Greater networking at FITUR

FITUR 2021, that will run from from May 19 to 23, shows promise and hope of the return of travel and business of travel to the region. This year it also has a new addition – LiveConnect – an AI-powered technolgy that  will form the framework of professional and commercial relationships that will take place during FITUR.

The Madrid Region will be the FITUR 2021 Tourist Destination Partner at this special edition, the 41st. Its theme is ‘Tourism is Back’. This is an excellent opportunity for the Madrid Region to position itself once again as a world leader and preferred tourist destination for international travellers.

This year, FITUR LiveConnect platform  is the new addition to the show and will showcase an opportunity to create commercial networking and to strengthen the interaction with the international tourist community, beyond the closing dates of FITUR.

The LiveConnect platform, operational from May 5 to June, is developed with artificial intelligence technology, will offer all professionals in the sector the opportunity to be connected and to have an extra special content, with high-interest programming and a contact program aimed at a wide expansion. It will form the framework of professional and commercial relationships that will take place during the FITUR.

Sharing how FITUR will be different from the last year, María Valcarce, Director, FITUR, said it  will be the first fair that brings the tourism industry together in person again after the pandemic. “As a complement to in-person participation, the FITUR LiveConnect online platform will allow us to extend FITUR’s reach in time and place beyond the event days. On a physical level, logically, FITUR isn’t going to reach the record-breaking scale it achieved in 2020. Still, we hope it will be a very professional edition that will contribute to tourism’s relaunch,” she says.

FITUR will be one of the first major international mobility experiences, and we’ll be focusing on tourism recovery. It will also address various cross-cutting issues such as digital transition and innovation, other issues related to sustainable development, and all the industry verticals represented at the different MICE tourism sections, like health, film, cultural, language, and more. Reminiscing India’s participation in FITUR over the years, Valcarce said that India’s such a great and wonderful country and has always been a major participant at FITUR. “There’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment about India’s participation because of the way the pandemic is evolving there. Two Indian states have reservations still pending final confirmation, but we hope that they’ll be able to be with us in the end. India’s presence at our Fair kept growing in recent years and it’s a very popular destination for Spanish travellers and tourism fans worldwide.”

Talking about innovation in the FITUR festivals this year, she said, “We’ve expanded the Festivals section to include other cultural events in addition to the music festivals, which were its initial focus. We hope to move forward in this direction because cultural events tourism is a significant market driver, one that should be represented at FITUR.”

The Madrid Region at FITUR 2021 will present its new brand image and new concept as an international tourism region – Greater Madrid. With this new name, international tourists will be able to grasp the idea of what the Madrid Region is clearly and that its hospitable geographical context has a surprising and extensive wealth of heritage.