The 44th International Tourism Trade Fair closes the doors on a successful edition whose data reflects the growth that world tourism has experienced in the past year and lays the groundwork for its consolidation in 2024. FITUR has announced that over the course of its five days it received a total of 250,000 visitors, of which 153,000 were professionals (January 24-26) and more than 97,000 visitors attended during its two days open to the public (Saturday, January 27 and Sunday, January 28). These figures, in line with the estimate made by IFEMA MADRID, represent an increase of 13.7% over 2023.
FITUR 2024 has also stood out for its record-breaking exhibition space, with a total of nine pavilions, one more than in 2023, as well as for the consolidation of its global influence with 152 countries and 96 official country participations.
Organized by IFEMA MADRID, the Fair was inaugurated on January 24 by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain. The King and Queen of Spain, with the presence of Ecuador as a Partner Country and the participation of all players in the tourism industry's value chain, which demonstrated the dynamism of the sector through numerous business transactions, increased networking and the exchange of best practices and knowledge.
FITUR 2024's official balance sheet shows record participation figures with 9,000 companies, 152 countries, 96 official representations (20 more than in 2023), 806 exhibitors, 9 pavilions, 10 monographic sections for tourism segments -FITUR 4all, Cruises, Know-How & Export, LGTB+, Lingua, Screen, Sports, Talent, TechY and Woman- and the work carried out by the FITURNEXT Observatory as a channel for the International Tourism Trade Fair's sustainable commitment.
In addition, it should be noted that the influx of arrivals at FITUR will generate revenues for Madrid of some 430 million euros.
Strong institutional and industry support
This 44th edition, as every year, in addition to the support of the international tourism sector, stands out for the strong institutional backing received. In addition to the Royal Household's show of support for the tourism industry, with the presence of Their Majesties Don Felipe and Doña Letizia. Don Felipe and Doña Letizia, FITUR has been attended by prominent leaders such as Daniel Noboa, president of Ecuador, which this year has been the Partner Country of the International Tourism Trade Fair. It also received the official visit of the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez; the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama; representatives of UN Tourism together with its Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili, the Ibero-American Secretary General, as well as more than ten regional presidents of Spain. In total, the Fair was attended by more than 400 authorities, including ministers, secretaries of state, ambassadors, business managers and mayors from different regions.
Media and social media coverage of FITUR 2024
The growth of the Fair has been faithfully reflected in the extensive media coverage recorded with more than 37,000 news items published about FITUR 2024 during its celebration in national and international media, and with the presence at the Fair of more than 6,800 accredited journalists, 6,192 national and 610 international from 53 countries.
In addition, in the social media environment, during the first two days of FITUR there has been a growth of 10,602 followers on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram, reaching a total community of 311,341 followers. The nearly 860 posts published have reached more than 6.5 million impressions and 83,000 interactions. Finally, it should be noted that FITUR has generated a high volume of traffic to the website with approximately one million visits.
IFEMA MADRID is already looking ahead to FITUR 2025, to be held January 22-26, with Mexico taking over as Partner Country.
