Personalities and professionals in the tourism sector highlight the relevance of FITUR TALENT

Key personalities and professionals in the tourism sector highlight the relevance of FITUR TALENT, the new monographic section of FITUR devoted to talent and professional training for people in organisations of the global tourism industry, organised in collaboration with TDDS (Tourism Data Driven Solutions). These experts head many of the entities and companies participating in FITUR TALENT 2020. They emphasise the relevance of this new space, which will promote development of talent as a critical factor in the tourism industry.

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), points out that "talent is the soul of tourism and its present and future depend on how we work together to create more and better jobs. This is a priority for the World Tourism Organisation." He also gives his "congratulations on the first edition of FITUR TALENT, a project that proves once again the visionary initiatives of FITUR, a key partner in the progress of tourism for the benefit of all.”

Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Meliá Hotels International, explains that "in the current context, talent has become a critical factor, especially for tourism companies that, like Meliá, attract and export talent around the world. What's more, as a family business with more than 60 years in the market, we find it essential to share not only our know-how and strategy with our collaborators, but also our values and our responsible culture. I congratulate FITUR TALENT for featuring the industry's concerns in this field and for once again putting itself at the forefront”.

Ramón Estalella, Secretary General of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT), notes that "one of the great challenges for the tourism sector is to adapt training to the changes in our surroundings, with a more specialised offer, a demand that is much knowledgeable of what it seeks, tools that facilitate purchasing and a channel that requires continual updating”. He adds that "the fact that FITUR, the major tourism fair, decides to back talent and training only shows that the sector as a whole has to take the initiative in making a firm commitment to improving our capabilities; and we hope that it will attract the best professionals to join the top Spanish industry, to make us more competitive and make the model sustainable that provides such great support for the economic consolidation of many areas of Spain”.

For Carlos Díez de la Lastra, General Manager of Les Roches Marbella Global Hospitality Education, "the creation of FITUR TALENT proves the need to keep advocating human capital as the central axis of tourism. Skills, training and passion; their development is essential to drive an industry evolving at a pace unimaginable only a decade ago. New travellers oblige us to be more agile, more flexible, more innovative, more sustainable and much more digital; and we can only achieve this if we build a network of talented professionals who are able to raise our brand as a destination on every level”.

Marianela Olivares, General Manager of Linkers, notes that "with forty years of life, FITUR is the world reference for trade shows in the tourism industry, and that for the first time the section on talent and human resources has its own preferential space at the fair through FITUR TALENT, which is the best news that could be given to the sector. Growth in our tourism businesses is implicitly associated with bringing in national and international talent, so initiatives like this are the basis of our development as a country receiving quality tourism. That is why we at LINKERS support this innovative, new FITUR activity, and why we will be present both in the exhibition area and at the various round tables that will be held during the fair from 22 to 27 January.”

David Basilio, CEO of Hosteleo explains that "the current digital society has burst onto the tourism industry scene, and this sector-specific employment section is, without a doubt, an essential tool for developing it. Being able to effectively connect job seekers with job givers, offering tools to improve the employability of professionals, along with advice and skills development for attracting talent from tourism businesses is a content that needed to be present at FITUR. That FITUR TALENT is born this 2020 with a space devoted to these contents is one more step towards structuring a business that makes up 15% of GDP in the national economy; and as the leading national portal for job offers in the hotel and tourism sector, we at HOSTELEO will be present in the exhibition area and participating in the different activities held at the Fair.”

According to Xavi Martin, CEO of TURIJOBS "This initiative will have a very positive impact on our sector. It is an ideal occasion for the human resources professionals of our industry to come together and share news, tools and perspectives. The initiative is fully in line with our mission as a leading employment portal in the sector. It is very important for professionals, companies and institutions to support each other and share knowledge and experiences to make better decisions in managing, attracting and holding onto talent. FITUR Talent will be the ideal time to do so”.

And Antonio López de Ávila, General Coordinator of FITUR TALENT, underscores that "The necessary digital transformation and the profound change in customer behaviour force companies from every sector to make it a priority to take care of their #HumanCapital. #Training, #attracting and #retaining #talent become central issues in the strategy of corporations to secure their future. Every day we see new professional profiles marked by technology and its necessary adaptation to the tourism business, new areas of responsibility linked to data analysis in order to make decisions with a much broader, detailed and accurate knowledge of what is going on in our surroundings, professionals prepared to perform predictive simulations of the impact of marketing campaigns or changes in companies (websites, facilities, etc.) based on customer behaviour patterns and technologies that have a direct impact on many other areas (energy efficiency, circular economy, etc.). We are on the verge of a really profound change in how companies manage HR, and #FiturTalent gives us the chance to discuss it, analyse it and prepare ourselves consciously for it. Initiatives like this are always welcome!

Conferences and activities

The FITUR TALENT programme of conferences and activities will present and discuss data and reports that will help attendees to make decisions on how to identify and develop skills, attract and retain talent and provide continuous learning or curricula that will be required in the coming years, among other topics.

Organised by IFEMA, FITUR 2020 will be held on January 22 to 26 at Feria de Madrid.  This great global meeting point for tourism professionals, the world leader in this industry, is preparing one of its most complete editions, with Korea as a Partner Country, and in which sustainability, technology and specialisation will continue to take centre stage. All this within the framework of the celebration of its 40th Anniversary, a special occasion whose celebration will top off a whole series of initiatives already underway and whose objective is to give continuity to the success and rise of FITUR. In its last edition, FITUR brought together 10,400 participating companies with more than 253,000 attendees.

Find out more: fiturtalent@ifema.es