Millions spent on advertising

The Spanish tourist board Turespaña yesterday announced that it is to launch a 3.660 million peseta international promotional campaign next year. In the meantime, the Secretary of State for Tourism and the country's six main tourism destinations are launching their own independent campaign to try and kick some life in to holiday sales for January and February. The Secretary of State has agreed to invest 600 million pesetas in the promotional drive, primarily targeted at the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany, with the Balearics, the Canaries, Cataluña, Valencia, Andalucia and Madrid putting another 600 million pesetas in to the kitty. Tourism chiefs are convinced that come the New Year, the war in Afghanistan will be less prominent in people's minds and that the holiday market will gradually start moving again. The package holiday market is also expecting to recapture some of the ground lost to the independent sector with consumers opting for money-saving holidays, such as all inclusive or half-board accommodation to reduce the need for extra expenditure in resorts.