REPORT FROM MADRID: In its desire to present an increasingly international exhibition,FITUR 2005, the International Tourism Trade Fair, taking place at …
REPORT FROM MADRID: In its desire to present an increasingly international exhibition,FITUR 2005, the International Tourism Trade Fair, taking place at FERIA DE MADRID fairground, features official representation on the part of the 10 new countries that have joined the European Union. Although these countries have already attended previous editions of the fair, at this special edition, that celebrates FITUR´s 25 years in the service of the tourist industry, Estonia and Lithuania will be represented by their corresponding official bodies for the first time, joining the Latvian authorities who were present at the 2004 edition. Furthermore, the stands presented by these destinations will feature wide-ranging representation on the part of various tourism companies seeking to promote their products and services at the fair.
The new Member Countries of the ´Europe of the 25´ will take this opportunity offered by FITUR to present their extensive and attractive range of tourism opportunities to the Spanish public, as Spain is becoming an increasing tourist issuing market for these countries. In fact, as can be observed in the figures furnished by the official bodies representing the ten new Member Countries, the number of Spanish tourists who have travelled to these countries in recent years has increased considerably.
Representation on the part of new countries at FITUR 2005
Cyprus, as it has been the case since 1994, will be represented by the Cyprus Tourism Organization. Its stand will also feature the participation of two companies: the tour operator Drakos Travel and TTG Middle East & North Africa. In the year 2003 Cyprus welcomed around 3,000 Spaniards, a figure that increased considerably throughout the year 2004, given that the number of Spanish tourists rose to 5,032 between January and October.
At FITUR 2005, Cyprus will present itself as an island of considerable beauty and a country of contrasts. With its spectacular landscape and enviable climate, it is not surprising that Aphrodite should have chosen this island as her favourite destination. The island´s refreshing pine-covered mountain climes will enable visitors to enjoy a change of environment after spending time on its golden sands. Visitors will also find tranquil villages in which time seems to have stood still, contrasting with modern and cosmopolitan cities, whilst luxury hotels located by the sea can be substituted for extensive areas of countryside in just a few minutes. In short, the most important aspect that the island can offer its visitors is its tranquility.
The Slovak Tourist Board is the official body that has been representing Slovakia since FITUR 2003. It will once again be present at this edition, although unaccompanied by companies from the industry on this occasion. Its participation at FITUR at recent editions has no doubt increased the number of Spanish visitors to the country. The number of Spanish tourists who have visited Slovakia has progressively grown, increasing from some 2,976 in 1999 to the 5,464 recorded in the year 2003. Throughout the first six months of the year 2004 alone, a total of 2,975 Spaniards visited Slovakia, which indicates that the figures achieved in the year 2003 will be exceeded.
Slovakia will promote itself at FITUR as a destination yet to be discovered. The tourists who visit this small country located at the heart of Europe, will be able to enjoy a number of historical cities such as Bratislava, as well as a range of spas, not to mention the country´s natural delights, culture and architecture. Tourists will undoubtedly wish to discover corners of the country that have been declared part of the World´s Natural and Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, such as the following: the city of Banska Stiavnica, with its sights and surrounding areas; the town of Vlkolinec; Spissky Castle, the most extensive fortress throughout the whole of Central Europe; the city of Bardejov; the Slovak Karst, and the Ice-Cave of Dobsinska ladova jaskyna.
Slovenia will feature representation on the part of an official body for the first time, the Slovenian Tourist Board, which will also be accompanied by another body, Reg. Julian Alps: Loc Tour Boards. This country made its début at FITUR 2004 through the participation of just one exhibiting company, the tour operator, Agencija Van Gogh. The company will repeat its attendance this year, this time as a co-exhibitor alongside Kompas International Travel Agency and Promet T&T.
At FITUR 2005 Slovenia will present its many tourist attractions, among which we might include its Mediterranean coast, the mysterious karst, the city of Ljubljana, and the regions of Pohorje and the Alps, not to mention its villages and towns in the surrounding areas.
For its part, Estonia will attend FITUR 2005 through the auspices of the Estonian Tourist Board, also featuring representation on the part of the country´s airline, Estonian Air. Throughout the year 2004 Estonia also witnessed a considerable increase in the number of tourists it welcomed to the country. Revenue throughout the first half of the year 2004 came to over 407 million euros, 11 per cent more than during the same period in the year 2003. Over the first eight months of the year 2004, a total of 961,000 tourists stayed in the country, which represents an increase of 30 per cent compared to the first eight months of the year 2003. The number of Spaniards who stayed in Estonia between January and August 2003 came to 6,803, whilst throughout the same period in 2004, the number of tourists came to 9,897, which represents an increase of 45 per cent.
Estonia is a country that is witnessing ongoing positive change, development and improvements. The technological sector continues to progress in Estonia whilst the past – which is to say, history and nature – is perfectly preserved. Ranging from unspoiled countryside to the culture of post-modern cities, visitors will be able to enjoy the appeal of the remotest areas as well as crowded and lively centres.
In recent years Hungary has become one of the most popular destinations for Spaniards. The country of the Magyars will present its new features at FITUR 2005, having achieved a record number of Spanish visitors over the first nine months of the year 2004, a period during which the country has enjoyed hitherto unknown levels of popularity in Spain. Thus, the number of visitors increased by 26 per cent (102,000 people) whilst the number of overnight stays increased by 25 per cent (269,000 nights) compared to the previous year. With this new visitor figure, Spain is now the seventh most important tourist issuing country for the Hungarian market, behind Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and the United States. It exceeds the 2003 figure regarding visitor volume by 26 per cent.
Well aware of this increase, Hungary is one of the new member countries of the European Union with the largest attendance of exhibiting companies at FITUR 2005: Accor Hotels Hungary, Blaguss Travel Limited, NH Budapest, Quatra Incoming, TTG Hungary. Last year, Hungary was represented at the fair by other companies such as Danubius Hotels Group, Holiday Inn Budapest-Budaörs, Budapest Marriott Hotel, Le Méridien Budapest and wholesalers such as Kompas and Blaguss-Volanbusz / ADM Hungary. The official Hungarian representative will be the National Tourism Office of Hungary, which has participated at FITUR since the fair´s first edition back in 1981. The Budapest Tourist Office will also be present at the Hungarian stand.
1,300 springs supply the modern network of spas located throughout Hungary, providing an excellent range of health tourism opportunities, all brought together in the new promotional leaflet produced in Spanish entitled ´Terapia+Wellness´, a publication that Hungary will present at the fair. Hungary will also promote the delights of Budapest and its surrounding areas, as well as Lake Balaton, the most popular holiday destination throughout the country, featuring a wide range of water-sports, active tourism and entertainment opportunities.
Latvia will be officially represented through the auspices of the Latvian Tourism Development Agency, which attended the fair for the first time at the last edition, alongside the Riga Tourism Co-ordination & Inf. Centre. The companies that are scheduled to represent the country at this new edition will include Baltic Travel Group and Latvia Tours.
Latvia is located on the Gulf of Riga, on the Baltic Sea. Riga is the capital of the country and one of the largest cities in the Baltic Region, preserving a fascinating mixture of Latvian, Russian and German influences. The old part of the city preserves German buildings that date back to the 17th century. Jürmala is another of the areas of greatest tourist interest, consisting of small towns, beautiful beaches and pine forests. Vidzeme, located to the north of the country, provides the setting for the River Gauja, which runs through a national park dotted with beautiful castles.
Lithuania will feature strong institutional representation at the fair through the auspices of the Lithuanian Tourism Fund, accompanied by Klaipeda Tourism Information Center and the Lithuanian State Department of Tourism, which reveals the country´s strong interest in promoting its products in Spain. This country will also be strongly represented by the business sector, featuring companies such as Delta Tours, Krantas Travel, Westexpress and Lithuanian Holidays.
Between January and April this year Lithuania welcomed a total of 1,083 Spanish visitors, compared to 940 who travelled to the country throughout the same period in the year 2003, which represents an increase of 15.3 per cent. After joining the EU, Lithuania has witnessed a considerable increase in the number of tourists who wish to visit the country, especially from the European Union and the countries of Western Europe.
In this respect, Lithuania is carrying out significant changes within its hotel sector. Lithuania currently has over 230 hotels, which can cater for a total of 5,000 guests.
Thanks to its excellent geographical location, its high-quality services and low prices, Lithuania is becoming a new centre for conferences and leisure opportunities. Every year the range of opportunities to organize conferences of different kinds, not to mention incentive and leisure tours, increases. Four summer resorts in Lithuania – Palanga, Birtonas, Druskininkai and Neringa – are refurbishing their popular products in order to offer a range of world-standard services. Lithuania also presents a number of unique cultural centres which are recognized by UNESCO, such as the Old Quarter of the City of Vilnius, the dunes of Kurðiø neria, the Festival of Songs, the art of making Lithuanian crosses and Kernave.
Malta will feature official representation through the auspices of the Malta Tourism Authority, which attended the fair for the first time at the last edition, although the country was previously represented at the event through the direct exhibitor, Air Malta. As its representative company, Malta will present Corinthia Hotels International. Malta will promote itself at FITUR 2005 as a ´film destination´, due to its recently acquired fame as the ´Hollywood of the Mediterranean´. The archipelago has recently become one of the most sought after film locations due to blockbusters such as Gladiator and Count of Montecristo that have used these picturesque landscapes and historical buildings as decor.
In Malta, it is possible to dive among what may be the remainders of the missing Atlantis. Its fine sand beaches, bathed in crystal-clear waters entice one to enjoy such water sports as windsurfing or to simply lay under the warm Mediterranean sun. Fun is guaranteed in a country filled with color and festivals throughout the year. This is only a small part of what can be done in Malta, Gozo and Comino, the three main isles that make up the Maltese archipelago.
The Polish Tourist Organization, the Municipality of Cracow and the National Tourist Office of Poland are the Polish institutions that will represent the country at this edition. Furthermore, the Polish Tourist Organization will bring to FITUR 2005 a wide-ranging group of co-exhibiting companies, including the following: Furnel Travel International, Intercrac, JAN-POL Incoming Tour Operator, LOT Polish Airlines, Marco Der Pole-Viajes y Peregrinaciones, Mazurkas Travel., Orbis Travel Co. Ltd. Incoming Tour Op., Polamer, Poloniatour, Varsavolo, Visit.pl and TTG Polska. Between 1983 and 1992 Poland was represented by LOT, Polish National Airlines. Since then, Poland´s attendance at the fair has been organized by the Polish Tourist Organization.
The extensive participation of the Polish business sector at FITUR 2005 reflects the increase in the number of tourists this country has witnessed in recent years, especially during the first half of the year 2004. The number of Spanish tourists who visited Poland between 1st January and 31st July came to 21,000, a figure that represents an increase of 11.8 per cent with respect to the same period the previous year. The increase in tourist numbers from other countries came to 21 per cent. Tourism in Poland reflects the behaviour of Spanish travellers in general: the number of trips booked over the Internet is increasing, although bookings via travel agencies continue to predominate.
The most popular destinations for Spanish tourists are Warsaw, Cracow and Gdansk. Nevertheless, interest in nature tourism and active tourism has grown. As far as Spanish visitors are concerned, the season has been highly satisfactory for tour operators, who have been promoting Poland for a number of years, although one or two exceptions exist. The results have also been relatively good for those companies who have introduced Poland as a destination in their brochures for the first time this year. Polish cities have witnessed a considerable increase in the number of Spanish tourists this year. For example, visits to the Salt Mines of Wieliczka in July increased by almost 37%.
Since 1982 and up until the 2005 edition of the fair, the Czech Republic has been represented by Czech Tourism – the National Czech Tourism Office. This year, the co-exhibiting official bodies will include the City of Olomouc, the Region of Karlovy Vary and the Region of Pilsen. This country will undoubtedly attend the fair with the largest number of co-exhibiting companies, including the following: Adria Prague Hotel, COT Business, Cedok Travel Corp. Tour Operator DMC, Destination, GTS International, Hilton Prague, Holiday Inn, Prague Congress Centre, ITC Travel & Conference, Orea Hotels, Prague International and TTG Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic is becoming one of the most attractive holiday options for Spaniards. Over the first half of this year, a total of 62,729 Spanish tourists visited the country, which represents an increase of 22 per cent compared to the same period in the year 2003. Throughout the whole year, the Czech Republic welcomed a total of 154,880 Spanish tourists.
This country is of interest to tourists from all around the world. Thanks to its geographical position right at the heart of the European Continent and to its natural and cultural heritage, the country has become a highly popular destination. Its well-developed infrastructures, featuring a large number of hotel complex and congress centres, makes the Czech Republic an ideal destination for the third millennium. In general terms, the Czech Republic focuses its tourism products on the charm of its castles, palaces and historic cities. Its tourism opportunities also include the following delights: healthy and active holidays ; Golden Prague with all its historical, cultural and youth appeal; spas, resorts for leisure and relaxation, and religious monuments and pilgrimage sites.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
