Tourist boom in Andalusia after PR campaign: Smurf Village stays in Spain

It all began last summer with a phone call from an advertising agency in Madrid, surprising Júzcar’s Mayor Tirado. The agency suggested that he have all the houses in the village, which has a population of 250, painted blue!

Sony Pictures in Hollywood had chosen Júzcar for the campaign to launch the movie “The Smurfs 3D”. After a short hesitation, the village agreed. The PR stunt turned into a successful image campaign for the town itself, and the villagers have voted to play the role for another year.

The reason for Júzcar’s change of heart is the rise in visitors to the town. “Since we changed the color we welcome thousands of tourists on some weekends. Before we didn’t have that many in an entire year!”, said Tirado in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. Blue has become emblematic for the village, with a Smurf Market, Smurf Tours and parades.

Júzcar is not the only one to benefit from the hype surrounding the Smurfs. According to Sony Pictures, the PR campaign even set a Guinness World Record. On the day the studio proclaimed World Smurf Day, 4891 people around the world gathered dressed as their blue heroes. “We have received free worldwide media coverage worth 15 million euro”, boasts a Madrid Advertising agency.