IFEMA MADRID has hosted today, the eve of the inauguration of FITUR 2024, the XXVII Ibero-American Conference of Ministers and Entrepreneurs of Tourism, CIMET 2024, in which Rosana Morillo, Secretary of State for Tourism of Spain, María Valcarce, Director of FITUR, and Arancha Priede, Business Director of IFEMA Madrid, along with numerous other representatives of the public and private tourism sector. FITUR, the International Tourism Fair, which has Ecuador as a Partner Country, starts tomorrow the 24th and will run until January 28th.
At the inauguration of CIMET, Rosana Morillo, Secretary of State for Tourism, highlighted that “the tourism sector plays a strategic role in the development of our countries, and for many of our economies it constitutes the first industry and an important contribution to GDP.” . Likewise, "it is one of the most dynamic factors in economic growth and job creation, with the capacity to drag other sectors, as well as an important source of foreign currency income."
Morillo has indicated that, after the pandemic, 2023 has been “the year of full recovery of tourism for Spain” and added that our country “continues to be a leading destination, with a record in arrivals of international travelers and in tourist spending, where For the first time we exceeded 100,000 million euros.” On the other hand, the public official has advocated a strategy of “diversification and deseasonalization of tourist flows, which results in more sustainable tourism and less dependent on the seasons”, as well as “innovation through digital transformation” as main axes of the growth model.
For her part, María Valcarce, Director of FITUR, has expressed her satisfaction at hosting the CIMET celebration at IFEMA MADRID for another year on the eve of the opening of the International Tourism Fair. A fair that, as she explained, “is growing this year in all its parameters, with 9,000 participating entities from 152 countries, which will exhibit throughout 9 pavilions.” Thus, "this year we bring together more exhibitors, in a larger exhibition area and with a more international event than the previous edition." And he concluded that “FITUR is today the international tourism fair in the world with the most participating companies and the most professional attendees”, which makes it “an authentic center of tourist activity”, and which also plays an important role as a hub. with Ibero-America.
At the closing of CIMET 2024, Arancha Priede, Business Director of IFEMA MADRID, recalled that “we are just hours away from the start of FITUR, the most important tourism fair in the world by number of participants, for its valuable international representation, for its contribution to the revitalization of the business of the global industry, and for being the great hub of the tourism industry with Latin America.” Furthermore, she has highlighted sustainability as “the backbone of this edition of FITUR, present in all its contents”, and which is “an essential condition to encourage solid investment projects and development plans that last over time”.
Recovery of the sector
CIMET is an annual conference organized by the NEXO Group, which is held under the honorary presidency of Felipe VI, in collaboration with CEOE and FITUR. The Ministers and representatives of Tourism from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico and Uruguay participated in this morning's meeting, among others. After the official inauguration, the Ministers of Tourism of the Governments of the Ibero-American Nations have revealed to Spanish businessmen the keys to their investment and tourism development plans.
Other directors and business representatives also participated at the opening of the event, such as Juan Molas, President of the Spanish Tourism Board, who stated that “Spain is in a very sweet moment as a sector after some difficult years and with a recovery.” very fast”, and added that “2024 points to a repetition of this success”; although it has also encouraged further strengthening of tourist relations between Spanish and Latin American tourism.
Eugenio de Quesada, co-President of CIMET and President of the NEXO Group, has expressed his desire for this annual conference to transcend the event with “a digital platform that allows this connection to become a reality 365 days a year”, further enhancing plus the internationalization of Spanish and Latin American tourism companies.
Víctor Moneo, Director of Ibero-American Sales and Strategic Alliances and Agreements at Iberia, has indicated that “the time has come to certify the recovery of the tourism sector after several very complex years.” And it has echoed the data from Turespaña, which announces that 2023 closed with a record of 95 million passengers arriving in Spain by plane, 1% more than in 2019 and 18% more than in 2022. In addition, it has noted that “Iberia has increased its commitment and capacity in all its destinations in Latin America.”
Rodrigo Esponda, General Director of Promotion of Los Cabos (Baja California Sur), has highlighted the work that has been done in this Mexican destination, seeking "sustainability, quality, safety and benefit for all." While Óscar Rueda, Director of Tourism of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, reported that “last year our credit disbursement was 16.5 billion dollars” and showed his intention to “finance sustainable, inclusive tourism projects. and innovative.”
Challenges of the tourism sector
During the day, several panels-debates were also held with the Ministers of Tourism of Ibero-America. One of them, focused on “Hotels and Accommodation: Incentives and Investment Opportunities for the Spanish Hotel Industry”, has been directed by Javier García Cuenca, President of the Hotel Technology Institute of the Confederation of Hotels. A second panel on “Agencies and Operators: Environmental Sustainability in Destination Prescription”, moderated by José Manuel Lastra, Executive Vice President of the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies. And a third on “Sustainability and Quality Certification: Destination Strategies in Ibero-America”, coordinated by Miguel Mirones, President of the Institute for Tourism Quality and Sustainability in Spain.
During the event, the gold and shiny insignia of CIMET 2024 was awarded to the hero of Spanish tourism in Latin America Ávoris Corporación Empresarial. Next, the CIMET medals for internationalization in Ibero-America were awarded to the tourism ministers of the countries that had not yet received them, to entrepreneurs and companies in the Spanish tourism sector.
Yolanda de Aguilar, General Secretary of Tourism of Andalusia, participated in the closing of CIMET 2024; Almudena Maíllo, Tourism Councilor of the Madrid City Council; Juan Cierco Jiménez de Parga, President of the CEOE Tourism Council; Juan Molas, President of the Spanish Tourism Board; Carlos Garrido de la Cierva, President of the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies; Ramón Estalella, Secretary General of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Accommodations; Víctor Moneo, Director of Latin American Sales and Strategic Alliances and Agreements of Iberia; Arancha Priede, Business Director of IFEMA Madrid; Rodrigo Esponda, General Director of Promotion of Los Cabos (Baja California Sur); Óscar Rueda, Director of Tourism of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean; and Eugenio de Quesada Co-President of CIMET and President of the NEXO Group.