The creation of the tourist term 'Costa Blanca' is often attributed to the airline British European Airways (BEA) to promote its London-Valencia flight in 1957. However, documentation reveals the name was already circulating in Spain as a hotel attraction since 1952, with the inauguration of the Hotel Costa Blanca in Benidorm. The key period was between 1955 and 1957, when the name rose to brand status thanks to the British travel press, which reproduced and amplified it.
The term's journey can be divided into three stages. In 1955, the name reached England as a recommendation. Chronicler Gordon Cooper cited the Hotel Costa Blanca in Benidorm in his guide 'Autumn Holidays'. Shortly after, the Daily Express mentioned it as an open secret: «I am told that the place to go in the future will be the Costa Blanca».
In 1956, the name became a campaign. BEA launched an unprecedented advertising campaign in the British press, presenting the 'Costa Blanca' alongside the 'Costa Brava' and 'Mallorca'. Full-page ads in newspapers like The Times included maps placing the Alicante coastline under the new name, consolidating it as a coordinated tourist product.
On May 3, 1957, BEA inaugurated its direct London-Valencia service. The name ceased to be a slogan and became a product with schedules and tickets, and a destination with journalists on board to cover the first official trips.
The Spanish administration undertook key diplomatic moves. In May 1956, Gabriel García-Loygorri, Director General of Tourism Promotion, suggested to the British that they shift their focus to the Costa Blanca. In May 1957, the mayor of Alicante, Agatángelo Soler Llorca, along with the mayors of Benidorm and Valencia, visited London to promote the new flight and invite Britons to visit their 'Costa Blanca'.
Journalists like K. Westcott Jones flew on the inaugural Viscount, describing the operation as a 'state operation'. Meanwhile, figures like tennis player Evelyn Dewhurst bought a house in El Portet (Moraira) in 1957, embodying the ideal of a 'friendly invasion' of tourists.
Not all press applauded the operation. Chronicler Gordon Cooper criticized the 'matchbox hotels' in 1957 and considered only Benidorm worthy of mention, even though his magazine had previously discovered the Parador de Calp.
The success was amplified by the enormous circulation of the British press (millions of daily copies) compared to the Spanish. BEA and the Directorate General of Tourism knew that a well-placed campaign there would exponentially multiply its reach.
Marginal notes reveal interesting details: K. Westcott Jones mentioned that locals might have called the coast 'Costa Azul' before accepting the new name. Furthermore, an organization from Madrid claimed ownership of the name for an Atlantic coastline, suggesting a possible confusion or 'blunder' by Spanish authorities.
