FITUR holds its annual event to recognise the tourism industry
The Fair honours excellence and innovation, as well as the efforts of companies, professionals and institutions to promote the industry’s image, sustainable development, the diversification of tourism products, and the academic research projects that help to promote the future of tourism.
The event was sponsored by Ecuador, the FITUR 2024 Partner Country.
FITUR has held its time-honoured awards ceremony for the 43rd Best Stands Awards, the 4th SUSTAINABLE STAND AWARDS, the 28th Active Tourism Awards and the 24th FITUR-Jorge Vila Fradera Tribune Award, which were all looking back at its 2023 edition. The decision of the respective juries took place within the framework of FITUR 2023, held last January at IFEMA MADRID.
The aim of these awards is to promote excellence and innovation in the tourism sector, as a way of recognising all those professionals, institutions and companies that serve as an example of talent and a source of inspiration. Thanks to their good work, they stand out by making a valuable contribution to tourism industry promotion.
Awards have thus been given to recognise: the efforts of companies, professionals and institutions to promote the industry’s image through their stand designs; all the work put in by FITUR exhibiting companies to make their stands demonstrate their dedication and alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, in terms of environmental, economic and social impact; the creation of new products that diversify the tourism offering by providing travellers with unique experiences that connect them to one-of-a-kind territories and resources; and the academic research projects that allow them to promote market development based on knowledge and analysis.
The award ceremony, sponsored this year by Ecuador, the FITUR 2024 Partner Country, was presided over by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosana Morillo, and was attended by, among other officials, the Minister of Tourism of Ecuador, Niels Olsen; the Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador in Spain, Andrés Vallejo Arcos, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of IFEMA Madrid, Jose Vicente de los Mozos, the Undersecretary of Promotion of the Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador, Diego Fernando Andrade Murtinho and the Chairman of the Organising Committee of FITUR and Chairman and Chief Executive of Iberia, Fernando Candela Pérez.
These awards recognise the professionalism, design and promotional efforts of each of the highlighted stands, assessing their responsiveness to marketing needs, identification with the product they promote and their design, quality, aesthetic impact and degree of originality and innovation.
In the Autonomous Communities and Institutions category, the outstanding stands belonged to the Euskadi Basque Country, the Government of Cantabria and La Rioja Tourism. Meanwhile, in the Countries and Regions category, FITUR awarded prizes to the stands of Andorra Turisme, Guatemala and the Korea Tourism Organization. In the Companies category the awards went to Iberia, Mastercard and Paradores.
- 4th Sustainable Stand Awards
Organised with the collaboration of the Responsible Tourism Institute (ITR), the FITUR Sustainable Stand Awards honoured 6 stands this year: ILLES BALEARS, VISITPORTUGAL, GALICIA TOURISM, REGION OF MURCIA - COSTA CÁLIDA, MASTERCARD, and ANDALUSIAN TOURISM. This recognition also highlights the importance of IFEMA MADRID’s efforts over the last few years to improve the impact of its activity on the surrounding social and natural environment, transmitting these values to exhibitors, companies and visitors who participate in the trade fairs and events held at its venues.
Every year FITUR, together with AireLibre Magazine, gives out the Best Active Tourism Product Awards, dedicated to boosting the development and marketing of the tourism industry, with a focus on promoting proposals related to adventure tourism, culture, nature, food and wine, technological development, accessibility and the environment. The jury, made up of end consumers, tourism professionals, media and tourism industry representatives, highlighted the high standard of the proposals presented by the exhibitors and co-exhibitors at FITUR 2023.
In the national category, awards were given to MTB experiences that have showcased the entire territory of the Sobrarbe region (Aragon); Hiking with donkeys in the Ricote Valley (History, culture, protection of donkeys. Paths along Segura riverbank and the Norias route in Abarán), in the Puerta del Valle de Ricote (Murcia); and River ecotourism - the Sil and Miño by kayak, in Galicia. They are joined in the international category by Kumano kodo: Follow in the footsteps of samurais on an ancient pilgrimage through the forest. Kii Peninsula (Wakayama Prefecture, Japan); Mundo Maya tourist multi-destination. Community-based tourism and segments under development (Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico); and the International Roots Festival (Gambia).
"Public Administration controls and inspections of tourist dwellings. Challenges and proposals for automation" is the work by Pilar Juana García Saura that won the 24th edition of the FITUR Jorge Vila Fradera Tribune Award. The aim of this recognition is to select an unpublished research paper in the field of tourism and then publish it and disseminate it across the worlds of academia and education & training. The award, granted by FITUR in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Tourism Experts, AECIT, recognises the best academic research work related to the tourism industry each year.