The process of contracting exhibition spaces is advancing with very positive expectations
The Trade Show will be hosting an extensive programme of seminars and gatherings, and a full agenda of B2B forums, making FITUR an essential tool in catalysing the tourism business
Madrid, 19 October de 2015.- The thirty-sixth staging of FITUR, the International Tourism Trade Show, will be held from 20 to 24 January 2016 in Madrid. The event, which as is traditional marks the start of the international calendar of happenings in the travel sector, will once again stand out for its capacity as a privileged meeting point for the global tourism industry, and a business tool fostering synergies and promoting commercial contacts and agreements.
As a result, three months before it is held, the response from the various exhibition areas is highly encouraging, with the contracting process advancing at a good pace. IFEMA, the institution that organises FITUR 2016, is therefore intensifying preparations for the forthcoming edition with very positive expectations, in line with the results achieved last time around, which set a historical record for participation at the Expo, providing the ideal launching pad for this to be the first major event of the year in the global tourism industry. In fact FITUR 2015, which brought together the tourism offering of 9,419 companies from 165 countries, clocked up 220,551 visitors, of whom 125,084 were professionals, with an increase of 12% in international professional visitors.
The dedication and trust that tourism companies and official bodies place in FITUR has therefore developed in harmony with the good times being experienced by tourism both globally and specifically in Spain. In this regard, according to UNWTO forecasts, Spain will amass 68 million international tourists in 2015, an increase of 6.2% in the foreign tourists visiting the country, maintaining its position in the global rankings at third in terms of the number of arrivals, and second by revenue.
In accordance with market trends
One of the hallmarks of the evolution of FITUR has been the Trade Show's proven capacity to recognise market trends and reflect them in its offering. In line with this principle, over recent years the event has added new specific sections aligned with the increasing segmentation of the market and the emergence of new business opportunities. The latest additions, FITUR SHOPPING and FITUR HEALTH, successfully introduced at the last gathering and bringing together propositions from 24 and 15 companies respectively, are expected to consolidate their increased involvement at the next edition, in terms of both companies and audience.
Following this same approach, the Trade Fair will once again this year for the sixth time feature a separate exhibition zone for FITUR LGBT. This will provide a platform for specific tourism supply and demand in the GAY-LGBT sector representing in Spain 6.1 billion in revenue according to LGBT Capital, with a potential for development and growth that has progressed in parallel with the staging of FITUR LGBT, which has since the first edition seen a 300% increase in the companies taking part. This time around, the lesbian segment will be given particular prominence.
Business and networking platform
The other sections prove themselves similarly effective in helping tourism professionals to find the key to successfully addressing the challenge of innovation, technology and sustainability throughout the value chain of the sector and tourism management. In this regard, FITUR KNOW HOW & EXPORT, promoted by FITUR and SEGITTUR, will be staging its fourth edition with the aim of boosting the international profile of the know-how and management of Spanish tourism companies. Other notable features include FITURTECH, organised by ITH, the Institute of Hotel Technology, in partnership with FITUR , which will be bringing together the latest offerings in the field of technology and the sphere of tourism applications, as a clear commitment to third generation tourism, while FITURGREEN, in partnership with UNWTO, will be promoting sustainability through energy saving and efficiency measures in hotel and tourism management.
Likewise, given the positive results last time around, with more than 5,000 pre-scheduled B2B appointments and 200 international buyers, the Fair will be hosting FITUR B2B Workshop Hosted Buyer programme. This will provide participants with an agenda of individualised and pre-scheduled appointments facilitating opportunities for exchange and commercial agreements among the companies taking part, and the extensive selection of international buyers invited by the organisers.
FITUR 2016 will once again feature such well-established initiatives as the Tourism Investments and Business Forum for Africa, INVESTOUR, now in its seventh edition, an unmissable venue for Spanish and international companies with an interest in investing in projects on the African continent, with the perspective of promoting a sustainable tourism model that will act as a driver of development for the region. On this occasion, FITUR, Casa África and the UNWTO, the organisers of the gathering, are also supported by the CEAV (the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies), which will be inviting its retail and wholesale network to take part in the forum, and to consider business opportunities in Africa, a fast-developing tourism region which last year received 56 million tourists and generated revenue of 36.5 billion dollars.
Major gatherings in the tourism sector
FITUR continues to put the finishing touches to an intense programme of professional gatherings and seminars that will bring together tourism experts in various fields, to analyse in depth the current situation of the tourism industry and explore new opportunities and openings for business. Of the events to be staged within the context of FITUR, particular mention should be made, among others, of the eighth Tourism Leadership Forum, organised by EXCELTUR, which will be addressing the issue of "Innovative policies to connect with digital tourists"; the 19th Latin American Conference of Tourism Ministers and Businesses (CIMET); the galas organised by the UNWTO, which include the 12th UNWTO Tourism Excellence and Innovation Awards Ceremony, along with a range of knowledge and innovation forums linked to the various segmented sections of the Fair.
The 36th staging of FITUR, a Trade Show organised by IFEMA, will be held from 20 to 24 January 2016 at Feria de Madrid.
More information:
Jesús González
Press Officer
Tel.: 0034 91 722 50 95
jesusg@ifema.es
Helena Valera
International Press
Tel.: 0034 91 722 51 74
evalera@ifema.es
Beatriz Zamorano
Writer
Tel.: 0034 91 722 58 43
beatriz.zamorano@ifema.es
- Distributed via http://www.AsiaToday.com