CNN International and the largest international tourism trade fair FITUR today announced a broad three-year co-operation.

CNN International has signed as the exclusive international broadcast media sponsor for the Madrid-based fair, which expects to welcome 95,000 tourism professionals from 170 countries for FITUR 2004, which takes place from January 28-February 1 2004. CNN will feature in all FITUR signage and promotion around the event.

As a global media brand much of whose audience comprises the frequent-traveller business community, we are delighted to associate ourselves with the travel and tourism industry through this significant international forum, said Kevin Razvi, executive vice president of CNN International advertising sales for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific. At a time when the sector is still recovering from the impact of news events that discouraged travel, our objective is to signal our support for this important industry.

FITUR`s advertising campaign for FITUR 2004 airs on CNN International in Europe/Middle East/Africa, in Asia-Pacific and on CNN en Espanol`s Mexican and pan-regional feeds, and on CNN.com, marking the first time for FITUR to advertise the Fair to an international television audience.

Ana Larranaga, Director of FITUR, said: The agreement with a brand as important as CNN International will facilitate the promotion around the world of both FITUR and the tourist industry represented at the event.

CNN`s sponsorship of FITUR is its third recent initiative to support the travel and tourism industry. Last year, it spearheaded an advertising campaign with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in June to stimulate travel in the region in the wake of the war on terror and the SARS epidemic, and in December it hosted the CNN Travel and Tourism Forum in, bringing together senior industry executives to debate the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.