The president of CEOE International and president of the Tourism, Culture and Sports Council of CEOE, Marta Blanco and the chairman of the Presidency Cabinet of the Business Confederation and CEO of CEOE International held meetings last week with tourism authorities from various countries, within the framework of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR), which was held from January 22 to 26 at IFEMA. This Fair stands out for being lThe first annual event for world tourism professionals and the leading fair for the receptive and outbound Latin American markets. It is also a unique forum to promote brands, present new products, learn about the latest trends and fill out the contacts and perspectives agendas.
Meanwhile, the president of CEOE International, Marta Blanco, held meetings with the Ministers of Tourism of Ecuador, Rosi Prado and of Tourism and Air Transport of Senegal, Alioune Sarr; with the Vice Minister of Tourism of the Republic of South Africa, Fish Mandela, and the representative of the Mixed Tourism Promotion Fund of Mexico City, Paola Félix. In the course of them, they talked about the state of the tourism sector and its vision for the future, the investment opportunities in these countries, the various sustainable initiatives and development plans, as well as the importance of private investment.
Likewise, Blanco participated in the closing ceremony of the XXIII Ibero-American Conference of Ministers and Entrepreneurs (CIMET). The Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel Oliver; the president of Feria de Madrid (IFEMA), Clemente González Soler; the president of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels (CEHAT), Jorge Marichal; and the president of the Spanish Confederation of Agencies (CEAV), Carlos Garrido.
The president of CEOE International also took part in the Chinese Tourism Forum 2020-Consolidation in Spain, in which the study “Chinese Tourism in Spain 2019” was exhibited; and the keys and tourist trends for this year 2020 were addressed; the challenges and challenges of the sector in China; the promotion of quality tourism in Spain or the importance of connectivity and digital media, among many other issues.
Blanco also participated in a meeting of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, with the members of the Spanish Tourism Council (CONESTUR), which took place in the Turespaña pavilion in Fitur. Sanchez said at the meeting that “Spanish tourism must move towards a model of sustained and sustainable growth, which consolidates us as world leaders in consumption, but also in digitalization, generation of decent employment, promotion of equality, territorial cohesion and environmental sustainability " Likewise, the Government, with territorial administrations and the private sector, talked about advancing together with the tourism sector to continue leading an activity that generates employment, promotes the exchange of human experiences and helps spread the excellence of Spain.
CEOE International was also present at the XI Forum of Tourism Investments and Businesses in Africa (Investour), which was attended by 20 Tourism Ministers from the African continent and representatives from 48 of the 55 countries in the region. During this edition, focused on the extractive industries and the development of rural tourism, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, intervened; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Fernando M. Valenzuela; the secretary general of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili; the general director of Casa África, José Segura; and the general director of IFEMA, Eduardo López-Puertas.
Mexico, Paraguay and Nicaragua
For his part, the director of the Presidency Cabinet of CEOE and CEO of CEOE International met during those days with the Minister of Tourism of Mexico, Miguel Torruco and the governor of the State of Guerrero, Ernesto Rodríguez, during the presentation of said State in Casa de México and its incentives for tourism.
Casado also held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, Antonio Rivas, during which they analyzed the possibilities of bilateral cooperation and announced the visit of a high-level government delegation, accompanied by businessmen from the Latin American country at the end of March, to hold a meeting at CEOE. The EU-MERCOSUR Summit was also discussed, which will take place in July in Paraguay, and the importance of environmental issues and creative industries (orange economy), among other issues, was highlighted.
Finally, the CEO of International CEOE met with the advisor for the Promotion of Investments, Commerce and International Cooperation, of the Cabinet of the Presidency of Nicaragua, Laureano Ortega and with the ambassador of that country in Spain, Carlos Midence. The business opportunities in the country were presented and Casado highlighted the excellent relations with the CEOE homologous employer in Nicaragua, COSEP.
