#WTMLDN 2024
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One morning, the then director general of Prensa Malagueña, Juan Soto Bermúdez, had three visitors in his office: Jeff Kelly, a journalist specialising in tourism, accompanied by a retired British couple, also from the world of journalism, Gerry and Joan Davies, who lived on the Costa del Sol and were tired of doing nothing and wanted to return to their profession...
The three, led by Kelly, presented a proposal for a supplement in English which, during the conversation, turned into a project for a weekly, free newspaper, with its own life and writers, and an editor-coordinator between SUR and SUR in English (as it would be called) who in this case was yours truly...
SUR had only a few months before ceased to be part of the defunct chain Medios de Comunicación Social del Estado and its ownership had passed into the hands of its workers in the first Sociedad Anónima Laboral de la Prensa Española, a unique experience in Spain (and together with Liberation, a French newspaper, unprecedented in Europe). This was the first adventure of the new owners, who would later be joined by more enthusiastic journalists.
On 20 July 1984, SUR in English appeared in newsagents with just 16 pages, much excitement and not much advertising. The aim of the English edition of SUR was to fill a gap that no one had occupied before: these were days with no social media, with no digital television, no private channels, no mobile phones…
The large British community living in the province of Malaga, mainly on the Costa del Sol, got their information from the BBC, via Gibraltar, and from the British papers that arrived at news kiosks in the evening or even the following day.
But this was the same information that came out of London or Manchester, and informed of news from Great Britain and the world, but not what was happening close to the British residents in Malaga: whether there was a road closure, town planning changes, accidents, crimes, parties in Marbella, Mijas Benalmádena or Torre del Mar…
This important gap was filled by SUR in English which grew fast and which now, 40 years later, is still here, even reaching the landmark of 50 pages of classified advertisements, making history in Andalucía.
SUR has always been a support for tourism on the Costa del Sol, publishing a daily section since 1962 under the title 'Aquí la Costa del Sol'. The name, the Costa del Sol, grew stronger in the area until it became what it is today, one of the most valuable brands in the world market. Through SUR in English, SUR decided to discover a tourism fair that was being held in London and which had been held for only three or four years called the World Travel Market, which took place in Olympia, an exhibition centre near Harrods department store.
A delegation from the newspaper went to see what it was all about and to study how it could benefit the Costa del Sol. It was a good decision: that fair was already the start of the biggest meeting of the tourism sector in the world and the Costa del Sol, Malaga and Andalucía could not be left out. Neither Andalucía, nor Malaga, nor even the Costa del Sol (which, thanks to Ángel Carazo, was the first to have its own space) had a stand at the WTM.
And there, SUR and SUR in English a year later, in 1985, would be the first newspaper in Europe to participate in such an event with its own stand. This was welcomed by the organisers at the time with enthusiasm, because they sensed that other media from many countries would follow suit.. On that first trip, Jeff Kelly, Juan Soto, Luis Moret, Salvador Salas and yours truly, were the ones who saw the enormous possibilities and the need for a strong commitment to the event (something that was never appreciated, it has to be said), and in 1985, as there was no room for a newspaper, the SUR in English stand was put in the North American area, next to Las Vegas, a place that was a whirlwind of people because the scantily clad 'misses' of the city of casinos, posed for photos (Polaroid, instantly) with visitors... History is yet to be written about that (today it would almost be a prison sentence for the American organisation), like the surprise of the then minister Abel Caballero (father of the current mayor of Vigo), who was kind enough to come to our stand (far from Europe, mind you, because the Olympia hall was divided into three old buildings, huge by the way), and the ladies in bikinis almost assaulted him (without knowing who he was, they didn't care) for a photo...
In 1986, SUR went to the Europe section and the Costa del Sol took a stand and more and more professionals from the Costa del Sol began to arrive... From about 15/20 then, to almost 200/300 now, with their own stands or work tables most of them, in a fair that has changed its concepts, because initially it was a meeting point for business and contacts, something that today with the new technologies is perhaps not so useful?
Anyway, all this is relevant because this Tuesday, the World Travel Market opens its doors in Excel, in London, and SUR and SUR in English, celebrate 40 years, four decades, of very active presence. An achievement with thousands of anecdotes and experiences, and also bad times, like when we were almost arrested for trying to fry 'boquerones' from Malaga. And for 30 years, SUR has been holding a dinner in tribute to Andalusian tourism that has become a benchmark, as each edition is held in one of the many iconic venues in the capital of England.
For another 40 years, SUR in English and Diario SUR will be providing full information on what is happening at the fair that shows us the tourism of the future: the WTM was the first to showcase low cost air travel, the emergence of telephone bookings, tourist call centres, the new magnetic keys and a host of things that are commonplace today but which at the time were a revolution in the sector. From that 1984 trip, Jeff Kelly, Luis Moret and Salvador Salas are no longer with us. The same as our beloved Gerry and Joan Davies left us. Others have retired, but the excitement of the paper and those who make it, both at SUR in English and at SUR, remains the same. This is part of a history that should not and cannot be forgotten. Happy 40th anniversary of the first appearance of a SUR in English supplement at the WTM in London!
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