Although the world recession still has been tough on many European countries in 2011, Jorge Rubio Navarro, Director of Spain’s Tourist office in Chicago, is optimistic as it gears up for the year 2012. He spoke with Vacation Magazine Radio show Editor-in-Chief Michael Oz about the reasons behind the positive forecast.

“But before anything, please allow me to make a brief comment about the importance of Tourism to the Spanish Economy, - said Senor Jorge Rubio. - Tourism represents 12 % of the Gross Domestic Product of Spain, which means it is nowadays the key sector of our economy. Last January, the World Tourism Organization confirmed Spain as the fourth tourist destination in the world with almost 53 million tourists, only behind France, China and the USA, in absolute figures.”

“Vacation Magazine” (“VM”): Senor Jorge, you are the Director of Tourist office of Spain (TOS) in Chicago, what are your responsibilities?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “The TOS Chicago is one of 33 such offices located around the world; our headquarters are in Spain. I, as the Consul for Tourism Affairs, am in charge of an office which promotes Spain as a leisure and business tourism destination in the market we serve: a 13-state territory in the Midwest USA. The area we cover includes Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. In addition to this geographic jurisdiction, my office is also in charge of marketing the business travel “product” and what we in the industry call MICE (meetings and incentives) for the entire US market—all 50 states—Chicago is the office in the USA designated to promote this segment specifically.”

“VM”: What’s your travel experience and career in travel industry in general and in TOS in particular?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “I have been with the TOS in Chicago since September 1st of this year; prior to coming here, I served as Director of the TOS in Toronto, serving the entire Canadian market, for the past 5 years. Before that, I worked at SEGITUR as well as in our headquarters, TURESPAÑA, where I was in charge of designing our portal www.spain.info My personal travel experience includes much travel as related to my job, but on a personal level, I do also travel quite a bit with my family – for skiing and other leisure activities.”

“VM”: What’s the TOS bringing to the American market this year? 

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “In recent years, we have seen a transition from a tourist model based on the principles of the “low price products” to a new model trying to find new experiences instead of products in which the final consumer is the key element. The most interesting fact, and probably the most difficult one to deal with for you, and for us, as a Tourist Office, is the fact that as tourists, the “low cost-oriented” and the “dream-follower” could be the same person in the end.

This new type of “intelligent consumer” disregards whatever has no value for them, regardless of their age or socio-economic class. The intelligent consumption is based on the personal experience of the clients as much as on the way the information is transmitted and presented to them by the numerous entities involved. We should not see all of this as a threat, but as opportunity for the near future, as a more demanding clientele would probably rely on specialized travel agencies to look for special products such as boutique hotels in both big cities and rural areas, or themed-oriented destinations. In the end, we believe it would turn out to be highly profitable, especially for those agencies capable of meeting the emotional needs of the consumer. As we have seen, in the end it, all comes down to satisfying the needs of the key element: the final consumer.”

“VM”: Having this in mind, how can a Tourism administration contribute to the growth of the market?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “Keeping all of this in mind, Tourspain has decided to change its promotional plans, and focus all of its efforts on the consumer and the market. Our marketing activities are based on four principles:

• 1st: Orientation toward the consumer: the tourist is the centre of attention

• 2nd: Establishment of alliances and cooperative bonds

• 3rd: Reinforcement of the brand, and differentiation

• 4th: Follow the “Biggest Impact” principle, carrying out collaborative marketing activities and PR Based on these parameters, we have shifted from a marketing strategy based on the product to one based on the type of client. We are going to make important efforts in the next few years and, within the framework defined before, we will look for collaborating actions with all of you to increase the impact.”

“VM”: What’s the key to a successful relationship between TOS and media, tour operators and travel agents?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “Accessibility and information. We are always able to be reached, always at your disposal, and always glad to show you our product directly: which is the best way for you, the media, to become our ambassadors, too! I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the tour operators and travel professionals with whom we work: without your support, Spain would not be standing today as one of the most important destinations for the US Market.

And I would also like to acknowledge the key role those of you who are journalists play in the travel industry. In these ever-evolving modern societies, media are the most important tool for cultural awareness. Last year alone, more than 500 articles about Spain were published in the American Press.

The Tourist Office of Spain in Chicago is always willing to offer you the best assistance possible. We have a y highly qualified team of professionals in our Media Relations, Trade Relations, Information and Logistics, Marketing and Administration and Finances Departments. We work all together like partners: our team together with the media, tour operators, travel agents, meeting planners, as well as schools and other general public (for example, the final consumer).”

“VM”: How can you describe the Spain’s motto “I need Spain” and what’s new in PR campaign?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “It is based on the fact that most tourists to Spain are or become repeat visitors: once a tourist comes, he or she is “hooked” and keeps wanting (“needing”) to go back. There is much nostalgia involved in a tourist´s decision to go to Spain. He or she remembers how nice the people were, how vibrant the ambience was, how scenic it was, how superb the food and wine were, and then feels compelled to keep on going back and experiencing other parts (or the same ones) of Spain.

Since we know this repeat factor about our tourists, and the sentimental and nostalgic component of that “I Need Spain” slogan fits very well. By the way the global "I Need Spain" campaign which in 2010 reached nearly 470 million consumers and has helped Spain capture over 39,9 million tourists in the first seven months of 2011.”

“VM”: Tell me about the campaign and who else will be Spain’s ambassadors in promotions?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “First of all, this image of Spain was portrayed in over 40 countries, with a target audience of 400 million people. The production process included such specialists as Julio Médem and the photographers Erik Almas and Ale Burset. Gisela Pulido, the Spanish MotoGP riders and the Spanish soccer players, among others, will be the ambassadors for the Spain brand.

Within the tourism campaign "I Need Spain" and is framed along the lines of previous campaigns in which iconic ambassadors such as Ferran Adria, Real Madrid soccer players, motorcycle champions Jorge Lorenzo, Toni Elijah and Marc Marquez, the Spanish Basketball Team have all shown their support to Spain.

The latest are the stars of the Spanish basketball team are the stars of the new online campaign. The members of the Spanish team -- Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers), Jose Calderon (Toronto Raptors), Ricky Rubio, (Minnesota Timberwolves), Rudy Fernandez (Dallas Mavericks), Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Juan Carlos Navarro (Regal Barcelona), appear as Spain’s brand ambassadors Spain helping to spread the word on the country’s different tourist destinations and national cuisine dishes: such as Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, Cáceres, Salamanca and Avila and recommend different types of Spanish food.”

“VM”: Gastronomy tours, food and wine tours are famous in the world and in Spain? Can you tell me about the Spanish cuisine in terms of travel?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “First of all I would say that all tours to Spain are gastronomy tours. Spanish cuisine is diverse and varies from region to region, a product of the country’s varied geography and history.

Due to Spain’s wide variety of climates and bordering seas and oceans, the national cuisine utilizes countless varieties of vegetables, fruits, oils, animals and seafood. A lot of world famous chefs are Spaniards: Ferran Adria, Juan Maria Arzak, Darrio Barro, Dani Garcia, Paco Ranchero and others and that’s why I can describe that Spain’s gastronomy is a unique language, special processes and a marked tendency toward local products, of irreplaceable taste. Spanish cuisine reflects its indigenous culture by using local and traditional ingredients and this is so true considering the gastronomy of Spain. And I can say that all our tours are food and wine journeys”

“VM”: What’s your favorite soccer team and how Team Spain - World Soccer Champion - will promote travel to Spain?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “My favorite is Real Madrid and soccer is number 1 sport in Spain and in the world. Our national team Spain is reigning World and European Champion, our players play in every championship league in the world: England and USA, Germany and Italy, France and Holland, Russia and Poland. Everybody knows our famous players like Iker Casillas and Carles Puol, Sergio Ramos and Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Fernando Torres, Juan Mata and David Villa. And, of course, they’re promoting Spain and they are ones of our best ambassadors!”

“VM”: Spain ad online campaign changed just now in fact and your office is releasing and announcing the other new ad campaign like the 1st Spanish trade show online Conexion Spain?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “This summer (2011) with the support of the Tourist Offices of Spain in Canada and the U.S.A. and company called IMASTE we organized the first Spanish virtual trade and consumer show for tourism in the North American continent. The first online Spanish tourism trade show Conexion Spain was launched, thereby enabling tourism professionals and end consumers an online opportunity to interact and exchange information in an easy, comfortable and innovative way.

The trade show was also strongly focused on the motivational travel industry, with an area exclusively dedicated to the organization of events, conferences and incentive travel in Spain. This was a great opportunity for the end consumer and also for tourism professionals to interact with the entire sector, minimizing costs, optimizing investments and reaching more potential travelers around the world through the Internet. And this is the future.”

“VM”: What differentiates Spain from other countries and what are your strongest selling points?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “A lot aspects set us apart: our people, our climate, our sun, our great diversity from one region to the next, the rich blend of classical, historical with the most ultra-modern and state-of-the-art; our food and wine; the friendliness of our people; also cultural travel, urban tourism, the meetings market, our unique tourism products such as the Paradores. Paradores de Turismo de España is a chain of Spanish luxury hotels and it was founded by King Alfonso XIII of Spain as a means to promote tourism in Spain, with the first opening in Gredos, Ávila, in 1928.

Spanish word - Parar - means to stop, halt or stay and that’s why we call them Paradores. Today we have ninety three Paradores which located throughout the Spain on some of the most beautiful natural settings and surrounded by unique historic and artistic ensemble of monuments. Many of the Paradors are medieval castles, former palaces or ancient convents.

And I think there is no better way to enjoy Spain's charm, rich history, culture and wonderful cuisine, than to experience the Paradores of Spain. Also paradores are very good for American generation, I mean, so called “baby boomers” because Paradores have Golden Age rule and if you are 55 or more you’ll get 30% discount on rates. Also US market goes to Spain for the cultural riches: museums, cuisine, festivals, architecture, Jewish Sephardic roots, wine and food tourism, walking the Camino de Santiago.”

“VM”: Talking about The Way, the German thinker Goethe once said that Europe is not complete without a pilgrimage to Compostela?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “Yes, it’s true. El Camino is also known to symbolize the long spiritual quest through the hardships of traveling on foot. And I am very glad that famous American actors like Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez made a film called “The Way”, which was opened in US theaters in October 2011.

The movie highlights El Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James the most iconic pilgrimage route in Spain and the First Cultural Itinerary in Europe as declared by the Council of Europe in 1987. By the way El Camino is very popular in Spain already more than 1000 years.

There are many points of departure, but El Camino always ends in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, a city that was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1993. The last stop is always the Cathedral of Santiago, where the remains of the Apostle Saint James - Apostol Santiago - are buried. The most popular itinerary is “The French Route”, which starts in Roncesvalles, France and goes on through the north of Spain. In addition to that there are many other routes, such as “The Northern Route”, which starts in Hondarribia, Basque Country, and “The Silver Route” which starts in Seville.”

“VM”: Let’s talk about statistics. How many flights from US to Spain do you have weekly and how many airlines go to Spain from US? And of course how many Americans came to Spain in 2010?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “There are six airlines flying every day from the USA to Spain. There are two from Spain, IBERIA AIRLINES OF SPAIN and Air Europa; and four from the USA, United Airlines, which normally operates with Iberia, Delta Airlines, Continental Airlines and American Airlines. Regarding the flights, there are more than 12 direct flights from Spain to NY, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Atlanta and Miami every day. And according to the FRONTUR statistics, Spain received 1 million 134.201 American tourists last year.

”VM”: How many tourists came from Europe in 2010?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: According to statistics published in FRONTUR and to give you a recent snapshot: 52 million 677.187 total to Spain in 2010. Here are the numbers of tourist from the various countries of origin: 12 million 429.512 from the UK, 8 million 813.689 from Germany, 8 million 135.861 from France, 3 million 487.801 from Italy and 605.273 tourists from Russia.”

“VM”: What is outlook for the year 2012?

Jorge Rubio Navarro: “The outlook for Americans and other foreign tourists traveling to Spain looks very favorable. Like I said before tourism is currently the key sector of Spain’s economy, representing 12% of our GDP and we must focus all of our efforts on the consumer and the market.

Our marketing activities will be based on four principles: orientation toward the consumer, establishment of alliances and cooperative ties, reinforcement and differentiation of the brand, and following the ‘Biggest Impact’ principle, carrying out joint marketing activities and public relations with the travel trade and media.

We are continuing to promote Spain as a cultural travel destination; this is one area in which we really stand out, especially in US market: this market, when looking for sun and sand, heads to Florida, the Caribbean or Mexico.

The promotion of Spain as a tourist destination abroad goes with the big support and the contribution from Turespaña. The Tourist Offices Abroad undertook a lot communication, marketing, promotion and commercialization support activities.

The Secretariat of State for Tourism organized a trip for more than 2,000 journalists who have published more than 3,500 articles and reports about our country. Almost 3,000 tour operators and travel agents visited Spain, also invited by Turespaña, on familiarization trips.”

“VM”: Thank you for the interview.

The Tourist Office of Spain in Chicago welcomes Jorge Rubio Navarro as its new Director and Consul for Tourism Affairs.

A native of Madrid and a chemist by background, Mr. Rubio, prior to assuming the post in Chicago, had been the Director of the Tourist Office of Spain in Toronto from 2007 until August of 2011, serving all of Canada in the promotion of Spain to the leisure and MICE sector.

As director of the Chicago branch of the Tourist Office of Spain--one of thirty-three offices worldwide of TURESPAÑA, Spain´s non-profit government agency devoted to marketing Spain as a tourism destination—his role will be to oversee promotions geared toward the trade, press and consumer sectors in the thirteen-state Midwest region, as well as to spearhead all promotions in the meeting, convention and business travel sector in the entire USA.

Previous professional experience: Chairman, Canadian Chapter European Travel Commission Director and Consul of Tourism Affairs, Tourist Office of Spain-Toronto Vice-president and CIO, SEGITUR (state-owned tourism R&D Company responsible for TURESPAÑA´s online marketing strategic development) Deputy Marketing Director, TURESPAÑA Deputy Director, Instituto de Estudios Turisticos (National Institute of Tourism Statistics)

Various positions in IT leadership in Spain´s public and private sector for over a decade Education INAP MADRID (Official Public Institute) Management and Leadership Master, Programa Alta Dirección. University of Toronto Business English Professional. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Chemical Sciences.

Interests International travel, strategic planning, professional networking, gourmet cooking, soccer, ice hockey and family (married, father of three children aged 12, 16 and 18).