Dec 02 - Literary Festival Reaches A Radio Audience Of Over Two Million In UK

Over two million radio listeners in the UK received timely coverage of this year’s Gibunco Gibraltar International Literary Festival thanks to a Gibraltar Tourist Board initiative with UK PR firm, Sound Creative.

A mix of commercial UK radio outlets and seven BBC regional stations between Scotland and the Channel Islands featured the local event, and carried extensive syndicated interviews with guest speakers Nicholas Parsons and Maureen Lipman (pictured, left).

The two media celebrities who have become keen advocates of the Festival delivered key messages, and spoke at length about the cultural programme on offer. They also highlighted the wonderful hospitality afforded to all the participants by the organisers and Gibraltar as a whole.

Maureen told BBC Radio Cumbria: “The Festival just gets better every year,” adding that the event was packed with a wide variety of talks and lectures to cater for everyone’s literary tastes. She said: “The Festival is helping to open people’s eyes to the wonders of Gibraltar. Especially those who now prefer to go on holiday and learn rather than just sun worship.”

The interviews also helped to promote Gibraltar internationally as a tourist destination and included references to the Rock’s broader history and cultural uniqueness.

Just as an example, the reports carried by BBC Radio West Midlands and BFBS 2 on the first day of the Festival, reached an estimated audience of 219,000 and 200,000 listeners respectively.

The Minister for Tourism, Samantha Sacramento, said that the massive reach attained by the literary festival in UK augured well for future editions.

She added: “This excellent public relations initiative we have carried out in the UK this year will surely serve to heighten awareness about the Festival and its impressive array of speakers.

“Activities like these help to encourage attendance at the 2016 edition of the festival which, I am confident, will again meet all out targets. Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar is once again demonstrating its commitment to event-led tourism and delivering cultural events of the highest calibre.”