Fitur is one of the largest showcases where every country, autonomous community, province and city showcases its best clothes to attract visitors of all kinds, as well as providing the opportunity to close corporate meetings or present results. A new visitor record was set ahead of this year’s edition; Up to 84 million tourists visited Spain in 2023, and overnight stays in hotels also set historic figures last year. Madrid exhibition center Ifema is the place where all actors in the sector meet every year. And when we say it all, that’s it. From regional presidents who had time to make friends with the opposition, such as Emiliano García-Page, to big businessmen in the sector such as Gabriel Escarrer or the Matutes brothers. Even the president of Ecuador (the guest country in this issue), Daniel Noboa, did not want to miss the event and went to Madrid, despite the fact that he declared a civil conflict in his country a few weeks ago. In addition, this edition of the fair also has various extravagances, such as the zip line that Puerto Rico set up to fly in the courtyard of the fairground, Vincci Hoteles’ offer to spend the night in a hotel. suit room the chain is stuck on its screen or a stop Palestine inviting you to visit the Holy Land in the midst of Israel’s war offensive.
However, among the 806 exhibitors displayed in nine Ifema pavilions to attract the attention of the curious visitor, journalist or regional president, those from Andalusia are undoubtedly among the exhibitors with the most potential. Autonomous Community led Fitur 2024 Life Andalusian love chose to modernize the image it wanted to sell to tourists. The region, which has benefited from sun and beach tourism for years, offers visitors the opportunity to benefit from Andalusia’s extensive cultural heritage, leaving aside flamenco and castanets. english expression crushIn addition to being one of the foreign words preferred by young generations to represent the concept of suddenly falling in love, it has also found a place in the advertising world as an interesting product claim for the consumer.
Andalusia also took advantage of this to project a modern and open image to the world. Area I spilled the rest At Fitur 2024, Ifema’s pavilion of approximately 6,500 square meters occupies a large part of 5, with a participant representing the eight provinces that make up the autonomous community. While the region seizes the opportunity to change tourist communication, Madrid has risen to the challenge and stuck with flamenco and castanets. Inside stop You can enjoy a flamenco show on Wednesday from the Community of Madrid. The region where the capital of Spain is located, World Capital of FlamencoIt’s one of the claims the region has adopted to promote cultural presentation.
The fair hosted more than 150,000 professionals from the industry in Ifema between this Wednesday and Sunday. Expectations are that the event will contribute up to 430 million euros to the regional economy. Around 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the fair over the weekend. Estimates show that in total: 8,500 people comes from all autonomous communities, numerous companies and more than 152 countries; 90 of them have official international representation.
new experiences
While Fitur strives to offer largely new experiences, this edition the organization decided to offer attendees a new attraction that simulates one of Puerto Rico’s attractions, the ToroVerde Adventure Park, which features a zip line at speeds of up to 152 kilometers per hour. . This is the first time such an initiative has been made. In the facilities of the fairground, the bravest ones could jump free of charge from a large 10-meter-high rope that crossed the entire veranda.. It’s free, by the way, unlike dining, which can involve a significant expense for fair attendees. Menus in some restaurant chains can reach 25 euros and a lunch can be purchased. food truck Eating on the bench at the fair was around 20 euros.
On the other hand, Vincci Hoteles chain also offered Fitur participants the opportunity to stay overnight at a participant at the fair for the first time. The chain has designed a “sort of” hotel room for “guests” who want to stay. Outside suit room represent facade of the legendary Vincci CapitolThe groove is an original symbol of the capital’s skyline and Madrid’s Gran Vía. poster with colorful neons. Inside you can find almost all the elements found in a real hotel.
Other curious experiences of Fitur 2024 are as follows: The opportunity to virtually sail on one of the sailboats of the America’s Cup, which will be held in Barcelona this year.. The Barcelona Provincial Council estimates that more than 1.5 billion people from 190 countries will follow this sailing competition. Besides the Sailing America’s Cup, Barcelona is also presenting wellness tourism and wine tourism in its exhibition as a preview of the World Year of Gastronomy Regions, which Catalonia will host in 2025.
Regional conflicts
Although conflict seems incompatible with tourism, Fitur receives travel recommendations from even the most dangerous places. This is the case with Ecuador as a guest country this year. The “main” goal of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism “Restoring confidence in international markets and tourists” after a wave of violence in the country and the declaration of an “internal armed conflict”As branch minister Niels Olsen stated.
Despite the dramatic situation in the Middle East, even punished Palestine did not want to miss the opportunity to promote visits to the Holy Land.. Its enemy, Israel, also took part in this edition of Fitur 2024, but the distance between the two neighboring countries in Ifema was a few meters. Ukraine and Russia, the protagonists of the other major regional conflict of the time, decided to refrain from participating in Fitur 2024 this year and did not place a participant.
Massification has reached Fitur
Overcrowding and the impacts of tourism on local communities have been one of the key concerns raised by the industry in various forums ahead of Fitur 2024. The fair itself has suffered the effects of negative impacts, as have some of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations. overcrowded. Although the accreditations were distributed days in advance, hundreds of journalists and speakers had to wait in long queues at the opening of the fair.. Security checks and verification of individual accreditations carried out at airports have created a serious bottleneck in the entry of informants who have to undergo the same level of control. Some events and meetings planned for Fitur 2024 had to be postponed due to overcrowding in some towns on the Spanish coast.
After entering the fair, The crowd was also felt at noon. Queues and queues to purchase menus offered in restaurants and businesses food truckEven at the gold price, they could last up to 45 minutes with some burger menus for 25 euros.
As with all major events of the time, a reference to sustainability could not be missing. Ifema installed colorful bins to separate rubbish and cardboard cutlery was distributed to avoid plastic. There was also a commitment to popularize practices such as leasing at the meeting. electric vehicles.