Meliá Hotels International and LaLiga have announced a strategic alliance to reinforce their brand positioning in the Middle East, a region in full tourist expansion and with a solid emotional connection with European football. The agreement, released from the headquarters of the chain in Palma de Mallorca, seeks to unite two global referents of the Spain brand around shared values such as excellence, passion and international vocation.
As part of the Covenant, Meliá Hotels International – which currently operates two hotels in the United Arab Emirates – will obtain outstanding visibility in LaLiga broadcasts in the Middle East, especially in the lateral advertising supports of the stadiums. The initiative is aligned with the growing interest of tour operators in linking to top -level sports content that directly connect with consumer emotions.
Meliá’s clients will be able to access VIP experiences as entries to matches
The collaboration between both entities will also include a set of activations that integrate loyalty, content and experiences. Through the Meliá Rewards program, customers can access VIP experiences such as tickets to matches, visits to stadiums or meetings with players.
In addition, the presence of Meliá will extend to LaLiga Show in Arabic, a high range format on YouTube and social networks, with the recording of special episodes from the hotels that the chain operates in Dubai. In parallel, a digital content plan has been designed that will take advantage of LaLiga muscle on platforms such as Instagram, where competition exceeds 50 million followers globally.
One of the key pieces of the Alliance is Luis Figo, legend of European football with past at Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, which will act as LaLiga ambassador to the region. Its presence seeks to generate connections with local fans, integrating sports, lifestyle and trips into the same aspirational story.
“This sponsorship represents the union of two global ambassadors of the Spain brand. We share values such as excellence, passion and international vocation”said Gabriel Escrer, president and CEO of Meliá Hotels International. “With this alliance we want to continue building unique experiences and increase our impact on a key market for our company, such as the Middle East, where we have an important focus of expansion.”
“Middle East is a key region and this alliance reinforces our commitment to global expansion”
For his part Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, added: “Middle East is a key region and this alliance reinforces our commitment to global expansion. Unite to a brand with which we share origin, values and international vision represents a great opportunity to continue growing together and bring the Laliga universe closer to millions of fans and travelers worldwide.”
And it is that Middle East has positioned itself as a luxury hub, international events and urban development, with a receptive audience to the European lifestyle and premium sports content.
For Meliá, which has more than 400 hotels in more than 40 countries and a strong orientation towards holiday and urban tourism, this agreement allows to strengthen its international presence with a connected brand story.
