Women Leading Tourism drives global female leadership at FITUR 2026 (Madrid

Women Leading Tourism drives global female leadership at FITUR 2026 (Madrid, Spain)

20-01-2026

Madrid will host, on 21 January, within the framework of FITUR Woman, a high-level event focused on women’s economic empowerment in tourism, with special emphasis on the strategic role of investment as a lever for transformation. The initiative, promoted by Women Leading Tourism (WLT), is consolidating itself as an international benchmark platform for dialogue, visibility, and the creation of alliances among women leaders from the tourism sector, public institutions, and the business community.

The event will be chaired by Maribel Rodríguez, President of Women Leading Tourism, whose leadership has been instrumental in positioning WLT as an influential, cross-cutting platform with a clear global vocation. Under her presidency, the organization has strengthened its international advisory board, expanded its network of ambassadors in different countries, and placed the debate on female leadership and tourism at the heart of the sector’s agenda. Rodríguez’s institutional opening remarks will set the tone for a session oriented toward action, cooperation, and the generation of tangible impact, highlighting the importance of moving from diagnosis to the implementation of policies and projects with an equality-based approach.

One of the most anticipated moments of the program will be the keynote address by Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), titled “2026: A New Era?”. Her intervention will provide a strategic perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing global tourism in a context of accelerated transformation, where inclusion, sustainability, and female leadership emerge as key drivers of competitiveness and resilience. Guevara’s participation reinforces the event’s international profile and underscores the connection between major global agendas and initiatives promoted through platforms such as Women Leading Tourism.

Programa WLT - FW 21.01.pdf

The event will also feature a particularly significant institutional contribution by the Honorable Jenniffer González Colón, Governor of Puerto Rico, who will join Maribel Rodríguez in a dialogue focused on the role of territories as engines of inclusive development. This exchange symbolizes the handover of the host destination from 2025 to 2026 and highlights Puerto Rico’s commitment to female leadership, tourism investment, and international cooperation. The Governor’s presence adds a high-level political and institutional dimension, strengthening the link between governance, tourism, and women’s economic empowerment.

Throughout the afternoon, panel discussions and thematic sessions will address tourism as a driver of empowerment, examining the role of private investment, business innovation, and public–private partnerships. Senior executives, investors, and institutional leaders will share experiences and perspectives on how to accelerate the equality agenda in the sector, overcome structural barriers, and maximize the economic and social impact of women’s leadership in destinations.

The meeting will also spotlight the work of Women Leading Tourism’s ambassadors in different countries, reinforcing the organization’s international, diverse, and strategic dimension. This global approach is further enhanced by the participation of representatives from public administrations, technology companies, hotel groups, and entities linked to territorial development, enabling women’s economic empowerment to be addressed from a comprehensive and multi-sector perspective.

The day will conclude with the presentation of awards recognizing leadership, contributions to destinations, and commitment to a more inclusive and responsible tourism agenda, consolidating the event’s inspiring and transformative character. With this FITUR gathering, Women Leading Tourism—under the presidency of Maribel Rodríguez—reaffirms its role as a key actor in promoting women’s leadership and in building a more equitable, innovative, and sustainable tourism sector worldwide.

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