Collado announced the upcoming opening of a tennis school and a hotel owned by Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, the return of the PGA Corales golf tournament, and football projects, among others.
SANTO DOMINGO- More than 54 Dominican companies will be showcasing their services and products at the International Tourism Fair (Fitur), which opens today, Wednesday, January 24, in Madrid, Spain, considered one of the most important business gatherings for the global tourism industry.
Yesterday, David Collado, the Dominican Republic's Minister of Tourism, presented a roadshow ahead of the fair's opening, highlighting the Dominican Republic's achievements to date. Ecuador is serving as a partner country at Fitur 2024.
With the pandemic as a reference point, Collado highlighted the sector's recovery with figures that even surpass those of 2019, the year before COVID-19, emphasizing the achievement of reaching the goal of 10 million visitors last year.
On three giant screens installed in the famous Las Ventas bullring in Madrid, the Dominican community present, travel agencies and tour operators, among others, viewed all the work that has been done, including the recovery of public beaches and boardwalks in different destinations to once again look at the sea.
Mixture of proposals
Cultural, sporting, and gastronomic diversity will be the priorities for 2024, which brought the country to Madrid. Collado announced the upcoming opening of a tennis academy and a hotel owned by Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, the return of the PGA Corales golf tournament, and various soccer projects, among others.
“We are not going to rest on our laurels,” warned Collado, who asked for continued trust in the Dominican Republic to remain the “powerhouse of the region.”.
David Collado highlighted the achievements in the Dominican Republic on the international stage. (External source).
He noted that the big challenge this year is to surpass the 3% of Spanish tourists who visited the Dominican Republic in 2023.
Collado's expectations for this event are "extremely high." He reiterated that sports tourism will be launched, an average of 30 agreements will be signed with airlines and tour operators from across the European market, and announcements will be made regarding new hotels and flights to Quisqueya (the Dominican Republic).
Fitur
Sustainability will be the central theme of the entire tourism fair.
This event is projected to serve as a key tool for disseminating knowledge and innovation, as well as a catalyst for promoting a more sustainable tourism model. Environmental, social, and corporate governance responsibility will be present in the proposals of destinations and companies, as well as in the content of the ten sections and in all the activities that will take place during the event.
According to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 2023 was expected to close with a recovery of nearly 90% of pre-pandemic levels, with global revenues of around $1.4 trillion.
This year's Fitur tourism fair will reflect the growth the sector has experienced after the pandemic with a record edition in which 9,000 companies will participate - five hundred more than in the previous edition - and 152 countries - twenty more - with Ecuador as the host destination.
FITUR will deploy a total of 806 exhibitors in nine pavilions of the Ifema fairgrounds in Madrid, which has enabled an additional pavilion this year for an event that is expected to attract 150,000 professionals and 100,000 attendees from the general public.
