Interview with Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism, Madrid, Spain
“Korea has achieved tremendous achievements internationally in the field of culture. “I think the Spanish government in Madrid can learn several things from Korea’s example.”
Daniel Martinez Rodriguez, Vice Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Madrid State Government, Spain, attended the ‘UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) Sustainable Tourism Conference 2013’ held at the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 16th. The meeting, held by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Foundation in conjunction with UNWTO, discussed cases from various tourism countries and cities around the world under the theme of ‘One Planet: Consume responsibly and travel sustainably.’
Deputy Minister Rodriguez, who attended as a speaker on this day, presented the topic of a vision for the future of tourism in the Madrid region. “Madrid’s tourism industry has been contributing to 7% of the region’s GDP, but is now expected to grow to 8%. “For sustainable tourism, we are making efforts to disperse tourism to regional areas rather than focusing it on large cities and popular areas.”
He said, “Currently, the Madrid provincial government, together with the city council and IFEMA, has established the ‘Madrid Tourism Office’ and is carrying out public-private projects such as campaigns and social media advertisements for four years starting in 2023 to develop Madrid, Spain, into a global tourist city.” Korea also recently held a launching event for the global campaign ‘Only In Madrid’ targeting the travel and media industries.
View largerMadrid public relations ambassadors attended the ‘Only In Madrid Global Campaign’ launching event held at the Jeong-dong 1928 Art Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 7th. “Madrid is one of the global travel destinations, but it is a city that has become known to the world only late. Madrid was the capital of the Great Spanish Empire and is where all of the empire’s legacy remains. It is the best area to experience the charming traditional Spanish culture, and it is also a vibrant city that leads all of Spain in terms of modern architecture. There are theaters where you can watch musicals, operas, and theater performances, and restaurants where you can enjoy gourmet food hidden throughout the alleys, so you can feel free just by walking. “Although it is a modern city, it is also a place where nature breathes.”
He announced that he would do his best to promote cultural and tourism exchanges with Korea to revitalize tourism in Madrid, Spain.
“The Madrid provincial government is prioritizing the Asian market and is particularly interested in the Korean market. This is because Spanish people’s interest in Korea is explosive. We plan to analyze Korea’s tourism industry and travelers, and also promote exchanges in arts such as plays. We also plan to actively prepare programs to introduce Korean artists to Spain.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.