FITUR 2024 wrapped up last week in Madrid. The annual tourism fair featured a busy schedule for the EXO Travel team, as they met with partners and shared news from across our portfolio of destinations.
FITUR (Feria Internacional de Turismo) is always a wonderful opportunity for EXO to showcase exciting updates and discuss travel trends with our partners in the Spanish-speaking market – and this year was no exception!
EXO was represented by Nick Ghosh, Director of Global Sales, Lucas Arruda, Sales Manager for Latin America and Louane Daigremont, Regional Manager Spain, Portugal and Latin America. The trio hosted three days of meetings with partners as well as post-event meetings and training sessions with partners in the Madrid area.
‘FITUR 2024 was a great opportunity for meaningful engagement with our partners, particularly given the notable presence of Latin Americans at the event,’ Lucas explains. ‘The meetings we had were essential in bolstering our collaboration this year’.
Read on to learn about their key takeaways and insights from the event.
‘I was delighted to meet with so many partners from Spain, Portugal and Latin America, and very pleased to hear that Southeast Asia was seeing a very strong rebound of interest in 2024′
Travel is back!
This year’s FITUR was noticeably upbeat, with partners enjoying an uptick in business as the travel industry continues its post-pandemic rebound. Many positive discussions revolved around boasting sales, capitalising on EXO’s experience and consistency of service.
Nick adds, ‘As a first time visitor to FITUR I was delighted to meet with so many partners from Spain, Portugal and Latin America, and very pleased to hear that Southeast Asia was seeing a very strong rebound of interest in 2024. This was definitely evident from the liveliness of the show, which had amazing attendance from partners and suppliers worldwide’!
This includes a renewed focus on niche travel for Laos and Indonesia. Laos is drawing the attention of those seeking a more unique, off-the-beaten path experience. And Indonesia continues to solidify its position as a favoured destination for honeymooners and those seeking mindfulness retreats.
‘There was a real buzz around the Korea stand throughout the show, and it was clear that there is a huge appetite for Korean culture, its wonderful cuisine and exploring beyond Seoul’
Korea: New, buzzing destination
The newest addition to EXO’s portfolio of destinations were buzz-worthy topics at FITUR.
Korea, EXO’s newest destination launched in November 2023, received a positive reception at FITUR.
The growing trends around Korean culture have sparked interest in the destination and the EXO team shared destination information and sample products for inspiration.
‘There was a real buzz around the Korea stand throughout the show, and it was clear that there is a huge appetite for Korean culture, its wonderful cuisine and exploring beyond Seoul’, Nick explains. ‘Definitely a great alternative destination to Japan given how hectic it has become’!
‘‘We could share a clear understanding of our capability to deliver high-quality services in Saudi Arabia as well’
Saudi Arabia: emerging destination
Saudi Arabia, EXO’s first foray beyond Asia, was on the radar of many partners.
As an emerging tourism destination, the demand from the Spanish-speaking market remains low but this is all set to change as more hotels and experiences are developed in the Kingdom.
With our experienced team of locals and international travel experts, partners were delighted to learn that EXO Saudi Arabia can deliver our signature style of innovative products at the high service standards we are known for.
‘A key highlight was spreading the news of EXO Saudi Arabia, marking our expansion into regions beyond our established Asia expertise known by the attendees,’ Lucas explains. ‘We could share a clear understanding of our capability to deliver high-quality services in Saudi Arabia as well’.
‘FITUR was a great opportunity for fostering meaningful connections within the travel industry‘
Beyond FITUR
More than 153,000 travel professionals attended FITUR and over the course of three days, EXO met with more than 100 partners. But the networking didn’t end there! Our team seized the opportunity to schedule additional meetings, dedicated training sessions and social events with partners in attendance and in the region.
Lucas explains, ‘In addition to our participation in FITUR we took the occasion to visit our partners’ headquarters in Madrid and join after-event dinners with esteemed partners from Latin America and Spain. FITUR was a great opportunity for fostering meaningful connections within the travel industry’.
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