BALEARICS TO HELP SPAIN TAKE OVER REGENT STREET!

By Humphrey Carter THE Balearics is going to be taking part in one of the largest and most ambitious promotional events Spain has ever mounted when the Spanish tourist board takes control of Regent Street for the day in September. On September 3, Regent Street is going to be closed off to all traffic so the Spanish tourist board Turespaña can throw its “Spanish Fiesta” involving all of the country's regional tourist boards and leading tourism companies. The gigantic outdoor tourism promotion stunt will see Regent Street lined with stands for each of the participating tourism boards, companies and associations and will also feature a wide range of live acts by leading Spanish performers. An average of half a million people pass along Regent Street every day and the organisers are confident that tens of thousands more will head to the centre of London to join the Spanish Fiesta in September. It will be only the second time one of London's most famous shopping streets has been closed for an event of this kind and it was the British Tourist Board who were first given permission. There is talk of the Spanish Fiesta being opened by King Juan Carlos of Spain and a large number of Spanish stars are expected to attend to promote their region. In the case of the Balearics they are hoping that Majorca's world number two tennis player will be available to help boost the region's profile. The Balearics are going to use the event to promote the region's culture, gastronomy and activity holidays such as cycling, hiking, golf, climbing and sailing. The London event will be the pinnacle of this year's tourism promotion campaign in the United Kingdom. The UK, where sales of Spanish holidays, in particular the Balearics according to industry experts, have increased significantly on last year, has been specifically targeted by Turespaña over the past year and its London office reported last month that the British market has responded well. For its part, Ibatur, the promotional arm of the Balearic Ministry for Tourism, has a budget of six million euros to promote the islands as a summer destination and the bulk of that is being spent in the UK and Germany. This year, Ibatur is also trying to boost the Balearics' attraction in France, where holiday sales have taken a tumble over the past few years, Portugal and the apparently new market for the Balearics, Poland. Britain, as opposed to Germany, seems to be getting the bulk of the promotional attention from the Balearics this year and the tourism sectors will be on show again in London just a few months after the Spanish Fiesta at the World Travel market in November.