Blog

FITUR Cruises, organised by IFEMA MADRID in collaboration with the online magazine Cruceroadicto.com, celebrates its fifth anniversary as the leading platform for analysis and professional debate within the cruise industry. Launched yesterday as part of the International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR Cruises brings together cruise lines, experts and industry stakeholders during the professional days to address market evolution, traveller profiles and new onboard experience models.

Participants in the sixth edition of FITUR Lingua, the section organized by FITUR in collaboration with FEDELE (Spanish Federation of Schools of Spanish as a Foreign Language), held today as part of the International Tourism Trade Fair at IFEMA MADRID, unveiled a preview of the findings of FEDELE’s Sector Report. According to the report, a total of 177,576 students of Spanish were enrolled in FEDELE-affiliated centers in Spain in 2025, representing a 12.77% increase compared to 2024. During the event, a range of experts also examined the role of language as a multiplier effect for tourism and as a key factor in the cultural and educational experience of destinations.

Tours focused on culture, history and heritage continue to be the leading experiences sought by people booking trips to Spain, according to experts participating today in FITUR Experience, the new section of the International Tourism Trade Fair organised in collaboration with Viator, a Tripadvisor company. The event highlighted the growing importance of experiential tourism in Spain. Speakers also noted that among the fastest-growing experiences are outdoor activities, nightlife, shopping, cultural excursions, theatre and music.

The 16th edition of FITUR LGBT+, organized by FITUR in collaboration with JN Global Project, took place within the framework of the International Tourism Fair as a key professional forum showcasing inclusive destinations, initiatives and activities linked to diverse tourism. Under the slogan “Mucho más que turismo” / “Beyond Tourism”, the professional sessions underlined the role of diversity, inclusion and safety as strategic pillars of tourism promotion, as well as the institutional and business commitment to an open, responsible tourism model aligned with fundamental rights.

Puerto Rico will take centre stage at the International Tourism Fair in 2027 as Partner Country, as announced today at the country’s stand by Daniel Martínez, Executive Vice President of IFEMA MADRID, and Jennifer González Colón, Governor of Puerto Rico. The announcement was also attended by Willianette Robles Cancel, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (CTPR), and Jorge L. Pérez, Chief Executive Officer of Discover Puerto Rico, together with Arancha Priede, IFEMA MADRID’s Managing Director of Trade Fair and Congress Business, and María Valcarce, Director of FITUR.

Mews, the operating system for hospitality, today announced it has raised $300 million in a Series D funding round led by EQT Growth, with new investors Atomico and HarbourVest Partners, and participation from existing investors Kinnevik, Battery Ventures and Tiger Global. This investment marks a defining moment for hospitality technology and values the company at $2.5 billion. Following a year of strong and durable growth, during which SaaS gross profit increased by 55%, this fundraise establishes Mews as the leading hospitality tech provider for hotels of all sizes.

Ahead of Winter Storm Fern, American Airlines is proactively standing up its operation to support customers and protect the reliability of our network. Teams across the airline are closely tracking the storm’s path and taking deliberate steps to provide customers with added flexibility, including issuing a travel alert and waiving change fees for affected cities. We’re repositioning aircraft, aligning crew resources and reinforcing staffing at key airports while coordinating with our partners to help minimize disruption and set the stage for a fast, safe recovery once conditions improve.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has appointed Elvira Dyangani Ose as Artistic Director of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial to curate its second edition which opens in the autumn of 2026 and runs into 2027.

Building on the success of the inaugural edition that opened in 2024, the next edition of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, under Dyangani Ose’s direction, will transform Abu Dhabi once again into an emirate-wide celebration of public art, culture and community.

Jennifer Matarangas-King was officially sworn in as Commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Tourism on Thursday, January 15, during a ceremony held at Government House on St. Croix. The ceremony was attended by Governor Albert Bryan Jr., the Matarangas-King family, colleagues, members of the Government House Cabinet, and distinguished guests, including former Commissioners Beverly Nicholson-Doty and Joseph Boschulte, as well as former Assistant Commissioner of Tourism Claire Roker, marking a meaningful moment of continuity and leadership for the Department.

In a time where global dialogue is increasingly challenged, the culinary world stands out. The idea that sharing a culinary language connects people across continents lies at the heart of CONVERGENCE, a five-day global event in Denmark’s capital, hosted by the two Michelin-star restaurant Alchemist.