FITUR received 225,000 visitors and generated 200 million in revenue for Madrid

USPA NEWS - The 35th International Tourism Fair (FITUR 2015) which was held in Madrid from January 27 to February 1, closed its doors with a new record of participation, which coincides, according to organizers, with the best data yields of the industry tourism in Spain and internationally.

About 225,000 visitors, professionals and the general public came to the fair for know the offerings in tourism than 165 countries and 9,107 companies. The figure represents an increase of 3.3% compared to 2014, when fairgoers were 217,880. According to the trade fair of Madrid (IFEMA), organizer of the event, the show had an impact induced Madrid in revenue of over 200 million euros.

As part of the event was evident that internationalization is a key element for tourism businesses. So believes the XVIII Ibero-American Conference of Ministers of Tourism and Entrepreneurs (CIMET) that was held in Madrid within the framework of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR). The American Conference of Tourism Ministers and Entrepreneurs is the meeting point of Spanish entrepreneurs with government heads of tourism in Latin America. During their discussions, the Secretary of Tourism of the Spanish Government, Isabel Borrego, highlighted FITUR as one of the most important international fairs in the world and recalled that tourism is responsible for one in 11 jobs worldwide and 9.5% of world GDP.

With regard to Spain, the Government representative recalled that the Spanish tourism occupies a privileged position in the international arena and is a world reference, with 65 million international tourist arrivals in 2014, representing an increase of 7.1% yoy. An evolution in which "the private sector is key," he said, with highly qualified professionals and the important know-how developed in recent years, that "must now be exported to other destinations“.

Speaking at the ceremony, President of Governing Board of Feria de Madrid (IFEMA), Jose Maria Alvarez del Manzano, said that CIMET is "an essential meeting place with Latin America" in the framework of FITUR, which is "an appointment very important for the Latin American tourism“. Meanwhile, ministers and deputy ministers of tourism CIMET participants stressed the importance of tourism to their countries and leading industry figures. They also explained the incentives for investment in Latin America and major projects that their governments are conducting this activity, to increase the competitiveness of its tourism worldwide.