Madrid is experiencing an unusual September: the F1 and Shakira concerts attract thousands of visitors seeking a complete experience. The columnist reflects on the new tourism model.
The weekend when Shakira's concerts coincide with the Formula 1 Grand Prix, Madrid looks like an international airport without a roof: full hotels, restaurants with double shifts, taxis crossing Castellana, and groups of tourists following guides with microphones. According to abc.es, the city has transformed from a stopover for meetings or errands to a destination in itself, something previously reserved for cities with a sea or a leaning tower.
The columnist notes that simply travelling is no longer enough: now the complete Madrid experience is being sold, including a car, concert, museum, rooftop, croquette, and sunset at the Segovia Viaduct. All of this is seasoned with chocolate and churros, a photo in Plaza Mayor, buying a souvenir with the word MADRID, and the inevitable calamari sandwich. "We have entered the era of Madrid 360," he writes, a term he considers "quite meo".
The new formula requires prior booking, a QR code, and a place that social media has blessed as a secret. Meanwhile, the traditional Madrid continues: the man who goes out for bread dodges Shakira fans, the neighbour from Barajas watches a single-seater reach 300 km/h while it takes him 40 minutes to navigate four roundabouts, and the lifelong waiter no longer serves beers, but rather a "beer experience". The calamari sandwich, once an honest solution for a few coins, is now presented as an "immersive gastronomic experience in Castilian identity".
The author argues that these things suit Madrid well because it has never asked where anyone comes from. "Here, one arrives, gets off the train, complains about the traffic, and within two hours is already saying that Alcalá Street is impossible with the construction work," he states. He concludes that visitors will find a city better than the one on Instagram, the one that appears when the concert ends and one ends up at any bar asking if granddad prefers dry gin. "That is still not included in the package and may be the lifeline we others need."
The columnist acknowledges the success of F1 and Shakira but warns of the risk of turning Madrid into "travel agency fodder". "One day we might go down to the bar and see Pablo, our usual waiter, dressed as a mermaid because they are going to build a bay between Mariano de Cavia and Vallecas," he jokes. "And that will be harder to recover from."