In recognition of the excellence of the tourism sector, FITUR, the International Tourism Fair, has held its traditional annual FITUR Awards ceremony for the 2024 edition. Specifically, the XLIV Best Stand Awards; the V Sustainable Stand Awards; the XXIV Active Tourism Awards, and the XXV FITUR-Jorge Vila Fradera Tribune Award have been awarded, the jury's decision for which took place during FITUR 2024, held last January at IFEMA MADRID.
The FITUR Awards annually highlight the efforts of institutions, companies, professionals and researchers to enhance the image of the sector, create new products that diversify the offer and contribute to sustainable development, as well as academic-scientific research to promote the evolution of the industry from knowledge and analysis.
The event, organised by IFEMA MADRID, was attended by Natalia Bayona, Executive Director of ONU Turismo; Ana Muñoz Llabrés, General Director of Tourism Policies of the Secretary of State for Tourism; Marco Sansavini, President of Iberia and of the Organising Committee of FITUR; Daniel Martínez, Executive Vice-President of IFEMA MADRID; Arancha Priede, General Director of Business of IFEMA MADRID; the Deputy Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sport of the Community of Madrid; the General Director of Tourism of the City Council of Madrid; the General Director of Competitiveness and Tourism Quality of the Region of Murcia; the Director of Tourism of Andalusia; the President and CEO of Paradores; the Ambassador of Ecuador and the Ambassador of Ghana; among other authorities and representatives of the award-winning destinations and projects.
These awards, in the words of Daniel Martínez, Executive Vice President of IFEMA MADRID, “come to underline the important contribution of all the actors who work to strengthen the sector and give impetus to the tourism business. A tribute to institutions, companies and professionals who are an inspiration for their good work in promoting and projecting tourism, and an example of the will, effort and enthusiasm that characterise a robust and competitive sector, which every year makes the International Tourism Fair its best global business platform”.
Best Stand Awards
In the Autonomous Communities and Institutions section, FITUR awarded prizes to the stands of Andalusia, Galicia and Madrid. Ecuador, Ghana and Morocco were recognised in the category of Best Country and Region Stand, while in the Companies category Paradores, Neobookings and Vueling were awarded for their aesthetics and staging.
Sustainable Stand Awards
Paradores, Master Card and Costa Cálida (Murcia) have been the three stands that have received awards, focusing their stand on sustainability, the backbone of FITUR, and thus standing out for having developed the proposals that are most aligned with the SDGs during their participation.
Active Tourism Awards
Organised by FITUR and AireLibre Magazine, this award seeks to promote the development and marketing of the tourism industry with a special focus on promoting active tourism products. From 56 proposals submitted by companies participating in FITUR, the jury assessed criteria such as the novelty and innovation of the product, its contribution to sustainable tourism development in its economic, environmental and social aspects, and the quality of its image and the marketing elements surrounding the product.
In the national category, the winners were 'Camino de Hierro: Natural Trail through an incredible railway engineering work' (Salamanca) and 'Desafío Overtrails Adventure' (Turismo de Navarra). In the international category, 'A Glimpse into Montenegro wild beauty: Katun roads' (National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro) and 'Ruta del Mezcal de Guerrero: Fandango Mezcalero', (State of Guerrero, Mexico).
FITUR Tribune Award-Jorge Vila Fradara
Awarded by FITUR in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Tourism Experts (AECIT), it recognises the best academic research work related to the tourism sector. In 2024, the award went to Tamara González González and Desiderio J. García for “Hotel receptionists’ suggestions as a driver of change and organisational innovation: an analysis of profiles, personality, creativity, knowledge and motivation”, research that stands out for its originality and complexity, as well as the difficulty of the research process.
Source: FITUR.