ITTN’s Shane Cullen and Allie Sheehan report from the Fitur Conference in Madrid.
A Very Good Year – A Fine Wine & Fair Forecast at Fitur
The size and scale of the Fitur Conference cannot be underestimated. Held in IFEMA Madrid, which holds the accolade of best convention centre in Europe, the conference is spread across 50 acres (yes, 50 acres) of space.
Despite the impact the global pandemic has had on our sector, tourism authorities, hotels, tour operators, airlines and all related segments are very evidently open for business. In addition, the consensus across the conference is that the industry is clearly optimistic about 2022.
The widespread expectation is that tourism levels may not be back to 2019 levels this year but will not be far off. Furthermore, many companies used the last two years to invest in upgrading their offering – hotel rooms, facilities, services etc. so even if tourist numbers are lower than two years ago, the quality of the offering has improved, in turn allowing for higher price points.
In other words, back bigger and better than ever! While my feet rest, my mind is bubbling with positivity. Much like the Spanish wine I’ve sampled today, this is going to be a very good year.
