Joshua Parfitt
THE Costa Blanca is launching a major advertising campaign to attract international tourists following the lifting of lockdown restrictions.
The adverts, placed on internet travel platforms and social media, will also target the large UK market to hammer home than Spain is open again for business.
Alicante’s provincial council has joined forces with the Valencian government and regionsl hotel association Hosbec to start an immediate push to boost visitor numbers over the peak season.
The Valencian Community, which is home to the Costa Blanca, welcomed just over 9.5 million foreign tourists last year, pumping €9.6 billion into the local economy.
The largest single group of international visitors to the region last year was from the UK.
Alicante provincial council has this week approved €363,000 of emergency funding to the new promotional campaign after its president, Carlos Mazon, described as an ‘exceptional and urgent situation’.
The main target will be to get at least 60% of the Costa Blanca’s hotels opening up by the end of September with a 70% occupancy rate.
Carlos Mazon said: “This is a crucial time where we have to act fast over the summer months to promote what the region has to offer.”
Though hotels will feature strongly, the campaign will also promote restaurants, shops, campsites, and inland attractions.
The three-pronged campaign will target local residents to persuade them to support the Costa Blanca hospitality industry.
Domestic tourism adverts will hit areas like Madrid, the Basque Country, and Asturias, and a push will be made into the lucrative foreign markets of the UK, France, Germany, and Portugal.
