FITUR week once again placed Madrid at the center of world tourism. A key event to anticipate trends, share knowledge, and, above all, generate conversations that help build the future of the sector in an increasingly demanding global context. That’s why we from Madison Travel & Tourism were present.
For four days, we completed an agenda focused on active listening, attending strategic forums, and holding meetings aimed at promoting new business opportunities. A presence aligned with our way of understanding tourism: from reflection, strategy, and collaboration.
FITUR has brought together more than 155,000 professionals and more than 10,000 companies from 161 countries this year. This shows the great moment that the tourism sector is experiencing, which has just exceeded 1.5 billion international arrivals in 2025 according to UN Tourism, and in which Spain plays a leading role with 97 million foreign tourists, according to the Ministry of Industry and Tourism.
Hotusa Explora Forum: reflecting to move forward
One of the most important events of the week was the Hotusa Explora Forum, one of the must-attend appointments on the tourism calendar, which Grupo Hotusa holds annually on the eve of FITUR.
During the day, we had the opportunity to hear firsthand from some of the professionals who are driving the evolution of the sector, addressing key issues such as Spain’s leadership as a tourist destination, connectivity, innovation, and the application of technology and artificial intelligence as levers of transformation.
In this context, the president of Grupo Hotusa, Amancio López Seijas, highlighted the position of Spain as the most competitive tourist country in the world, highlighting differentiating factors such as security, the quality of infrastructure, and the strength of the sector’s business fabric. At the same time, he pointed to the improvement of transport connections and the consolidation of intercontinental routes as one of the main challenges, which are key to continuing to strengthen the competitiveness of the destination in the long term.
Throughout the forum, some of the major structural challenges of current tourism were also addressed:
- The competitiveness of destinations in an international market in constant transformation.
- The regulatory framework and its impact on the sustainable development of the sector.
- The evolution of demand, marked by a more informed, demanding traveler oriented to experiences.
- The attraction and management of talent, one of the great challenges of the industry.
- The modernization of infrastructure, in an ecosystem closely linked to air transport.
In this scenario, the responsible use of technology and artificial intelligence was highlighted as a key tool to drive more efficient and sustainable growth. Along with this, the importance of building solid brands and differential experiences, capable of generating trust, reinforcing reputation, and contributing to the construction of destinations with a vision for the future, was emphasized.
Sports tourism, a growing strategic opportunity
Within FITUR, sports tourism was once again consolidated as one of the great areas of opportunity for destinations and brands. An area that is no longer understood only as the celebration of events, but as a strategic lever capable of generating economic impact, attracting new audiences, and reinforcing the positioning of territories. At MADISON we are international leaders in this regard.
Juan Méndez, director of Madison Sports Marketing, actively participated in FITUR to put on the table an increasingly evident reality: sport has become a powerful tourist engine. A phenomenon driven by the combination of major competitions, differential experiences, and an increasingly sophisticated hospitality offer.
An unbeatable example of this is the Valladolid Premier Padel P2, which demonstrates how top-level sporting events are capable of attracting visitors, boosting the local economy, and projecting the destination nationally and internationally, even in historically less attractive tourist seasons.
This vision had a direct reflection in FITUR Sports, where Juan Méndez was the protagonist of the round table “The Revolution of Racket Sports”. An analysis space in which the challenges and opportunities that disciplines such as paddle tennis and pickleball offer to the tourism ecosystem were addressed, thanks to their rapid growth, their experiential nature, and their ability to generate communities and events with high added value.
The trend is clear: sport is redefining the way travelers live their passion, integrating competition, entertainment, and destination into a single experience. A scenario in which, from MADISON Experience Marketing, we work with our clients to turn sport into a strategic tool for tourism and brand development.
Looking to the future
The presence of MADISON Experience Marketing at FITUR reinforces our commitment to a tourism that is built from strategy, innovation, and collaboration between actors in the sector. A week of ideas, conversations, and opportunities that drives us to continue accompanying brands and destinations in their evolution, in an environment where change is no longer an option, but a constant.
👉 If you want to know how we can help you promote a tourism strategy aligned with your objectives, you can learn more about our services at Madison Travel & Tourism.