Barcelona Presents the Campaign "Barcelona Kicks Off the Christmas Season" in Madrid to Promote the City As the Best Christmas Destination in Southern Europe

Barcelona, 23 November 2021.- This morning, Turisme de Barcelona and the train operator Renfe presented their new campaign "Barcelona kicks off the Christmas Season" at Atocha station in Madrid.

Publish Time: 2021-12-01 13:38:16
Source: Turisme de Barcelona

Barcelona, 23 November 2021.- This morning, Turisme de Barcelona and the train operator Renfe presented their new campaign "Barcelona kicks off the Christmas Season" at Atocha station in Madrid. The initiative seeks to promote Barcelona as the best Christmas destination in southern Europe. A communication campaign targeting the domestic and European markets that will draw attention to the city's retail, food and cultural attractions. Through music, design and a broad spectrum of activities, culture becomes the linking thread in a narrative that portrays Barcelona's creativity, which is reflected in the new Christmas lights.

The president of Renfe, Isaías Táboas, the councillor for Tourism and Creative Industries, Xavier Marcé, and the director of Turisme de Barcelona, Marian Muro, presented the different initiatives they will be carrying out to persuade people to visit Barcelona this Christmas.

Marian Muro said, "this is the first time we have presented a Christmas campaign in Madrid because we want to have an impact on visitors from well-established markets, such as Spain, and the main cities connected by the high-speed rail network, including Bilbao and Valencia... as well as more mature European markets, such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy and the Netherlands." She went on to add, "we must look after tourism from neighbouring markets and know how to cater to these visitors with a specific offer through the most appropriate channels and services."

For his part, the councillor for Tourism and Creative Industries, Xavier Marcé, highlighted the fact that "the new campaign focuses on the city's cultural attractions and joins the strategy of diversifying the content we offer people visiting the city and intensifying actions geared to visitors from neighbouring markets, particularly those who travel there on more sustainable means of transport."

The president of Renfe, Isaías Taboas, said the initiative showed Renfe's commitment to Barcelona and Catalonia, where almost half a million people are customers of the operator.

Visitor Profile

The new campaign is aimed at visitors aged between 25 and 65 who travel with a partner, with their family or solo and have a high-to- middle or high socio- economic status. They are interested in the culture and love  Barcelona's traditions and lifestyle as well as shopping. In fact, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, together with Italy and the United States, are the principal markets that visit the destination to go shopping. Shopping accounts for spending higher than 22%, making this sector the second biggest expenditure item during their stay, after food (45.1%). According to the survey on the profile and habits of tourists, carried out periodically by the Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona, tourists give the city's retail offer a score of 8.2 on a scale of 1 to 10 and 93.9% of visitors consider Barcelona to be a great city to explore on foot. Shops are part of the city and its way of life. 53.2% of visitors say that they are involved in shopping-related activities.

Last Christmas, the domestic market accounted for more than 66% of tourists. This year, we expect – circumstances permitting – important markets, such as Italy, France and the United Kingdom, to regain almost 25% of the market share they represented before the pandemic over the Christmas period.

Creative Concept "Treat yourself to new memories"

The campaign slogan "Barcelona Kicks off the Christmas Season. Treat yourself to new memories" refers to a raft of new proposals and experiences so that people can celebrate Christmas again, with its sights set on people and the city. A narrative with imagery focusing on the opportunity to enjoy new experiences this Christmas with festive activities that will evoke unique memories.

The campaign images feature a young couple who fell in love in Barcelona, sharing their recollections through images that illustrate their memories alongside the city's Christmas attractions.

The campaign has been devised and produced by the agency Wearecp, and will be available as a video on Turisme de Barcelona's digital channels on its social networks, as well as other media outlets and networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tik Tok and Google. It aims to reach 140 million potential visitors.

Renfe, Official Transport Partner

This is the first time Turisme de Barcelona has signed an agreement with Renfe to cover its trains in vinyl wrap advertising its Barcelona Kicks off the Christmas Season campaign. This will make Renfe Barcelona's official means of transport as part of an initiative that seeks to promote sustainable transport and recognises the train as an essential part of the transport system in the Catalan capital. A safe, reliable, comfortable means of transport that is also one of the most environmentally efficient.

The agreement with Renfe involves a number of communication initiatives through the rail operator's channels, including its newsletter, video ads on Play Renfe and Canal Renfe, banners, as well as vinyl wraps on the front section of the high-speed train for two weeks in December.

More than 30,000 seats on the high-speed train will have headrest covers advertising the campaign, and there will be an insert in the December issue of the Club Renfe magazine.

Renfe operates high-speed routes to the Catalan capital from Madrid, Andalusia and Aragon. They are complemented by long-distance trains connecting the rest of Spain with Barcelona. For its part, Turisme de Barcelona has published a series of postcards it will be distributing at the city's hotels, tourist information offices and other establishments with the purpose of disseminating the campaign and encouraging tourists to visit the website featuring all the city's cultural attractions and services once they have arrived in the city.

 

Link to the video:

English https://youtu.be/gobfSlz-sTk

Spanish https://youtu.be/yf9a3LuDKgo