The Madrid City Council and Iberia Express have joined forces once again to promote the capital’s main tourist attractions on an international level. In this new initiative, Madrid Destino is sponsoring a promotional campaign developed by the airline in regard to shopping in Madrid and “Made in Madrid” items, the most prominent of which is the violet.
Further to this sponsorship, until next September the airline will scent all of its flights with violet essence. The violet is a flower that grows in Madrid’s mountains and is an emblem of the capital. The history of these traditional sweets is closely tied to the city.
With the aim of familiarizing passengers on the airline with one of the hallmarks of shopping tourism in Madrid, items made by hand in the capital, tourist information will be provided on planes (100,000 bilingual Spanish-English copies), describing establishments where you can buy “Made in Madrid” products that boast quality, design and creativity.
The Violet and Madrid
Native to Madrid’s mountains, the violet blooms in the month of February as a prelude to the spring. This is the origin of the famous Spanish saying that describes how Madrid’s violet sellers appear “like a bird announcing spring in Madrid”. In the 19th century these ladies sold nosegays of violets at the doors of Madrid’s theatres. The flower’s connection to the city was so strong that it went on to become a traditional sweet./