Tourism Opportunities for Families, Young People and Couples Will Be Presented at FITUR 2013 from 30th January to 3rd February in Madrid.
The tourist industry has sought to introduce the latest trends, developments and options in order to satisfy every kind of traveller. In this respect, families look for activities and facilities that enable their kids to have a great time within a safe and secure environment, a very different set of concerns compared to a newly-wed couple or a group of young people. Thus, a growing number of tourism companies and authorities have chosen to incorporate programmes that are designed to cater for the needs of each of these segments and FITUR, which is due to take place from 30th January to 3rd February in Madrid, is the ideal setting that has been chosen to promote these programmes and seduce potential travellers.
It is often the case that trips that may be attractive to parents are not especially appealing to the children. However, in order to address this problem, many tourism companies and authorities have created products that take the needs of all members of the family into account. This is the case at Marina d’Or, which offers a children’s play-park, activities and shows designed for the youngest members of the family. During the course of FITUR, this exhibitor will present its latest developments to visitors. The Polynesia Water Park has 51 attractions, together with a covered and heated swimming area so that the facility can be enjoyed throughout the entire year.
For its part, the Enchanted Garden offers children a magical world in which the trees move and tell stories, replete with an endless series of cartoon characters such as gnomes and fairies. Whilst children enjoy these attractions, parents can relax at the Sea-Water Spa, the largest in Europe. Another idea under the heading of family tourism comes from Loro Parque, which will commemorate its Fortieth Anniversary with a series of new shows for the entire family. Meanwhile, at the Siam Water Park, the bravest visitors can try out the new 200-metre-long Kinnaree Shoot and the Sawasdee Aquatic Jungle.
The hotel chain, H10, also offers a range of family tourism products, having taken the youngest members of the family into account with the design of its latest establishment, the Hotel known as Ocean Varadero El Patriarca in Cuba. The hotel’s sports facilities are complemented with two areas, the Miniclub Daisy and TeenClub, featuring daytime activities, shows and music for children and young people, respectively.
This trend has also been adopted by Princess Hotels in the refurbishment of a number of its establishments. In order to cater for the needs of its guests more effectively, the Hotel Jandía Princess, located in Fuerteventura, has created two clearly differentiated areas. The Family Princess Area is specially designed for family tourism and includes a series of recreational areas for children, such as the Farm Princess. The other part of the hotel has been turned into an Adults Only Area, which is equipped with a chillout swimming-pool and wellness and Zen areas. As part of this initiative, the Hotel Suite Princess has been entirely transformed into an Adults Only establishment. At an international level, the Hotel Bávaro Princess, located in Punta Cana, has refurbished its rooms, creating ambiences that are specifically designed for couples, known as Honeymoon suites.
Tourism Ideas for Young People
The Palladium Hotel Group is a pioneer when it comes to offering specific products for young people. Its Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel is an innovative accommodation concept that combines discotheques with a hotel, whilst the Group’s Mallorca Rocks Hotels and Mallorca Rocks Apartments, have been decorated with young people in mind, replete with contemporary photos, graffiti featuring musical motifs and psychedelic shower-curtains, among other aspects, in order to evoke the latest music scene.
Various tourist destinations have also segmented their tourism opportunities in order to attract all kinds of visitors. In this respect, we might mention Germany, which will turn 2013 into a thematic year under the heading of “Youth Travel to Germany – Hotspots, Brand New, Lifestyle”, an initiative to be supported by a campaign in the social media. For their part, families can enjoy all the magic of Germany with the “German Fairy Tales Route”, an itinerary that forms part of the activities organised to commemorate the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the publication of “Children’s and Household Tales” by the Brothers Grimm.
Thus, children can discover the village where Snow White lived, Bad Wildungen-Bergfreiheit, the Region inhabited by Little Red Riding Hood between Alsfeld and Fritzlar, and the valley of Mother Holle in Hohen Meißner. Furthermore, the Permanent Exhibition at the Brothers Grimm Museum at the Palace of Bellevue offers both children and adults the opportunity to discover the entire history surrounding the Brothers Grimm and their literary output.
