Miami, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/01/2010 -- Spain’s Secretary of State for Tourism, Mr. Joan Mesquida has introduced today the creative for the new international campaign; “I NEED SPAIN”. The campaign seeks to consolidate Spain’s leadership in leisure tourism, position Spain as a first tier destination for cultural tourism and diversify the country’s tourism demand, in terms of origin markets, tourist products and seasonality.

The campaign will be introduced to more than 40 countries, with a target audience of 400 million, compared with 100 million for the previous campaign “Smile, You’re in Spain”, which was launched in 2005.

Development of the campaign
Based on the results of the “Research on Spain’s Tourism Brand Positioning in International Markets” carried out by the Institute for Tourist Promotion of Spain (Tourspain), the campaign briefing was supervised by a external committee of experts from the Spanish companies with the most international marketing experience.

Twenty–one of the most relevant creative agencies in the world participated in the public bidding. The chosen proposal was the one made by McCann Erikson, around the concept “I NEED SPAIN”. The Miro sun, Spanish tourism logo for more than 25 years served as an inspiration to design the font of the claim.

One of the characteristics of this campaign is the fact that it includes pieces specifically designed to jointly promote destinations and products with different regions, cities, destinations’ associations and private companies.

The launching of the new campaign will begin with a rotation on the main international television networks (CNN, FOX, National Geographic, Eurosport). At the same time, an on-line campaign will be integrated in. Moreover, International events like the Soccer World Cup will be used to increment the media presence and have a greater reach and notoriety.

Promotion
The promotion of Spain as a tourist destination abroad has seen its budget increased more than 20% in the past two years. This has facilitated in 2009 alone, the ability to reach 259 agreements with Spanish regions, public and private enterprises, airlines, etc. which have added €25 million (approximately $34 million) to Tourspain’s promotional budget, elevating it to a total of €42 million (approximately $57 million).The Tourism Offices of Spain abroad have executed 3,173 promotional activities in 2009 alone, 3% more than the previous year. The Secretary of State for Tourism has organized or supported more than 2,200 journalists visiting Spain last year, which have resulted in more than 3,500 articles and programs about Spain, with an equivalent cost in advertising of €126.5 million (approximately $169 million).

Tourism relevance for Spain
During 2009, Spain received 52.2 million tourists, who spent more than €48 billion (about $65 billion). Spain is the country in the European Union with the highest total of hotel overnight stays, more than 251 million. The surplus in the tourism section of the balance of payments in 2009 covered 57.7% of the Spanish trade deficit, compared with 32% the previous year. Tourism in Spain represents close to 11% of the BSP, making it the largest industry in the country. The “I NEED SPAIN” campaign will continue to position Spain for success in the international tourism market.

NOTE: For visuals of the campaign or commercials spots, please contact: Howard R. Miller Communications 305-573-0882 or info@gohrmc.com