Valencia has welcomed 2026 with a cultural boost that consolidates it as one of the great focuses of international interest. The capital of Turia is once again on the global map thanks to its inclusion in the prestigious list 52 Places … to Go de The New York Timesan annual ranking that highlights the essential destinations and events of the year.
On this occasion, the New York newspaper links Valencia with Madrid through the figure of Joaquin Sorollaweaving an artistic itinerary that connects both cities. The report focuses on the reopening of the Sorolla Museum in the capital and the announcement of the arrival in Valencia of more than 200 works by the Valencian painter from the Hispanic Society.
Thus, last year the capital of Turia received, according to INE data available until November, more than 100,000 travelers from the United States, who accumulated a total of 264,362 overnight stays, a figure that already represents almost 5% of the total demand. On the other hand, the average stay of the American tourist rises to 2.68 days.
Regarding Sorolla’s exhibition in Valencia, according to what the City Council and the Generalitat recently announced, he plans to arrive in the city before the end of the legislature. While the work is being finalized to prepare its permanent headquarters in the Palace of Communications – a project currently paralyzed waiting for an appeal to be resolved -, the exhibition will be provisionally installed in the City Museum.
For her part, the Councilor for Tourism, Innovation and Investments and president of the Visit València Foundation, Paula Llobet, has pointed out that the numbers of travelers demonstrate the “interest that our city arouses in the United States” and has indicated that, in addition, “it is a market with room for growth.”
Along these lines, Llobet highlighted that the City Council is “working intensively on promotion in this country in collaboration with Madrid, because the good connections and cultural offer of both cities make these very attractive destinations for the American public interested in our culture and lifestyle.
Campaign in the US and Canada
According to the City Council in a statement, the Visit Valencia Foundation is currently developing a tourism promotion campaign in cooperation with Tourism of Madrid in the United States and Canada, with a total investment of close to 97,000 euros and a forecast of more than six million impressions through a media plan in some of the most relevant media in both markets.
In Canada, the campaign is present in leading media such as Elle Canada, Canadian Geographic, City Style and Living, Time Out and The Globe and Mail, combining sponsored articles, digital insertions and reinforcement actions on social networks. In the United States, the collaboration with The New York Times stands out, the launch of which is planned soon, as well as actions in Time Out.
“Recommendations like this one from the New York Times highlight the work carried out in promotional matters to position Valencia as a cultural destination of interest to American travelers, which allows us to predict that 2026 will be a key year to establish ourselves in the United States and Canada, two markets for which we have made a strong commitment in recent months,” Llobet concluded.
