In the 2014 occasion of FITUR, the Spanish tourism fair that every year brings together leading public and private tourism operators from around the world, Uruguay stood out for the presence of a bus plotted with the Uruguay Natural (Natural Uruguay) country brand that toured Madrid and many other Spanish cities during the month of February. The objective of this action, that has achieved its expected success, is to inform and promote the most beautiful places in our country.
The so called “Bus de la alegría” (Happy Bus) has been completely plotted on the outside in light blue, featuring the “Uruguay Natural” country brand and the phrase “The Uruguayan quality of life is closer”. The phrase is accompanied by images of various touristic destinations.
The marketing plan is carried out in agreement with Air Europe, which since June 2013 has been covering the Madrid-Montevideo frequency.
The itinerary of the “Bus de la alegría” includes cities such as Madrid, Seville, Malaga, Valencia, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Bilbao, La Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo. In these cities the bus will be located on the main arteries, thus becoming a live information and promotion center. During the time it remains in each city, street acts, presentations to public authorities and other activities that involve the Spanish society are performed.
The bus includes an exhibition of the Ceibal Project (One laptop per child), a large screen with which interested visitors can interact, information on flight connections between Madrid and Montevideo and other surprises to bring Spaniards closer to Uruguayan society, culture and heritage.
In the surroundings of the bus, sample tasting of typical food products are conducted and presentations of the UNESCO heritage destinations, the implementation of the Plan de Turismo Fluvial (River Tourism Plan) and the new convention center projects in Montevideo and Punta del Este are given.
