Expourense, the Ourense fairgrounds, adheres to the list of Affiliate Members of the World Tourism Organization. The UNWTO officially accepted this candidacy during the celebration of the 118th Assembly of its Executive Council that took place on May 18 in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic.
As an Affiliate Member of the UNWTO, Expourense increases the local, regional, national and global visibility of its projects related to tourism through the UNWTO network and channels. Expourense organizes two of the five international tourism fairs held in Spain: Xantar (International Gastronomic Tourism Fair) and Termatalia (International Fair of Thermal Tourism, Health and Well-being) that will now be supported by the UNWTO Affiliate Member seal, a fundamental tool to increase the competitiveness of private sector actors in tourism. In addition, Expourense is one of the few fair organizers that carries out its own projects in other countries, such as Termatalia, which this year will be held in Uruguay between October 4 and 6 with the close cooperation of the Uruguayan Ministry of Tourism.
In the letter approving Expourense's accession, the director of the UNWTO Affiliate Members Department, Ion VIlcu, stated that "UNWTO considers the private sector an important partner in fulfilling its mandate to promote the development of the sustainable tourism and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
In this context, we recognize the great potential of the collaboration with Expourense to contribute to the creation of a more ethical and responsible tourism sector, for the benefit of the international community”. The Department of Affiliate Members of the UNWTO is the main gateway to alliances and collaborations between the public sector and the private sector in tourism and let us remember that Expourense has positioned itself as an example of public-private cooperation in all the fairs and projects it promotes .
The UNWTO Affiliate Members Department brings together more than 500 companies, educational and research institutions, destinations and NGOs, offering them a space to engage in dialogue, share information and take further action. Its main mission is to foster synergies between Affiliate Members and Member States
and promote the exchange of knowledge between key agents, with the aim of contributing to the promotion of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In addition to Expourense, the adhesion of another 15 entities linked to tourism from countries such as the United States, Mexico, Turkey, Belgium, Greece, Macedonia, Indonesia or Malaysia was approved, as well as two other Spanish companies.