Spain’s ‘Blue Village’ that used to be known for the Smurfs reveals plans to attract MORE tourists
TRUE BLUE
And the blue city in Morocco that attracts thousands of tourists
- Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
SPAIN's 'Blue Village' remains the same nearly 15 years after it was painted the bright colour - because of an iconic film.
The village painted itself blue back in 2011 when it was chosen to host the new Smurf film that year.
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The publicity stunt saw more than 1,000 gallons of paint being used to cover all of the buildings in the village.
Along with the brightly coloured buildings, there is a hotel, as well as restaurants and bars,
A mushroom museum and playground are ideal for kids visiting the village too.
Following the stunt, tourism numbers soared to 80,000 a year, compared to just a few hundred.
This is compared to the number of locals which is around just 250.
Despite the Smurf film now being more than a decade old, the village has retained the blue buildings.
At the time, murals of the Smurfs were painted throughout as well as statues of Smurf Mayor, Smurfette and Student Smurf.
Sadly, many of the Smurf icons have been removed in recent years, due to licensing disagreements.
This means the statues can no longer be spotted.
Despite this, locals are still wanting to keep the village as a tourist destination.
Pilar Tabuyo, who own's the village pharmacy, created a story called Bienvenidos a La Aldea Azul (Welcome to the Blue Village) to explain the history of the unusual coloured town.
They told local media: "I believe we need to show people what Júzcar has to offer- its surroundings and rich heritage.
"I'm confident the tourist appeal will continue, as we're reinventing ourselves with the blue, thanks to the contributions and creativity of each local resident."
And rather than a Smurf mascot, they have the new Sastre - who is known as a "chestnut chef".
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This is because of the natural landscape being surrounded by chestnut trees, with a number of festivals and food dishes famous for using the local produce.
You can still expect to get a Smurf souvenir, thankfully, with them sold at the local shops.
A resort town in Turkey has attracted tourists after being painted all colours of the rainbow.
And here's an island in South Korea where everything is painted purple.
Closer to home are the "purple isles" in Morocco - here's what they're like.
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