Under fire from Republicans at home for vacationing in Spain, according to this article from that nation’s Publico newspaper, first lady Michelle Obama’s visit to the country has done wonders for Spain’s media and tourism industries.
From Publico, this news item says in part:
According to media company Kantar Media, foreign media coverage brought about by the visit of the U.S. first lady has translated into a large-scale promotion of Spanish tourism. A survey conducted by the firm shows that the 1,423 news reports on the visit have a total economic value of $25.7 million [€19.3 million].
The figure arrived at by the company was calculated based on what it would cost if a publicity agent wanted to promote tourism in Spain. According to the firm, the agent “would have to spend that amount on advertising on order to achieve the same media impact.”
In fact, the company emphasized how the Obama’s visit to Costa del Sol, despite being characterized as private, has generated coverage “well beyond” other major issues, such as the air traffic controllers strike [1034 news stories], or the announcement by the Madrid Socialist Party’s general secretary, Thomas Gomez, that he intends to be a candidate for the presidency of the Communities of Madrid [1012 news stories].
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, your most trusted translator and aggregator of foreign news and views about our nation.
