Promoting Innovation and Sustainability

The International Spanish Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) was the last global in-person trade fair to take place before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first one to return, sending a clear message of the resolve of the tourism sector for a safe and responsible restart.

This year’s trade fair ran from May 19-23, 2021 in Madrid and continued the long-standing partnership between UNWTO and FITUR. On the opening day of FITUR, UNWTO hosted an expert meeting on Accessible Tourism, featuring good practice in accessibility with a particular focus on tourism in rural and natural areas.

Sustainability was the focus of the UNWTO Affiliate Members meeting on May 21, giving its members - from the private sector, local and regional governments and academia - the opportunity to present their work, and to network both in-person and virtually.

The 25 winners of the UNWTO SDG Global Startup Competition met for a special workshop on winning investment for scaling up. The top entrepreneurs and innovators and their award-winning ideas for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals were also celebrated at a special event at the Royal Theatre in Spain.