John Cleese and Holy Week in Andalusian Revelation: Religious Tourism with a British Flair

John Cleese was the legendary Monty Python comedian and star of Life of BrianAs the camer, he walks reverently down Andalusian alleyways.A lingers over crowned virgins, hooded pious and towering Holy Week parade floats. “Here, even though you don’t feel it, you believe it,” says the British comedian, in the latest international tourism video released by the Andalusian region government.

Titles The Revelation of the Andalusian CrusadeThe campaign’s goal is to promote Holy Week, and other expressions in popular religion, as a cultural, emotional experience that transcends languages, faiths, and borders.

Cleese’s choice as protagonist is no coincidence — though it is certainly ironic. He scandalised the Christian community in 1979 with Life of Brian, a cheeky parody about a person mistaken for Messiah. Now, 46 year later, he lends both his voice and picture to an initiative that seeks to attract devout as well as curious tourists to the region.

The regional government has launched a campaign to coincide with the launch of the Procesión Magna held on Saturday 17 May in Rome, has ambitious goals: to reach 398 million people in eight key markets (Spain, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina); to generate emotional impact through immersive audiovisual storytelling; and to cement Andalucía’s status as a flagship destination for global religious tourism. To this end, the regional ministry of tourism has opted for a strategy that blends elegance, grandeur and — yes — a dash of British humour.

An economic impact of €500 million

According to data from the tourism ministry, led by Arturo Bernal, the most recent Holy Week attracted more than a million visitors and generated over €500 million in economic impact. The regional government decided that, with these numbers in mind, it would go even further. They wanted to internationalise this phenomenon, to present it as an “authentic and enriching” experience, and to appeal to both devout travellers and culturally curious people. Bernal says that the goal is to “highlight exceptional heritage”, while positioning it as a part of “a sustainable tourism, respecting local traditions”.

The launch of the campaign coincided with a symbolically powerful event: the participation of two major Andalusian brotherhoods — La Esperanza from Málaga and El Cachorro from Seville — in the Procesión Magna The Holy Year is celebrated in Rome.

The event was strongly backed by public institutions: a total of €1.5 million was invested, with major contributions from the Junta de Andalucía (€700,000), the city councils of Málaga and Seville (€300,000 each), and the provincial council of Málaga (€250,000), alongside private sponsors such as Fundación Unicaja and Fundación Cajasol. The procession, which followed a route from the Roman Colosseum to the Circus Maximus, was designed not only to honour faith, but also to project the image of Andalucía to a global audience.

Casanova, who also produced the campaign video, is the creative agency that created Frames from AndalucíaThe campaign was a part of a previous, award-winning campaign to strengthen the region’s cultural brand and touristic image.

The modern pilgrim

In this new production, John Cleese does not play a sceptic or a mocking apostle — instead, he becomes a kind of modern-day pilgrim who, far from parodying, sees in Andalusian religiosity “the soul” that resonates with his own sensibility. The result of this campaign is an attempt to transcend the boundaries between the spiritual and the secular.

Beyond the video and media splash The Revelation of the Andalusian Crusade It is clear that the aim of this campaign is to redefine religious tourism into a profitable, emotional and heritage-rich product.

Andalucía — with centuries of Catholic history and a ritual intensity unmatched in Europe — has found in its cofradíasIt is a source for both economic and cultural value. It now seeks to export its richness, with the blessing of a former Monty Python.

Cleese insinuates in the video that perhaps the real revelation lies not in believing but in feeling. Even if you don’t believe.