Bangkok--15 Oct--Image Impact
In its efforts to further penetrate Asia-Pacific countries, the National Tourist Office of Spain is embarking on a 4-nation roadshow to Thailand, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore during the month of October. The roadshow, led by Mr. Enrique Ruiz de Lera, Director for SE Asia, Australia, New Zealand and India, will also be attended by top executives from the Spanish NTO’s HQ, representatives from both the Barcelona and Madrid Convention Bureaus as well as from leading hotels, tours and ground services providers.
“We are looking to the Asia-Pacific region to sustain Spain’s future tourism growth as it is still relatively untapped. Although Spain had a total of 59.2 million tourists last year, the updated IATA figures for 2007 recorded only 255,260 arrivals from this region, 65,147 of which were from Thailand. So we see a definite potential to increase these figures significantly”, revealed Mr. Ruiz de Lera in Bangkok, where the roadshow made its debut today.
The roadshow aims to entice more Thai visitors to the country by showcasing the diversity that Spain has to offer its visitors through a series of events namely, the launch of its guide book in cooperation with the region’s prestigious Travel & Leisure magazine, a media briefing and a travel trade workshop, accumulating with a reception and Flamenco Show by the Rafael de Utrera Flamenco group, especially flown in from Spain. In Bangkok, the Spain NTO is also participating in the IT&CMA Trade Fair, which is being held at the CentralWorld Exhibition Center, during October 8 — 9, 2008.
Tourism remains a major economic sector for Spain. Last year, tourism accounted for 11% of the overall GDP, helping to reduce nearly 40% of trade deficit, and provides employment to 12% of the country’s working population. Ranked as the 2nd most popular destination in the world in 2007, Spain offers a wide range of activities and attractions that meets the varied lifestyles and demands of today’s travelers. Indeed, Spain last year showed its true colours by being ranked 3rd in the world’s MICE rankings, and listed as the world’s No. 1 country with the best nightlife by FutureBrand’s Country Brand Index study. It also has 3 restaurants listed in the S. Pellegrinno World’s 50 Best Restaurants with El Bulli being crowned the best restaurant in the world for the third consecutive year in 2008 and Mugaritz coming in at No. 4, followed by Arzak at No. 8.
In addition, Spain is regarded as a global sporting events destination, being the only country in the world to host two F1 races every year — one in Barcelona and the other in Valencia. The Spanish football league, “La Liga”, is also widely considered to be one of the most spectacular soccer competitions in the world, and has Europe’s best supported clubs in terms of fans: Barcelona comes top with 50.3 million, followed by Real Madrid with 45.9 million and Manchester United with 32.8 million.
“Spain is also improving its infrastructure to provide a more convenient and easier access for tourists to see more of Spain and experience its diverse attractions. The ‘La Costa del Sol’ route from Madrid to gorgeous Malaga was opened last December, reducing travel time from 3 hours 50 mins to only 2 and a half hours via daily high-speed AVE train services. In the same way since January this year, Madrid and Barcelona are now easily commutable with 17 daily AVE train services, and taking only a little over 2 and a half hours instead of nearly 4 hours previously. Yes, we are serious in our efforts in making our country more welcoming to visitors,” said Mr. Ruiz de Lera.
About the National Tourist Office of Spain
The National Tourist Office of Spain is responsible for promoting and marketing Spanish tourism abroad. The NTO of Spain in Singapore covers the Southeast Asian, Australian, New Zealand and Indian markets respectively. The NTO also organises events which help promote tourism to Spain in these markets, marketing all areas of tourism in Spain and also working with the Autonomous Regions, local entities and the private sector in achieving this aim.
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