Media and destination brands: the work of the foreign offices of tourism in Spain

Abstract

This paper examines the activities of the national tourism offices abroad, oriented to achieve one of its main communication objectives: to increase the public interest on the destination through a positive presence in the media. Qualitative interviews were conducted with managers and public relations managers of five tourist destinations offices established in Spain. The results support other studies that suggest that publicity has an important role in the communication mix of such organizations. Also, it shows that the practice of these offices is continuously adapting to their sociopolitical, economic and technological environment and is affected by the development of new media based on Internet.