World tourism industry under one roof at

54

MICEtalk

FITUR, organised by IFEMA, proved to be a global meeting point for tourism professionals and the leading trade fair for developing inbound and outbound relations with the Ibero-American markets. The year’s first tourism meeting confirmed the increasing strength of the sector. The number of direct participants grew by 12 per cent and the exhibition space was up by four per cent. In its 35th edition, the five-day extravaganza at FITUR 2015, gathered 200,000 visitors among whom 120,000 were professionals. The show was opened by King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain and the provisional figures spoke of the best results for the fair since the financial crisis began, with a five per cent increase in professional visitors this year and a 12 per cent increase in international participation. The budget for organising the trade show exceeded 10.5 million Euros, including 3 million Euros allocated to international promotional actions and invitations to buyers. Two new sections were added as novelties, seeking to act as a driver for the health and shopping segments as well as for staging the Spain Global Tourism Forum as part of the show. Shopping and health tourism sectors were positive additions to the fair as destinations