The five-day 44th Madrid International Tourism Exhibition concluded in the Spanish capital Madrid on January 28, local time, with 806 exhibitors and more than 9,000 companies from 152 countries and regions. According to the organizer, the show attracted more than 150,000 industry professionals and about 100,000 visitors. Participants focused on global tourism innovation and sustainable development, shared new trends and dynamics of the industry, positively evaluated China's recent visa-free policy for many countries, and looked forward to China injecting more impetus into the development of global tourism.
Innovation and Sustainability Become Hot Topics
According to Maria Balcarce, director of the exhibition, the exhibition has set up 10 thematic zones, including science and technology, film and television, convention and exhibition, and cruise ship, presenting the latest achievements of the tourism industry in the form of special topics and emphasizing the promotion of innovation and sustainable development of the global tourism industry.
Walking into the Madrid Convention and Exhibition Center, Hall 4, you can see a huge display screen, playing the Portuguese tourism promotional video, the film of the azure sea water rushing to the far away. On the back of the screen is written: "For a better planet, better tourism." Portugal hopes to use this to show the world its rich marine tourism resources, said Monteiro, a consultant with the Portuguese Tourism Board.
In recent years, island tours, cruise tours, coastal tours and other "blue tourism" is becoming one of the popular lines of tourism, but also a major highlight of the exhibition. According to the organizers, "blue tourism" aims to enhance and enrich the tourist experience while protecting the marine environment and promoting the development of marine tourism in a more sustainable direction through technological innovations in ports, cruise ships and other marine tourism infrastructure.
On the first day of the exhibition, the Port of Vigo in northwestern Spain announced a new strategy to promote port tourism, including the creation of a new underwater and marine observation deck, whose energy consumption is mainly provided by solar energy. The project will also support the study of marine life and the protection of coastal fish stocks.
As a sports powerhouse, Spain is launching a special sports section at this year's show, aiming to tap into the potential of sports tourism. The Formula One World Championship (F1) has announced that it will return to Madrid in 2026 and will build a semi-city street circuit around the Madrid Convention and Exhibition Center. Its carbon footprint will be cut by more than half compared to a permanent circuit.
"It will be one of the most accessible and environmentally friendly race venues in the world, reflecting the future of sports and tourism." Ayuso, president of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, said that visitors will be able to reach the racecourse in less than 15 minutes by public transportation, whether they are traveling from the airport or from the center of Madrid. The stadium was built using state-of-the-art technology and is equipped with a 160-hectare parkland that embodies the concept of sustainable development. The event is expected to attract 85,000 visitors to Madrid annually, generating more than €450 million in revenue and creating more than 8,200 jobs.
Strong confidence in tourism sector recovery
The World Tourism Barometer recently released by the United Nations Tourism Organization (UNTO) shows that by the end of 2023, the international tourism industry has recovered to 88% of its pre-New Crown levels, with international tourist arrivals expected to reach 1.3 billion. According to preliminary estimates, international tourism receipts amounted to US$1.4 trillion in 2023, equivalent to 93% of the 2019 level, and tourism's contribution to the global economy for the year was US$3.3 trillion, or about 3% of global gross domestic product (GDP).
The data shows that a number of destinations experienced double-digit growth in international tourist arrivals in 2023 compared to 2019. Among them, regions such as the Caribbean, Central America and North Africa saw arrivals exceeding 2019 levels. With international tourism booming, international tourism is expected to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels this year, with preliminary estimates suggesting a 2% increase over 2019. The latest UNWTO Tourism Confidence Index survey shows that 67% of tourism professionals surveyed said the outlook for the sector will be better or much better in 2024 compared to 2023.
During the exhibition, WTB also organized a forum on "New Development of China's Inbound and Outbound Tourism Market", in which participants shared their outlook on China's inbound and outbound tourism market and discussed in-depth how to open up the Chinese market and attract Chinese tourists. According to the World Tourism Barometer, the recovery and development of China's tourism market has given impetus to the recovery of the global tourism market. China's outbound and inbound tourism markets are expected to grow rapidly in 2024 due to visa facilitation and increased air capacity. Driven by this, the Asian tourism market will see a stronger recovery.
"I look forward to China injecting more momentum into the development of world tourism." Andrés Santamaria, director of Colombia's Bogota Tourism Board, said he hopes more flights will be opened between Latin America and China in the future to promote the flow of tourists between the two sides, and he also looks forward to continuing to carry out regional forums and tourism fairs with the relevant Chinese agencies and departments to strengthen cooperation between the two sides' tourism industries and jointly promote the recovery of the tourism industry.
"Now Chinese tourists are coming back, and at the same time people want to travel to China. China is well worth visiting." Pololikashvili, secretary-general of the United Nations Tourism Organization, said the Chinese market will contribute to the recovery of the world tourism industry to the pre-New Crown epidemic level by 2024.
Looking forward to strengthening tourism cooperation with China
At the prominent position of the main corridor on the outside of the convention center, the national tourism image pattern printed with "Hello China" will be displayed! China" is prominently displayed in the main corridor on the outside of the Convention Center. In the center of Hall 6, the "Hello China" tourism image is the main visualization! China" tourism image as the main visual area of China's booth in the center of Hall 6 was crowded with visitors who came to consult. The China booth, with a total area of 130 square meters, consisted of 12 booths from Chinese provinces, cities, airlines and tourism enterprises, displaying a rich and colorful range of Chinese tourism products and travel routes.
Recently, China and Singapore, China and Thailand signed agreements on mutual visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports; China announced that it will grant unilateral visa-free treatment to Switzerland and Ireland. Since December 1 last year, China has implemented a unilateral visa-free entry policy for six countries, namely France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. China's move has received focused attention and positive evaluation from the tourism industry.
Engaged in the tourism industry in Spain Agustina Garrido early in the morning from Barcelona to the Madrid Convention and Exhibition Center, looking for partners to carry out group tours to China business. "After the announcement of the visa-free policy, one after another, Spanish tourists asked me for relevant services." Carlito said, originally for China visa costs about 150 euros, tourists must be at least two weeks in advance to sign up, and now "until the last minute" can be signed up to travel to China, everyone's interest in tourism has increased a lot.
Spanish tourism industry also hope that more Chinese tourists to visit Spain. According to the Spanish National Tourism Board, the number of Chinese tourists coming to Spain in the first half of 2023 increased by 420% year-on-year, with spending up 592%, and with the resumption of more flights between China and Western and Central Europe, Spain's tourism industry is looking forward to further strengthening its tourism cooperation with China.
Natalia Bayona, executive director of the United Nations Tourism Organization (UNTO), said China's visa waiver policy shows China's trust and confidence in the world's tourism industry, and will help drive a rebound in the world's tourism industry. "China has continuously enhanced the competitiveness of its tourism industry by strengthening infrastructure construction and other measures to take its place in the world tourism industry. With China leading the way, the Asian tourism market holds great promise, and the booming development of China's tourism industry will also lead to the common prosperity of tourism in neighboring countries."
