MIAMI.- Madrid It is one of the European cities worth visiting. The Spanish capital stands out for its gastronomic and cultural offerings, but also for its nightlife that vibrates with the sound of a flamenco tablao, a Broadway-style musical and the taste of a good wine accompanied by tapas.
Executives from the following companies met in Miami these days: Iberia and the hospitality and tourism sector of the Community of Madrid to promote this capital city as what many consider it to be: a fashionable tourist destination.
One of the offers of the airlinewhich has been connecting Miami and Madrid since 1972, is Stopover Hola Madrid, which aims to turn a stopover in Madrid into a stay of up to nine nights at no additional cost when purchasing an airline ticket. The program also offers great discounts on leisure activities. The stopover can be made on the outbound or return trip.
“Gastronomy and lifestyle go hand in hand. There is so much to try, so much to see. In Madrid there is a lifestyle of being outside, on the street, of living, of enjoying. There is life and that is super important. And wherever you go, it may be a 10 euro menu of the day or a three-star Michelin restaurant, the quality will be exactly the same, it will be very good. I think that is important. You have to get out of the centre of Madrid. There are spectacular places, beautiful, divine towns that are well worth it. And then there is nothing like walking through the centre of Madrid,” said Beatriz Guillén, Iberia’s global sales director, during a meeting with the press at the W Miami hotel in Brickell.
El Escorial, Aranjuez and Chinchón are some of the towns in Madrid that you should visit if you visit the outskirts of the city.
The airline, which offers two daily flights to Madrid from Miami, has set itself the goal of making the Spanish capital the gateway to the Old Continent.
“Our flights connect with more than 100 destinations within Spain and Europe and our commitment is to make Madrid the gateway to Europe. We also talked a bit about social impact, we want to see what social impact aviation generates, in addition to climate change,” said Guillén.
For the executive, the charm of Madrid competes with that of Paris, one of the most visited European destinations.
“Let’s see, within Spain, it probably competes with Barcelona, of course, it is the best known. It has been the older brother for many years. I like Madrid more than Paris, I think it is cleaner, more open. There is much more light. I would put it in comparison. Madrid is fashionable,” said Guillén.
With expansion projects in the works and a fleet of 167 aircraft flying to some 142 destinations, Iberia will celebrate its centenary in 2027.
“Our intention is to continue growing in the United States as well. Now, at the end of the year, a new aircraft will be added to our fleet. And with this aircraft we also hope to be able to open more destinations and more frequencies, especially in the United States. For us, that is extremely important. We are in all places on the planet, at least on a continental level, but we want to continue expanding,” he said.
In Asia, the airline plans to launch three direct weekly flights to Tokyo from Madrid starting in October. Since December, it has been flying daily to Doha. On the route between Europe and Latin America, Iberia leads the industry with more than 320 flights to 18 destinations in 16 countries.
