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It is the only

that has held all its editions without interruption.

And this year, in addition, Fitur -it starts today in Ifema (Madrid) for professionals and the turn of the general public will come over the weekend- practically recovers the figures, space and

And it is that if already in 2022 it launched "a clear and direct message that tourism was possible and necessary", as explained by José Vicente de los Mozos, president of the Executive Committee of Ifema, the current call confirms that world tourism activity is in full swing and that

The reasons, below, together with all the keys and news of the 43rd edition of the fair.

A BOOMING SECTOR

The statistics say so: around 700 million people moved around the globe

more than 133% of the figure registered in the same period of 2021, which corroborates the recovery of one of the sectors most affected by the Covid-19.

To the point of reaching 65% of the levels prior to the

, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

And that the economic environment, with galloping inflation, skyrocketing energy prices and

do not make it easy.

Even so, the prospects for the future are more than positive in the words of the Secretary General of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili: "Tourism continues to recover steadily, despite the

of both a geopolitical and economic nature.

The sector is restoring hope and opportunity to people around the world, but it is also time to rethink it and understand where it is going and how it affects people and the planet."

RECORD FIGURES

A total of 8,500 companies,

, 66,900 square meters... These are the figures handled by the 43rd edition of the fair, with an increase in participants of 32% compared to the 2022 edition and 50% if it is look internationally.

As for attendees, the arrival of 120,000 professionals is expected

and between

over the weekend.

Not in vain, the exhibition area throughout the eight pavilions in which the

of the fair are distributed is the same as before the pandemic (January 2020 edition), when a historical record number was reached , with 255,000 visitors.

Mexico stand in previous editions.IFEMA

10 MONOGRAPHIC SECTIONS

Specialization is one of the keys to the fair, which has 10 monographic sections focused on the offer of cruises (Fitur Cruises);

, whose motto this year is Love for traveling;

technology

(Fiturtechy), inspired this time by the exploits of Jules Verne;

trips to learn languages ​​(Fitur Lingua);

exports (Fitur Know-How & Export);

the search for talent as an engine of tourism development (Fitur Talent);

(Fitur Woman);

the connection with the audiovisual media (Fitur Screen) or travel for meetings, incentives, congresses and events (Fitur Mice).

The one dedicated to sports would be missing (

), which opens this year with the aim of showing how sports tourism drives the sustainable growth of the sector by

and promoting the development of rural and not too crowded destinations.

GUATEMALA AS A PARTNER

As every year, a country attends the fair as a partner and this time it was the turn of Guatemala, whose ambassador in Spain, Mónica Bolaños, confirms the opportunity that "

and great potential as a destination Iberoamerican".

In this sense, from the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (Inguat) they insist on highlighting the Latin state, whose motto at the fair is Astonishing and unstoppable as "the ideal place for vacations,

, as well as like to live experiences of nature, culture and adventure".

Among the places that they recommend visiting is the capital itself, Guatemala City, beautiful Antigua,

the Tikal and Río Dulce national parks,

the Papaya volcano and Semuc Champey, a natural paradise of turquoise waters and great ecological wealth.

Its stand E314 in hall 3 offers information on all of them with live experiences.

Guatemala is the partner country of Fitur this year.INGUAT

THE CALL OF AMERICA

Guatemala is accompanied by the vast majority of countries of the American continent in Hall 3. Thus, essential destinations such as

Peru, Chile, Puerto Rico, Panama, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay , Cuba, El

or Colombia.

The latter, for example, aims to internationalize all its regions by showing off its status as the most biodiverse country in the world per square kilometer.

Not surprisingly, sustainable tourism is part of its DNA, which will be seen today at its stand, whose aesthetic imitates the

country's nature to underline that the destination is a world power of life.

Also

will go to Ifema, with special dedication to specific cities such as New York or Las Vegas.

ASIA, IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The international presence in Fitur has doubled compared to last year, especially in the case of the area corresponding to

whose number of participants has grown by 163%, followed by

, with 60% more, and Africa, which increases its presence by 88% in the companies section and 146% in total.

In the case of the first group (Hall 6), destinations such as Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand,

stand out at Ifema, among many others , which will affect the Silk Road.

On the other hand, the Middle East (pavilion 2) is led by countries such as Israel, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar (which will announce its renewed offer after the

) or Oman, which is launching an innovative portal to organize top experiences in the sultanate.

Another essential is Jordan, which not only sells world-renowned historical jewels such as Petra, the Dead Sea or

among the most beautiful in the world, but will also present new incentives such as the

a hiking and cultural route of six stages that covers part of the landscapes that the Galician woman of the same name surveyed.

Considered the first Hispanic traveler and writer, Egeria left Spain in 381

to complete an exciting journey that she recounted after her in her book

.

The new itinerary, designed by Jordanian (albeit Spanish-born) guide Óscar Koshebye, covers part of his

where Moses died, to the Bethany area where Jesus Christ was baptized at the hands of his cousin John the Baptist.

Fiturtechy section event.

THE MOMENT OF AFRICA

The so-called Black Continent (Hall 1) has more interest than ever in the Madrid meeting, increasing its exhibition space there by 146%.

Thus, it is the first time that destinations such as

which is sold as

and the least crowded beach destination on the continent.

It offers much more: diverse fauna, national parks, first-class waves, a growing ecotourism scene...

also bet on the Spanish market

, which will also present their novelties at the fair.

Another of the destinations that has set its sights on Fitur is

, since the Spanish market has increased its arrivals to that country by more than 240% over the last year.

As for the preferred activities, they include

and gastronomic routes -South Africa was chosen the best culinary destination in Africa in 2022-, as well as attending festivals, events and concerts.

GETAWAYS AROUND EUROPE

The Old Continent (Hall 4) has always marked the dates of the Madrid tourism fair in red on the calendar.

And this year again, to the point of increasing its space in it by 32% compared to the previous edition.

In this way, European classics (and not so much) such as

, San Marino or Portugal will not miss the appointment.

Our Portuguese neighbor, for example, is shown at stand 4C02 with the complete offer from its seven regions:

In total, 92 Portuguese exhibitors will join the event, making it one of the largest representations at the fair.

There is more, since it will also officially present the first

although the event will take place at the Turespaña stand.

For their part, most European countries want to highlight their sustainable development programs in nature, so in vogue after the pandemic, as well as

.

Even so, they are also aware of its pull as the perfect setting for an urban getaway in the case of capitals such as

London or Budapest.

Atmosphere on a fair day.

SUPPORT TO UKRAINE

Those responsible for Fitur have helped Ukraine to be present at the fair by providing a free stand (4A41 ​​in Hall 4), a situation that is only carried out in critical emergencies such as the one the country is going through and

.

In Madrid, the Meet Ukraine program will be presented, promoted by the

the Polytechnic University of Valencia through its O-CITY.org project and the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (Germany).

The objective is to make visible the situation of Ukraine in aspects such as tourism,

or infrastructure in general.

In addition, it is intended to create ties with companies in the sector to promote knowledge of the country.

For this, on behalf of Ukraine, Mariana Oleskiv, president of the

, and Pavlo Kukhta, former Minister of Economic Development and Trade, will participate in Fitur.

"We want the world to know about our beauty, culture and brave people," Oleskiv stresses.

Thus, it seeks to convert some places that the war has made famous, such as

into future tourist destinations.

PRACTICAL DATA

1. WHERE

In eight pavilions (from 3 to 10) of the Ifema fairgrounds.

Address: Avenida del Partenón, 5, Madrid.

Telephone: 902 221 515. Nearest metro stop: Ifema Madrid.

Buses: lines 73, 112 and 122.

2. WHEN

From January 18 to 22.

Professionals (Wednesday to Friday) and general public (Saturday and Sunday).

3. TIMETABLE

From January 18 to 20 (from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.).

January 21 (from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.).

January 22 (from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.).

4. TICKET PRICE

One-day professional pass: 20 euros.

Permanent: 40 euros.

General public admission (only Saturday and Sunday): 12 euros.

Free access for children under 10 years of age accompanied by an adult (it is mandatory to purchase a ticket) and people with disabilities to a degree equal to or greater than 33%.

5. MORE INFORMATION

The agenda of presentations and congresses, as well as the activities of the weekend (tastings, magic exhibitions, cooking workshops, children's games, shows, dances, raffles, 3D simulators, concerts, gymkhanas...) can be found at the Ifema website: www.ifema.es/fitur

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