FITUR opens its doors in Madrid with 107 participating countries

USPA NEWS - The International Tourism Fair (FITUR) opened its doors this Wednesday in Madrid in person, with the security measures required by the pandemic. The King and Queen of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, presided over the inauguration of the forty-second edition of FITUR, which will be held from January 19 to 23, 2022 at the Madrid Fair, as a show of support for the tourism sector.

Their majesties’ attendance is an honour that once again demonstrates the Royal Family’s continued support for the International Tourism Fair throughout its history. Their presence is especially relevant at this year’s FITUR, which will be decisive in boosting market confidence and demonstrating tourism’s potential for generating wealth and employment. FITUR brings together 6,933 participants this year. In attendance they are all of Spain’s regions together with companies and destinations from 107 countries, 70 of them with official international representation, headed by the Dominican Republic, FITUR’s Partner Country this year.

The Kings were received by the president of the Executive Committee of IFEMA, José Vicente de los Mozos, and by the president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona. Together they entered Hall 9 and received greetings from the State, regional, local authorities and IFEMA, and began a tour that included visits to the stands of the Spanish regions of Galicia, the Canary Islands and Madrid; from the companies Turespaña, Iberia, Paradores, Iryo and FITUR Screen; and from countries such as Morocco, Jordan and Portugal.

At the stand of the Dominican Republic, guest country of the FITUR 2022 edition, a typical folk dance was performed by a ballet and a fragment of the song 'Dominican soy' by Carmen Elena Aguilera, and the work of a tobacco teacher rolling cigars, thus concluding the inauguration of the 42nd edition of the International Tourism Fair-FITUR.

The International Tourism Fair-FITUR is the first annual event for world tourism professionals and the leading fair for inbound and outbound markets in Ibero-America. FITUR is a unique forum to promote brands, present new products, find out about the latest trends and fill agendas with contacts and prospects. In addition, it has the support of the entire value chain of the tourism industry, as evidenced by the high national and international representation, and figures that place the fair "in parameters very close to those achieved before the pandemic."

Eight pavilions of the fairgrounds are occupied, where all the Spanish regions are represented, with a wide range of national destinations, new companies, and a greater international presence. In total, the fair brings together around 100 countries with 70 official representations, led by the Dominican Republic, which this year is the "partner country".

In the 2021 edition of FITUR, which was delayed to May due to the pandemic, 5,000 companies and 55 countries attended, with more than 62,000 face-to-face attendees - 42,000 professionals and more than 20,000 visitors. They were joined by more than 40,000 digital visitors, thanks to the first hybrid edition of the fair. The previous year, in January 2020, before the official start of the pandemic in March, the main fair organized by IFEMA achieved the highest number of attendance in its history in its exclusively professional sessions, with 150,011 participants from 140 countries. The fair brought together 255,000 visitors that year; 918 main exhibitors; 11,040 companies, 165 countries and regions, and an international share of 56%.

Puerto Rico promotes itself

Puerto Rico aims to promote itself as the perfect destination for doing business, strengthening ministerial and commercial relations with Latin America and Ibero-America, and promoting tourism for travellers, groups and conventions. ‘It’s vital that Puerto Rico takes part in FITUR, since this trade fair is one of the most important annual showcases for tourism products and destinations and, at the same time, provides direct access to representatives and decision makers. This offers us an excellent opportunity to promote the rollout of new routes and boost travel from the European continent and other international countries’, according to Carlos Mercado Santiago, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (CTPR) have a vibrant and distinctive stand, decorated in a rainbow of colours typical of the Caribbean state. There is also modern, with comfortable areas provided for group and individual meetings. It also show off some of the island’s many attractions, elements of Puerto Rican culture, history, gastronomy and landscapes, both incorporated into the decor and projected via colourful screens located at various points around the stand.

The stand celebrates the 500th anniversary of the founding of Old San Juan as the capital city of Puerto Rico, represented by a reproduction of the beautiful cobblestone streets of the walled city. It also highlight other attractions, such as the largest and most technologically advanced Convention Centre in the Caribbean and the new entertainment centre, the T-Mobile District, with its concert halls, restaurants, hotels, urban ziplines and the most high-tech cinemas in the Caribbean. Likewise, hotel ventures will be presenting their varied and specialised products and services, and sharing their plans for future high-impact developments for the region.

In terms of entertainment, the island offer performances of Puerto Rican music from the group Plenaría del Exilio, while traditional Puerto Rican food will be on offer from the restaurant El Casal de Pepa. There offers also opportunities for visitors to taste a selection of Puerto Rican rum and coffee, enjoy salsa lessons or try their hand at a domino tournament.