Andalucía will celebrate its best year for tourism ever at international travel trade fair in Madrid

Andalucía will have the opportunity to celebrate having closed its best year for tourism at the Fitur international tourism fair in Madrid, which will begin on 22 January. The region will showcase its start attractions in an "intelligent pavilion" that will combine technology with tradition. Arturo Bernal, the Junta de Andalucía's head of tourism, said that the aim is to "highlight the unique identity of each destination within Andalucía as a brand. We are going to Madrid to show off the region, excited to have closed 2024 as the best year for tourism ever and increased the contribution of this industry to our economy and the prosperity of hundreds of thousands of residents."

Andalucía will have around 7,200 square metres of stand space at the Ifema exhibition halls - 700 more than what it had at the last event. The stand will have a double-storey structure, similar to that of 2024. It is worth mentioning here that the design last year won it the award for the best regional stand. Twenty different destinations from across Andalucía will have their own space, including the eight provinces, their main towns and relevant municipalities, as well as the World Heritage cities. "Each destination will have its own identity within the pavilion as a whole, with its clearly visible brand and a central square surrounded by the skylines of the monuments, natural, cultural and historical environments of the eight provinces," said Bernal, adding that the exhibition area is "a meeting point for visitors and tourism employees, where we can showcase our lifestyle, passion for the land and offerings to experience different sensations compared to other destinations."

He assured that "the pavilion will offer a message of sustainability, experience and professionalism" and that, to transmit the emotions and distinguished features of the region, it will comprise large screens with striking visual messages. Everything will be designed in a way that will evoke the cultural essence of Andalucía and adapted to the new communication campaign of the destination: 'Surrender to the Andalusian Crush'.

Bernal said that another key objective is to boost the business for the region's companies and the marketing of Andalucían tourism as a product. For that reason, the stand will have a larger working area for professional meetings, which will cover 750 square metres, an increase of 27%. The number of companies that will have a spot in this area has also increased to 240, which is nearly 50 more than in 2024 and four times more than in the 2023 edition of the fair. "We want to contribute to supporting the internationalisation of Andalucían production, with special emphasis on boosting promotion and marketing abroad, as well as increasing the quantity and quality of foreign investment in Andalucía," he explained.

Andalucía will premiere at the opening of the fair with an event at the Real Teatro del Retiro focused on 'Surrender to the Andalusian Crush' and music, which will bring the international presence in Madrid during those days in contact with the Andalusian offer. "Andalucía will mark the roadmap in the short and medium run in tourism: the holidaymaker of the future, sustainability, innovation, connectivity, awareness and coexistence, employability and data," stated Bernal.

On the weekend, when the event is open to the general public, the Andalucían stand will be transformed to cater for potential tourists, with a stage for performances and presentations, an artisan area, gastronomic demonstrations and activities for different public profiles.