If you are looking for an excuse to plan your next trip to Madrid, I have good news for you.
FITUR 2014, the well-known International Tourism Fair in Spain will take place between January 22 and 26, in the Spanish capital.
The use of new technologies in travel planning is one of the challenges posed by the next 34th edition of FITUR, the main tourism fair in the country and one of the largest in the world.
According to the director of Fitur, Ana Larrañaga, cited by the tourism industry website PANROTAS, 2014 edition of the fair retains the emphasis on segmentation. Multiple events will be held in parallel at several halls, like Fitur LGBT, focusing on gay tourism, Fitur Green, celebrating sustainability, and Tech Fitur, pointing to the technological trends applied on tourism, among others.
“Targeting on specialization is a trend not only in tourism but in various sectors,” underlined Larrañaga.
“Today we can provide enough content to deepen even further in specific segments, which justifies our concept,” she explained.
This year’s event will be accompanied by Fiturtech, a parallel exhibition which focuses on the use of new technologies in the industries of travel and tourism, showcasing tools which today are vital on the day-to-day business for travel offices, operators, travel agents, as well as hotels and accommodation premises.
Fiturtech would certainly attract a large number of visitors attending Spain’s tourism fair Fitur, according to the expectations of its sponsors: the Technological Institute Hotelier (ITH), the Innovation Forum and Tourism Technologies.
In partnership with the State Society for Innovation Management and Tourism Technologies (Segittur), Fiturtech will stage “The App Tourism Awards 2014,” aiming to highlight the significance of new technology applied into tourism, as well as the importance of mobile applications on travel scheduling.
A committee will choose the best apps which help improving the experience of tourism in some stage of a journey, on two major categories, Spanish and International.
Furthermore, the Spanish apps will be divided into the categories of: adventure tourism, sun and beaches, cultural tourism and tourist services.
In the case of international applications, the subcategories are: destination guide and improve the experience of traveling. Companies interested in the competition have already submitted their apps online at www.segittur.es, by mid-December.
However, in its ninth edition, Fiturtech – which brings together exhibitors from the areas of technology with products and services that benefit the tourism industry – is not the only main attraction for visitors.
Another event, this time in partnership with the World Tourism Organization, is the Symposium, which is organized by Through Knowledge Networks.
As regards the number of exhibitors expected in Madrid on the occasion, the director of Fitur said that in 2014 there will be “a small contraction in the number of exhibitors from Europe.”
However, the decline in the number of European companies exhibiting their products and services was offset by other regions, such as the Americas. Therefore, “we have almost the same number of exhibitors,” said Larrañaga.
To check out the entire schedule of Fitur 2014, visit www.fituronline.com
