Madrid December 2009. The International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) will be holding its 30th edition between 20 and 24 January 2010. Just over a month away from the opening of the event, the participation figures have remained steady with respect to the last edition, with more than 12,000 companies originating from 170 countries or regions.The next edition of FITUR sees the new incorporation of official representations from countries such as Uganda, the Official Republic of Ghana and Kuwait, as well as territories such as Abu Dhabi, which significantly increases the event’s international participation. These destinations increase the presence of some of the international areas with greater potential for tourism development: Africa and the Middle East. Attending for the first time is the Belize Hotel Association. Official bodies from the Seychelles and Burkina Faso will be attending the International Tourism Trade Fair this year after missing the last edition, affirming once more the importance of FITUR as a commercial platform for the tourism sector.
The international tourism proposals will be distributed throughout halls 2, 4, 6 and part of 8, of the IFEMA trade fair centre. The remaining space in halls 8 and 10 is reserved for the business and commercial area, with the uneven numbered halls will be dedicated to the Spanish institutional tourism proposals. Hall 14.1 will be holding the FITUR CONGRESOS event.
BUSINESS INITIATIVES
FITUR, in a bid to further intensify the proposals on offer, adapt itself to market demands and contribute to invigorating the market dynamics, has created RECEPTIVO ESPAÑA (inbound Spain). This business forum groups together all the programmes aimed at promoting Spain as a tourist destination, makes them easily locatable within the Trade Fair, and facilitates the tasks of the numerous buyers seeking these types of programmes at FITUR.
FITUR’s commitment to the travel industry has also been the impetus behind the creation of INVESTOUR, in close collaboration with the UNWTO and Casa Africa, for promoting Spanish investment in African tourism projects and thus supporting the economic growth and employment in these African nations. The celebration of the first edition of this forum includes the noteworthy presence of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Among the projects presented to date, a large number have been presented by Burkina Faso and Togo, as well as other initiatives originating from Angola, Benin, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Morocco, Mauritius, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia and Uganda.
Another indication of FITUR’s involvement with the sustainable development of the tourism industry comes in the form of FITUR GREEN, created jointly with the UNWTO and the Madrid Tourist Board. This forum, comprising an exhibition and a conference, is aimed at raising awareness among sector professionals and presenting all the devices available for improving the energy efficiency of destinations and establishments, as well as discussing the advantages to be obtained by adopting them.
Moreover, the MINUBE travel social net and the Madrid Tourist Board are holding a “Meetup” on 23 January at the Trade Fair, a meeting which offers all types of travellers the chance to exchange experiences and enjoy the recommendations from other travel lovers. At the same time, the website specialists will be offering advice to FITUR visitors on 23 and 24 January on the company’s stands where they will find information on destinations and will be able to plan routes for maximising their visit to FITUR.
These new initiatives are in addition to the Trade Fair’s already established activities and events such as the technical conferences and workshops which are established sector benchmarks, the FITURTECH sessions, presenting the latest technological products applied to tourism, and the FITUR-Anestur-Turijobs workshop, where potential job candidates meet with the Human Resources managers of the sector’s most competitive companies.
