xàbia's Playa de la Barraca.
Friday 27th May 2022 – Mike Smith
Source: press release – GVA Turisme
Turisme Comunitat Valenciana has launch the first an advertising campaign in the streets of Madrid to promote the region as a tourist destination, highlighting the best sensations and smells that best identify the Comunidad Valenciana, such as the smell of the Mediterranean Sea, the Valencian orange trees, and the typical wood-fired paella. And Xàbia’s popular Playa de la Barraca-Portitxol appears on one of the posters, an image of a women enjoying paddle surfing in front the the iconic blue and white cottages of the beach area.
The campaign, part of the ‘Quien lo ha vivido lo sabe’ initiative (‘Those who have lived it know it’), includes sensory marketing which makes it perceptible by all people and thus promotes inclusive tourism, one of the commitments of the Comunidad Valenciana’s Strategic Tourism Plan 2020-2025.
With the objective of capturing the attention of the residents of Madrid through their senses, a total of ten advertising posters have been distributed throughout different locations in the capital, all of which include a system that allows odours to diffuse into the area around them. Thus, the idea is to encourage the those residents to make the trip to the Comunidad Valenciana through the olfactory sense which would trigger reminders of the charms of the three provinces, the smell of the sea, the smell of the orange groves, and the smell of the paella.
The Madrid market accounts for some 30% of national tourism to the Comunidad Valenciana, a priority market for tourism promotion. The regional tourism secretary, Francesc Colomer, explained that “after the pandemic, national tourism has become more important than ever” adding that his department “continues to work to encourage this market, helping to discover charming corners and historical places that surprise and make anyone fall in love“.
The campaign is part of a wider initiative by Turisme Comunitat Valenciana that is being carried out to maintain national tourism through actions in different media, including the popular ‘Masterchef’ TV programme that will help promote a number of tourist enclaves in the Comunidad Valenciana.
