The Community of Madrid stand will bring the main players in the sector together to find out what the only Spanish trade fair with a commitment to sustainability, the climate and nature has to offer

The Nature, Climate and Sustainable Tourism Fair presents its main courses of action in the area of corporate social responsibility

Madrid.- 18 January 2018.- EXPOTURAL, the Nature, Climate and Sustainable Tourism Fair, was introduced to the main players in the tourism sector at the Community of Madrid stand at FITUR. Carlos González, Sales Director of IFEMA; Stephan Labarrieri, CEO of Abeo; José Manuel Vilanova, promoter of Expotural, and Alfonso Polvorinos, Technical Director of Expotural, explained the key aspects of this event, which has returned to Madrid reinvigorated, with a clear international ambition and a programme of events and content that make it the biggest forum in terms of experience and knowledge about the environment.

The fair, which is organised by IFEMA, will be held from 1 to 4 November 2018. It will present its main courses of action in the area of corporate social responsibility, as it is the only fair in Spain that is firmly committed to sustainability, climate and nature in three ways:

– By making a direct financial contribution to a reforestation project (directly benefiting biodiversity conservation and indirectly benefiting the climate), which will come from a percentage of the entry fee.

– By contributing to fighting climate change and promoting sustainability. The aim is to be a carbon-neutral fair by offsetting the carbon generated during the fair through carbon offsets or credits (Kyoto Protocol CERs)

– By taking part in the 2018 events of the international association “Respect The Mountains”, an international project of the UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation), which will take place all over the world throughout the year. The UIAA will include Expotural among its 2018 events.

In the first edition of this new era, EXPOTURAL, which will be held on 1-4 November 2018, will feature more than 10,000 square metres of exhibition space dedicated to rural, nature and adventure tourism, and a richly varied national and international selection of mountain destinations around the world.

The new project will therefore include a broad cross-section of mountain sports, natural spaces, protected national parks, ornithological tourism, climbing as a new Olympic sport and adventure sports, segments that will also be extensively developed in the programme of lectures that will accompany the professional and commercial activity of EXPOTURAL.

The major milestones of this edition include, firstly, the organisation, for the first time at a trade fair, of the final stage of the Spanish Lead Climbing Cup, arranged by Entre-Prises and ABEO, for which a large xxx-metre-high rockodrome, representing Mount Everest, will tower over the centre of the fair.
Secondly, in the area of information and knowledge, for the first time in Spain, the 1st Congress on Ornithological Tourism will be held, a meeting underpinned by Spain’s having 10 natural spaces for birding, with almost 600 SPAs and 450 nomadic and migratory species, in addition to the first Madrid Conference on Sustainable Tourism and Climate Change.

There will be a series of one-day events that will also address active tourism and adventure sports, involving companies dedicated to rafting, trekking, hiking and other activities related to active tourism and nature-based tourism.

These events will also feature companies, entities and participating institutions, so they can present their own projects and experiences based around two major thematic areas: “National Parks and Protected Natural Areas”, a key element in a country like Spain that has the largest natural protected area in​the European Union, and “Mountains and their Ecosystems”, which will act as the focal points of the fair.

A final theme will be rural gastronomy as an important distinguishing feature of rural tourism, with talks on the Mediterranean diet and the main types of rural gastronomy from the different autonomous communities that will have a presence at the fair.

This intense and attractive programme is open to the citizens of Madrid who are interested in learning about and enjoying nature and mountain tourism – always with the common denominator of the impact of climate change and from the perspective of responsibility for the protection of the environment.

In Spain today, tourism is one of the economic sectors with the most relevance and weight in GDP and job creation. Caring for the natural surroundings is therefore a very important factor of the tourism products on offer in this country, as any change in the conditions of these spaces could have a very significant impact on the future of nature tourism.

Skål Andorra, member of Skål International, will host the forthcoming Congress of Skål Spain, which will take place from May 10-17, 2018.

Founded in 1934, Skål International is the leading organization of tourism professionals with over 15,000 members around the world. It is the only that unites travel executives from all sectors of the tourism industry, who meet to discuss topics of common interest and do business.

The Skål Spain Congress in Andorra will bring together a large group of entrepreneurs from the Spanish tourism sector but at the same time will receive visits from delegations from the rest of the world.

This Congress will brand Andorra with another fantastic opportunity to show that the country is an ideal venue for international congresses, an activity encompassed in the growing MICE segment.

The Capital City, Andorra la Vella, and Andorra Turisme are the main sponsors and the company My World of Experiences is the DMC in charge of execution, together with the Congress Committee of the Andorran Skål Club, supervised by the Board.

The Congress will include B2B networking sessions and knowledge sharing, and will also offer the participants the possibility to enjoy post congress activities to discover the best of Andorra and become recommenders of Andorra as business and leisure destination.

The official presentation will take place at FITUR on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 13.00 hours in the Press Room, Pavillion 10, followed by a cocktail at the Skål stand 10B61.

International tourist arrivals grew by a remarkable 7% in 2017 to reach a total of 1,322 million, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. This strong momentum is expected to continue in 2018 at a rate of 4%-5%.

Based on data reported by destinations around the world, it is estimated that international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) worldwide increased 7% in 2017. This is well above the sustained and consistent trend of 4% or higher growth since 2010 and represents the strongest results in seven years.

Led by Mediterranean destinations, Europe recorded extraordinary results for such a large and rather mature region, with 8% more international arrivals than in 2016. Africa consolidated its 2016 rebound with an 8% increase. Asia and the Pacific recorded 6% growth, the Middle East 5% and the Americas 3%.

2017 was characterised by sustained growth in many destinations and a firm recovery in those that suffered decreases in previous years. Results were partly shaped by the global economic upswing and the robust outbound demand from many traditional and emerging source markets, particularly a rebound in tourism spending from Brazil and the Russian Federation after a few years of declines.

“International travel continues to grow strongly, consolidating the tourism sector as a key driver in economic development. As the third export sector in the world, tourism is essential for job creation and the prosperity of communities around the world.” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “Yet as we continue to grow we must work closer together to ensure this growth benefits every member of every host community, and is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals”.

Growth expected to continue in 2018

The current strong momentum is expected to continue in 2018, though at a more sustainable pace after eight years of steady expansion following the 2009 economic and financial crisis. Based on current trends, economic prospects and the outlook by the UNWTO Panel of Experts, UNWTO projects international tourist arrivals worldwide to grow at a rate of 4%-5% in 2018. This is somewhat above the 3.8% average increase projected for the period 2010-2020 by UNWTO in its Tourism Towards 2030 long-term forecast. Europe and the Americas are both expected to grow by 3.5%-4.5%, Asia and the Pacific by 5%-6%, Africa by 5%-7% and the Middle East by 4%-6%.

2017 results by UNWTO region

International tourist arrivals in Europe reached 671 million in 2017, a remarkable 8% increase following a comparatively weaker 2016. Growth was driven by the extraordinary results in Southern and Mediterranean Europe (+13%). Western Europe (+7%), Northern Europe and Central and Eastern Europe (both +5%) also recorded robust growth.

Asia and the Pacific (+6%) recorded 324 million international tourist arrivals in 2017. Arrivals in South Asia grew 10%, in South-East Asia 8% and in Oceania 7%. Arrivals to North-East Asia increased by 3%.

The Americas (+3%) welcomed 207 million international tourist arrivals in 2017, with most destinations enjoying positive results. South America (+7%) led growth, followed by Central America and the Caribbean (both +4%), with the latter showing clear signs of recovery in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria. In North America (+2%), robust results in Mexico and Canada contrasted with a decrease in the United States, the region’s largest destination.

Based on available data for Africa, growth in 2017 is estimated at 8%. The region consolidated its 2016 rebound and reached a record 62 million international arrivals. North Africa enjoyed a strong recovery with arrivals growing by 13%, while in Sub-Saharan Africa arrivals increased by 5%.

The Middle East (+5%) received 58 million international tourist arrivals in 2017 with sustained growth in some destinations and a strong recovery in others.

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (11 Jan 2018) Record-breaking arrivals for 2017 in both air and cruise visitation represent the best year of recorded statistical data for the Cayman Islands. A total of 418,403 stayover visitors, an increase of 8.55 percent over 2016 and 1,728,444 cruisers visited the islands.

For the seventh consecutive month (June through December), air arrivals surpassed all previously recorded statistics. A total of 49,003 stayover visitors arrived in December, an increase of 21.61 percent over December 2016; and an increase of 20.8 percent over December 2014, which was standing as the best ranked December in recorded history.

December increases were fuelled by growth predominantly in North America. Key markets such as the United States and Canada, which saw increases of 27.43 percent and 22.71 percent respectively over 2016; represented the highest standout growth. The USA Northeast region delivered an additional 2,997 visitors, or 28.89 percent increase year over year, making it the top performing region of 2017. The Midwest region anchored solid volume levels with 2,325 additional visitors, or a 37.81 percent increase over 2016.

Commenting on this achievement, Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Moses Kirkconnell said, “The performance of the country’s tourism sector and all who played a role in attracting more visitors to the destination should be extraordinarily proud of their efforts. It is the mandate of the Ministry of Tourism to facilitate annual growth in visitation; however, it is a collective effort that makes it a success. I encourage all of us in the tourism industry and its auxiliary partners to use this accomplishment as a springboard for even greater success in 2018.”

Overall annual performance in 2017, marked visitation from the United States and Canada with growth rates of 13.44 percent and 6.37 percent respectively. The Northeast region of the United States saw the largest increase in visitation for the year with 15, 042 more visitors, or 15.71 percent increase over 2016. The Midwest grew by 16.91 percent in 2017, presenting the second largest increase in 2017 by any region; while the Southeast region increased by 13,036 visitors, or 26.94 percent increase over 2016, surpassing the Southwest as the region producing the third highest number of stayover visitors. Growth in this region was driven by Miami-Ft. Lauderdale which saw 4,057 additional visitors, as well as Tampa-St. Pete, Orlando, Daytona Beach and Melbourne areas. The Southwest region grew by 12.75 percent in 2017 with Dallas-Ft. Worth posting 2,060 additional visitors and Austin and Denver posting 1,181 and 1,179 additional visitors respectively.

The statistics for 2017 reflect incremental growth in not just key markets, but also burgeoning markets such as Latin America, which saw a total increase of 22.61 percent. Specifically, South America increased by 8.92 percent, whilst Central America increased by 5.64 percent

Reflecting on a successful year in 2017, the Department of Tourism (DOT) executed a visually arresting and diversified marketing plan to increase brand awareness globally. The year saw the implementation of key initiatives such as the “Worry Free Hurricane Guarantee.” Launched on 1 June, the guarantee gave travelers peace of mind during one of the most active hurricane seasons for the Caribbean region to date. In addition, on 4 June the DOT proudly celebrated the start of Southwest Airlines’ daily nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale to Grand Cayman.

Through a partnership with Chef’d, the only non-subscription, fresh ingredient meal kit delivery service based in the United States, the DOT in June launched the first-ever destination inspired meal kits, curated by some of the most talented Cayman Islands’ chefs. Foodies had the opportunity to bring a taste of the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean into their homes with the touch of a button.

In July, the DOT launched Cayman Vows magazine – the first-ever definitive resource for couples and wedding planners looking for inspiration and guidance on world-class destination weddings in the Cayman Islands. Available online and across newsstands in the United States and Canada, the publication featured Grace and Trai Byers on the cover, who later became the face of the Cayman Islands’ destination ad campaign launched in October.

“Through strategic marketing initiatives from the Department of Tourism and strong, cohesive relationships with our tourism partners, together we have been able to achieve unprecedented growth in arrivals to the Cayman Islands in 2017,” said Director of Tourism, Mrs. Rosa Harris. “I am pleased to see that our efforts to diversify the Cayman Islands source markets such as Latin America coupled with our global teams’ drive to be fearless innovators in destination marketing have taken visitation volume to its highest levels the destination has experienced. I look forward to working with my team and our tourism community to continue to attract quality visitors and offer an enriched experience with the goal of providing value through annual growth in 2018.”

Looking ahead to 2018, the Cayman Islands will also be celebrating a major aviation milestone as the national flag carrier, Cayman Airways celebrates its 50th anniversary. In addition to the recent announcement of Southwest Airlines service from Houston, Texas, the destination will see further air service commence this fall with the launch of Jetblue service from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Grand Cayman.

“Aviation is the catalyst to driving visitation. With increased seats available, travellers have more opportunities to select their preferred airline itinerary. The Cayman Islands will offer over 10 non-stop flight options, this is an excellent opening to 2018 for all stakeholders in the Cayman Islands tourism industry.”