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FITUR 2006 to highlight active tourism

Between January 25-29, 2006, Madrid will turn into the world capital city for tourism, thanks to FITUR, the first date on the international calendar for professionals in the tourist trade. In its 26th edition, FITUR will become the bridge joining all the national and international tourist offers.

This has been achieved thanks to the effort and confidence of the over 11,500 participating companies and 102,000 professionals who are working at the Trade Fair, making advantageous contacts, defining strategies and getting the best returns from their presence at FITUR, a business forum.

Over the last decade, rural tourism has risen by 24.5%, and last year there were almost 1.8 million overnight stays in these kinds of establishments.

The 26th International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR 2006 organized by IFEMA, will once again host one of its specialized sections that has grown the most over the last few years, FITUR ACTIVO. FITUR ACTIVO encompasses all types of adventure, culture and nature-based tourism.

Every year, FITUR shows a growing original, attractive and quality offer of active tourism in response to the remarkable development of this type of tourism in Spain. During the last edition, in January 2005, the Active Tourism Section presented the products of 1,565 Spanish companies as well as foreign companies and 39 activity groups, most of which were land and water-based activities.

All the events at this 13th FITUR ACTIVO section will be included in a new edition of the Active Tourism Guide. The Secretary of State will coedit this guide for Trade and Tourism. It is the only publication of its kind, and all the companies and organizations of active tourism registered in it are endorsed by their respective Spanish regions.

Besides this useful tool, the Secretary of State for Trade and Tourism is also supporting another initiative to take place within the framework of FITUR ACTIVO, the 21st Best Active Tourism Product Competition, organized in partnership with Aire Libre magazine.

Since their creation, both the Active Tourism Guide and the Best Active Tourism Product Competition have shown themselves to be useful tools in the promotion and marketing strategies of the companies exhibiting at FITUR. They also allow these companies to make their presence at FITUR even more profitable.

ITE MICE 2006 to draw more corporate buyers

ITE MICE, a newly launched exhibition for business travels and MICE market to be held concurrently with ITE Hong Kong, targets to attract 2,000 corporate buyers and thousands of travel agents from the region. Helped by a booming market, the success of the last ITE, and a wide appreciation of the synergy between ITE MICE and ITE, both exhibitions are receiving excellent responses from the international travel industry.

Over 800 corporate buyers attended ITE2005 with a majority from major corporations, 5% of them from overseas and 23% from China. Southern China, especially the Pearl River Delta, is China's manufacturing and export base. Globalization will mean more of these Chinese companies traveling abroad for business.

For synergy, ITE and ITE MICE will share all trade and corporate visitors during the first two professional days. Of the 9,500 trade visitors attending ITE2005, nearly 60% were travel agents. Geographically, 20% of these trade visitors were from abroad, and another 18% from Mainland China.

ITE MICE will be held from June 15-17 and ITE from June 15-18, 2006 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

WTM 2005 draws record attendance

World Travel Market (WTM), held in London November 14-17, experienced its greatest year ever with a 5% overall increase in attendance to almost 49,000, more than 4% expansion in exhibiting space and a notable rise in both Meridian Club and trade visitors from overseas, compared to last year's event.

The number of Exhibiting Partner personnel went up by 17%. In total, there were 202 representative countries and regions exhibiting at the global business-to-business event.

More than a 100 government tourism ministers, ambassadors and high commissioners also attended. Media attendance grew by 7% to 2,909. The event's Premier Partner this year was Moscow and highlighted the rapidly growing importance of tourism to the city.

Fresh Initiatives. WTM 2005 offered a variety of new features and attractions. A stunning opening ceremony culminated in the global premiere of some of the music from the musical adaptation of Lord of the Rings.

Ministers Program. More than 60 government ministers attended WTM this year and participated in the Ministers Program. This included a reception at the House of Lords, hosted by Baroness Anelay of St. Johns DBE, Chairman of WTM's Advisory Council, at which James Purnell, MP, the UK tourism minister, was the guest speaker.

Travel Technology. The introduction of a new Travel Technology area, coinciding with a serious upturn in the IT industry, proved a sell-out with more than 30 large, medium and smaller specialist companies exhibiting.

Just a Drop and Dot Travel. On WTM's opening day, Tralliance CEO Ron Andruff unveiled the company's bold initiative to donate US$ 1 for every .travel name on the industry's high level domain to Just a Drop - the water-aid industry started by Fiona Jeffery and the organizers of WTM eight years ago.

Just a Drop is the only global travel and tourism industry charity to give children everywhere the right to life by providing clean water to thousands of children and their families.


UPCOMING EVENTS

January 20-22, 2006
TTF 2006 - Travel & Tourism Fair
OTM 2006 - Outbound Travel Mart
Bangalore, India
Contact address: Fairfest Media Ltd.
Fairfest House
2454, 17th 'E' Cross, 9th Main, Ground Floor
Banashankri, 2nd Stage, Bangalore 560 070, India
Website: www.fairfest.com

January 25-29
FITUR 2006
IFEMA. Feria de Madrid
Madrid, Spain
Contact address: IFEMA. Feria de Madrid
Apdo. Correos 67.067
28042 Madrid, Spain
E-mail: fitur@ifema.es
Website: www.fituronline.com

February 11-13
ITM 2006 - India Travel Mart
Ahmedabad, (Gujarat), India
Contact address: Secretariat India Travel Mart (ITM)
199 CM-1, Jhandewalan Extension
New Delhi-110055, India
E-mail: indiatravelmart@vsnl.net
Website: www.indiatravelmart.com

February 18-20
TTF 2006 - Travel & Tourism Fair
OTM 2006 - Outbound Travel Mart
Mumbai, India
Contact address: Fairfest Media Pvt Ltd.
Fairfest House
D-6, Plot No.29, Versova Andheri Rameshwar
CHS, RSC 10, MHADA, S.V.P. Nagar, Andheri (W)
Mumbai 400053, India
Website: www.fairfest.com

March 8-12
ITB Berlin 2006
Berlin, Germany
Contact address: Messe Berlin GmbH
Messedamm 22, D-14055 Berlin, Germany
E-mail: itb@messe-berlin.de
Website: www.itb-berlin.com

March 24-26
ITM 2006 - India Travel Mart
Chandigarh, (Punjab) U.T., India
Contact address: Secretariat India Travel Mart (ITM)
199 CM-1, Jhandewalan Extension
E-mail: indiatravelmart@vsnl.net
Website: www.indiatravelmart.com

April 23-27
55th PATA Annual Conference
Pattaya, Thailand
Contact address: Unit B1, 28/F, Siam Tower
989 Rama 1 Road, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330, Thailand
E-mail: conference@PATA.org
Website: www.PATA.org/conference

June 2-4
Sri Lanka Gateway to South Asia Travel Mart
(SLGSA) 2006
Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition Center, Colombo
Contact address: SLGSA Secretariat
Marketing Division
Sri Lanka Tourist Board
80, Galle Road
Colombo 03, Sri Lanka
E-mail: tourinfo@sri.lanka.net
Website: www.slgsatravelmart.com