InterContinental Madrid’s Post

Events should be and can be more responsible. Mallorca host a great number of turístic, cultural, sports and MICE events. It is imperative to start measuring the impact of emissions during travels to Mallorca and to implement circular measures that reduce negative outcomes such as waste or unsustainable merchandising. Eco innovation in catering and materials used in stand and setups should be implemented and binding. Mobility should be collective and coordinated. A general naturalisations of these events that reduces the impacts on the island and its citizenship must be incorporated in the events sector. Local Private and public sector have the responsibility to lead the way with example and trace a road map to decarbonisation and circular models from a voluntary initiative beyond the legal minimum. Although economical outcomes for the private sector are always great, the organisers should take responsabilidad and be transparent on the impacts generated by their events and give back on the same terms as they take from the community and the land they operate in.

How can the tourism industry achieve its profitability targets while promoting sustainability? In this TourisTalk, we discussed how the public sector can provide an enabling environment for the creation of synergies and strategies for a better tourism ecosystem in the framework of the the dual transition. Thanks KPMG España for the invitation and the interesting exchange. Video in SP with EN subtitles. Luis Buzzi Patricia Rossello Antoni Riera Font Tomas López Fernebrand

Jamaica Positions itself as a Global Hub of Tourism Innovation Jamaica, fascinating island state in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies, the third largest island after Cuba and Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean area, is positioning itself as a global hub of tourism innovation. Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica's Minister of Tourism, announced that the country is achieving considerable success with the Tourism Innovation Incubator program that is revolutionizing the country's tourism industry. The Tourism Innovation Incubator, launched by the Tourism Development Fund, a public body of the Ministry of Tourism in response to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic aims to identify and promote innovative ideas that can transform the Jamaican tourism sector. This year, the program received a staggering 222 applications, marking an increase of 553% compared to the 34 applications received in the inaugural year of 2022. The Minister of Tourism commented that this exponential growth is not just a statistic but a resounding vote of confidence in the potential of the program and a witness to the entrepreneurial spirit that runs through the veins of every Jamaican emphasized the Minister. From this impressive pool of candidates, 22 innovators have been carefully selected to join the 2024 cohort. This heterogeneous group is composed of 12 women and 10 men aged between 19 and 68 years and represents a representative sample of Jamaican parishes. Their innovative ideas span a broad spectrum, including immersive underwater experiences, cutting – edge augmented and virtual reality tours, sustainable transportation solutions and pioneering applications of artificial intelligence and blockchain in tourism. Edmund Bartlett, who conceived the incubator initiative, emphasized that the tourism innovation incubator is a bold statement of Jamaica's commitment to becoming a global thought leader in the tourism industry and urged stakeholders to embrace these innovations and invited potential partners and investors to take advantage of the myriad opportunities for collaboration and investment. The Minister then added that it is not only an adaptation to the future of tourism but is actively shaping it by creating experiences that not only engage visitors but leave an indelible mark on their lives as a sustainable, authentic and typically Jamaican tourism industry is being built. The Tourism Innovation Incubator is poised to generate significant job opportunities particularly for young people while improving visitor experiences and laying a solid foundation for the development of sustainable tourism in Jamaica. As these innovative ideas move from concepts to reality, they promise to transform Jamaica’s tourism landscape and impact the lives of millions of visitors and Jamaicans.   https://lnkd.in/eCNYj6fr

Valladolid – Spain | Great MICE Tourism Success Valladolid, beautiful and captivating city in the north-west of Spain, a centre of considerable interest in the community of Castilla y Leon, known for its medieval sites, among which the magnificent Gothic church of San Pablo stands out, it consolidates itself as a tourist power in the MICE segment. Very significant data have been recorded by local tourism institutions which have found that of the more than 250 million euros of the total economic impact of tourism in Valladolid, 30% of the revenue comes from the MICE sector. The city hosted the celebration of the I MICE Forum Castilla y León in the Miguel Delibes Auditorium organized by the Junta de Castilla y León, a day that saw the presence of numerous agents of the tourism sector at regional and national level. The Councillor for Tourism, Events and City Brand participated in the round table that had as its focal theme "How meeting tourism develops, new events, new trends of the I MICE CyL Forum. " During the meeting, the Councillor addressed all participants and operators, underlining that Valladolid is an ideal and suitable destination to host congresses, meetings and incentives with the capacity to accommodate 2000 people in a single location, boasting over 600 restaurants and highlighting that the city can provide about 4000 beds. In the statements in which it is pointed out that 30% of the revenue comes from the MICE segment with over 250 million euros of revenue, it must be added as a resonant figure that the average stay of congress tourism is 2.54 days compared to 1.7 of conventional tourism and these figures reflect the importance of the sector in the economy of Valladolid, a sign of the growing need to achieve specialization. The Councillor also echoed his Department's commitment to hosting these types of events in the city, an action already contemplated in the 2024-2027 Strategic Tourism Plan. This three-year program includes several lines of work to further strengthen the MICE department with the implementation of more resources, more spaces, more staff available in order to homogeneously converge all the demand to be able to successfully assist all segments in a personalized way. https://lnkd.in/eP_kjSnr

For KPMG España and especially the teams that are dedicated to the Hospitality, Travel & Leisure sector, today is an important day since we have launched our KPMG The Future of Tourism initiative to the public. This is an initiative that tries to create spaces for reflection on the future challenges of the sector, through an innovative value proposal, based on conversations recorded on video, with experts who, together with members of our Tourism Commission, provide us with their vision. , in a format that we have called TourisTalk. Our purpose is not to create a current of opinion but to launch reflections so that each one can draw their conclusions, in a thoughtful and orderly manner, taking those elements that they consider important. I cannot thank the members of our Tourism Commission,María Zarraluqui, Patricia Rossello, Natalia Bayona, Tomas López Fernebrand & Jesús Nuño de la Rosa, enough for making what was not even an idea a reality. I hope that the entire community dedicated to tourism, and those who, without being dedicated to it, want to delve deeper into the topics discussed in each TouristTalk, find the initiative interesting.

Thanks Fede Durán and El Mundo for your interview! In Destinia we genuinely believe that tourism is an undeniably "force for good". It brings wealth to destinations, boosts local entrepreneurship, and is the best way to broaden horizons, foster empathy, and help the society to advance. However, it faces clear sustainability challenges of two kinds. Firstly, like any other industry, there are issues related to waste production and the environmental impact of its activities. The second type of challenge concerns the sustainability of destinations, their carrying capacity, and the social impact of tourism on residents. Here, there is much work to be done, but this is precisely where travel tech companies are not just crucial, they are absolutely indispensable. It’s not merely a question of whether Spain can host 85 million tourists or 100 million, but whether it can accommodate them all at the same times and in the same places. Technology companies must enable local entrepreneurs to diversify destinations and sub-destinations and to reduce the seasonality of tourism. On one hand, this involves empowering and promoting the activities of small local businesses, which should be able to benefit from the economic activity around them and need the amplification that only technology and our platforms can provide. On the other, by creating better, different, and higher value-added products in various locations, we help manage the carrying capacity of destinations more sensibly, foster the emergence of new entrepreneurs bringing prosperity to their towns and cities, and combat phenomena like the “España vaciada”

Sonora – Mexico | Tourism Promotion Strengthening The Mexican State of Sonora has developed an action to enhance the tourism promotion of the territory to increase incoming flows with specific plans in conjunction with the XXX Edition of the National Congress of the Meeting Industry for the professionalization and competitiveness of the actors involved. The congress was organized to bring together all the protagonists who will give impetus to the strengthening actions and functioned as a useful space to cope with relevant and trendy needs for the sector with an exchange of views, knowledge, networking, business generated, promotion of destinations among the different actors that make up this value chain. The congress brought together about 600 professionals including Convention and Visitors Bureaus, Tourism Secretaries, Meeting Planners, Travel Agents, Media who will jointly participate in the promotion of local tourism to give a boost to a successful promotion. The Secretary of Tourism of Sonora stated that events of this kind are constructive and provide an ideal environment to further strengthen the promotion of Sonora with the participation of companies and institutions related to this sector. Following the instructions of the Governor of the state, focused steps will be taken to position Hermosillo and the entire state of Sonora as a reference point in the meeting industry of Mexico and the world to attract incoming tourism and consequently benefit the local economy and families. "https://lnkd.in/eU5gjvub

Capital Spain featured Belize in its January issue! The article titled, "Belize, un Mar de Oportunidades para el Ocio y la Inversión" (translated: Belize, a sea of Opportunities for Leisure and Investment) includes an interview with the Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations and highlights the country’s diverse amenities which captivates travelers!

Dominican Republic  FITUR was a success for Dominican entities The 44th Edition of the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) was held in Madrid, Spain from 24 to 28 January 2024 and was quite successful for Dominican tourism. Executives for hotels, tour operators, banks and airports had something positive to take away from this global event. Fitur 2024 received over 153,000 professional visitors, people who are involved in the business of tourism. The last day of the fair, the general public was invited in to see what for themselves the new offerings the airlines, hotels and resorts. Let’s look at some of the biggest announcements related to the Dominican success at the fair. According to Minister of Tourism David Collado, there were at least 16 new agreements signed with airlines (Air Europa to Santiago, for example), tour operators, and investors. Tourism Minister David Collado announced 19 new tourism projects worth US$3.5 billion, adding more than 9,000 hotel rooms to destinations across the country. The Popular Bank announced that over a billion dollars in new investments had been secured and over 9,000 new hotel rooms are in the works. One of the major announcements was an ultra-luxurious new hotel in Punta Cana announced by Puntacana Group. A Marriott facility of just 80 upscale rooms and villas will accommodate 160 persons. The price tag? US$100 million. On the beach, with all of the amenities required by the very wealthy, The project, called Playa Serena Puntacana Resort was designed by Dominican architects and will be built by Dominican construction companies. Opening is scheduled by 2026. The Puntacana Group will operate the Playa Serena Puntacana. The Dominican Republic was the darling of the show, sharing with many that it has reached the landmark of 10,306,517 visitors by air and sea in 2023, marking a significant milestone in the country's tourism history. Reading more in Spanish https://lnkd.in/eH_5sKiZ

Glad to participate with my colleague Almudena Comin Fernández-Cuesta in the latest Real Estate Gazette issued by DLA Piper focused on Hotels&Leisure and share our thoughts on how the relationship between the property owner and the hotel brands on hotel management is evolving in Spain. Click on the link to access this article (along with more insights on the trends worldwide in the hotel sector): https://lnkd.in/etwgwkMu