Obama visit of 'incalculable value'
More than 1.5 million people visited the Marbella website on Google on Monday, following the visit of US First Lady Michele Obama and her youngest daughter, Sasha.Town councillor Jose Luis Hernandez said the visit was “possibly the biggest promotional campaign” for Marbella as a tourist destination “in the town’s history”.
He said more than 200 journalists from all over the world had reported on the visit – “even in China, Japan and Vietnam”. Sr Hernandez said data provided the OAK Power marketing company estimated the value the visit at more than €800 million’s worth of advertising. “What happened last week would have been unthinkable three years ago,” he said. “We have been able to turn around Marbella’s image and convert it into an internationally fashionable tourist destination.”
Mrs Obama and daughter Sasha, plus a 40 strong group of friends, visited the tourist hot spots during their stay in Marbella. The party went to Granada and toured the Alhambra, greeted by throngs of excited locals in the city streets, and toured Ronda's famous bullring while on a visit to the picturesque town.Mrs Obama also went shopping in Marbella's old town. The three-chocolate flavours ice-cream that Mrs Obama bought during a stroll round the town on Thursday has been sold out since then. The owner of a boutique she visited said she couldn't keep up with demand for the dresses that Mrs Obama bought for herself and her oldest daughter. A few eyebrows were raised when part of the beach near her hotel was closed off by police so she and her group could swim and sunbathe. Beach goers had to peer from the far side of the cordon tapes and also had their bags searched if they got too near the closed off section.
There had been speculation that she would attend the glitzy €1,000 a head Starlite Gala on Saturday night. Four hundred tickets had already been sold for the charity fundraiser, hosted by Antonio Banderas and Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria and guests included the usual array of Marbella "aristocracy". Two hundred more had put their names down for tickets amid the speculation that the First Lady would be a special guest at the event, held at Villa Padierna - the hotel base for the Obama party.
But instead she slipped away in a cavalcade of cars for dinner at Marbella's La Meridiana restaurant, which has over the years played host to stars and royalty. On Sunday Mrs Obama carried out her only official engagement as she and Sasha headed to Majorca, to have lunch with King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia and Princess Letizia. They spent the day at the Marivent Palace, the Royal summer residence. Prince Felipe was not present - he was on his way home from an official engagement in South America.
But as she left the sun and sangria and welcoming faces behind and boarded the Presidential plane for the flight home, she was heading into a storm of criticism. Americans have been as hard hit as any country by the recession and questions were being asked about the cost of the trip to US taxpayers, who have had to pick up the bill for the flights and the large security presence. Observers reckon that the total bill for the break could be in the region of £250,000 by the time all meals and accommodation have been taken into account and US politicians are asking for a break-down to identify just how much has been paid for by the Obamas and how much by the American taxpayer.
One TV station went as far as calling her a “latter day Marie Antoinette” - who told the people of Paris who could not afford bread to eat cake.
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