FiturNext 2023: Tourism as an agent for the development of destinations

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

FiturNext, the FITUR Observatory dedicated to promoting good tourism practices that value sustainability in alliance with CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, brings the fourth edition to an end after an agenda of talks, round tables and presentations with public authorities, initiatives specialising in regenerative tourism and expert speakers on the subject.

More than 40 relevant voices from the sector shared their thoughts on how to promote regeneration in the tourism sector with a common point of view: sustainability has an impact on the economic, social and cultural development of a destination.

Regenerative tourism on the political agenda

FiturNext 2023 has gathered numerous testimonies throughout the four-day programme. These included the participation of public authorities from the tourism sector, who highlighted sustainability. In particular, the round table with Niels Olsen, Minister of Tourism of Ecuador, Arturo Bravo, Vice-Minister of Tourism of Colombia, Elena Pita, Director of the Biodiversity Foundation, and Alicia Montalvo, Manager of Climate Action and Positive Biodiversity of CAF, who focused on the importance of regenerative tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean, since investing in environmental resources has a direct impact on the development of a tourist destination. All of this, moreover, leads to the improvement of heritage and biodiversity. Montalvo also presented the main lines of action of the Development Bank of Latin America in the field of sustainable and regenerative tourism.

 It is also worth mentioning the debate on regenerative public policies between Marta Domènech, Director General of Tourism of Catalonia, and Isabel Vidal Tomás, Director General of Tourism of the Balearic Islands. In it, the speakers pointed out that making responsible and environmentally conscious tourism visible in political agendas must be fundamental for its implementation in a destination.

 Initiatives with values and a workshop to co-create a sustainable destination: the closing of the edition

FiturNext also featured the participation of this year’s and previous editions’ finalists and winners in a series of inspiring talks. These included a round table to promote positive tourism with representatives from the Starlight Foundation, Apadrina un Olivo, Sentir el Alto Tajo and the World Tourism Organization. The finalist initiatives of this edition, 5th SARoCO, Playa Viva and Procoreef, also came together in a dialogue to analyse the first steps, the roadmap, to implement regenerative tourism in a destination.

The third day highlighted the 2022 Challenge dedicated to accessibility, a permanent challenge in the sector. Predif presented the manual to develop an inclusive travel dedicated to professionals and companies in the industry.

Finally, the Observatory closed the fourth edition on Saturday with a workshop with tourism students from different universities in the country that aimed to explore how to co-create a destination to be sustainable, regenerative and improve the quality of life of local communities.

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