“Historia de los carteles turísticos de España” - Visions of "the real" Spain?
[Banner image source: https://cvc.cervantes.es/artes/muvap/sala9/seccion_3/miro.htm]
This is a virtual exhibition of posters produced in Spain throughout the twentieth century and the turn of the twenty-first century to promote tourism both nationally and internationally. Organized chronologically from the late 1920s to the early 2010s, you can see the blending of aesthetics and commerce, perceive ideological constructs at work (stereotypes, clichés and common places) in recent periods of Spanish history, and comprehend the increasing importance of branding for (re)constructing the image of Spain home and abroad. You may find the tour instructive and entertaining (check the slogans, too, from “Spain Is Different” to “I Need Spain”).
Why I recommend this:
Looking forward to travelling again is one of those thoughts that keep me (and my family) going in these times of lockdown, so this virtual tour through “tourist Spain” may prompt you to plan your next trip, while, at the same time, consider the ways in which nations sell themselves through images, symbols and slogans. As somebody who left Spain twenty-five years ago, branding like #ThisIsTheRealSpain (https://www.thisistherealspain.com/en/) always brings a sneering smile to my face and raised eyebrows.
Once you have finished visiting the exhibition, you may also want to explore the language resources on the website of the Instituto Cervantes at
https://www.cervantes.es/lengua_y_ensenanza/recursos_espanol/informacion.htm.
