32nd International Fair of Tourism in Madrid, Spain

32nd International Fair of Tourism in Madrid, Spain

The 32nd International fair of Tourism (FITUR), a series of conferences and discussions on the topic of tourism, took place from the 18-22 of January 2012 in Madrid, Spain. The event was inaugurated by the Prince and Princess of Asturias. The International fair of Tourism provides business professionals in the tourism sector, official delegations, journalists, and the general public the opportunity to collaborate, meet, and build alliances in an interactive and creative environment. This year an estimated 9,500 exhibitors were in attendance from around 167 different countries around the world.

Notably, FITUR, in the last couple years, has had an imperative Latin American attendance, with individuals traveling from Mexico, Cuba, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic to attend the event. The International fair of Tourism demonstrates the crucial resurgence of the international tourism sector of the global economy. For example, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) based in Madrid recently reported that in 2011, the tourism segment of the economy accounted for 980 million international trips whereas in 2010 it only accounted for 939 million international trips. Therefore, tourism on a global level is on the rise with an increase of 4.4 % in tourism based traveling.