The Meetings and Incentive Travel Workshop, FITUR CONGRESOS 2005, will set in motion its sixth edition following the meeting that took place last 21st July at the facilities owned by IFEMA - the body that organizes the event - featuring the participation of all the various bodies involved in the fair, including TURESPAÑA, its promoter.

The workshop, that provides an ideal meeting forum for Spanish supply and international demand within the meetings tourism market through an intensive programme of pre-arranged interviews, will take place on 24th and 25th January 2005, directly preceding a very special edition of FITUR, that of its Twenty-Fifth Anniversary (26th to 30th January at the Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre in Madrid).

This workshop will return to the fair scene with the firm backing of a new team at the Spanish Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, represented by TURESPAÑA, an event that has established itself as one of the best means of promoting the international projection of the Spanish business tourism sector, whilst also helping to combat seasonal fluctuations within the Spanish tourist industry.

We are dealing here with a sector that has a growing influence within the industry, as confirmed by the figures furnished by the International Congress and Conventions Association (ICCA), which indicate that Spain is the second most important country throughout the world with regard to this type of tourism. This segment accounts for 10 per cent of tourism revenue, which is to say, around 3,000 million euros.

Furthermore, according to the Spain Convention Bureau, in 2003 almost 13,400 meetings were held in Spain, featuring the participation of over 2.5 million individuals. In this respect, FITUR CONGRESOS already has five editions behind it, especially the last edition staged in January 2004, which featured the participation of 157 Spanish sellers and 191 buyers from 25 countries in a programme involving over 4,500 interviews.

Furthermore, we might highlight the high levels of satisfaction expressed by the buyers that participated at the event, especially in relation to the benefits of attending FITUR CONGRESOS. This much is reflected by the survey commissioned by TURESPAÑA, which revealed that 70 per cent of the buyers at the year 2002 and 2003 editions claimed to have organized meetings in Spain as a result of their participation at the fair.

In order to maintain this high level of satisfaction, one of the priority objectives of the organizers of FITUR CONGRESOS is to continue ensuring the high stature of the professionals participating at the event. Another of the fair's policies will be to seek out new up-and-coming markets, attracting buyers from South Africa and Japan. To these we must add the more mature markets that are habitually represented at FITUR CONGRESOS, such as those of Europe, the United States and Latin America.

As far as the pre-tours are concerned, these are one of the most characteristic aspects of FITUR CONGRESOS, setting it apart from other events of its kind. On the previous weekend, on 22nd and 23rd January, foreign buyers will have the option of discovering some of the best congress destinations in various Spanish regions at first hand.

At each edition, a number of Spanish regions (it is still to be decided which regions will take part in this edition) create a special programme for foreign buyers, with Madrid always participating in its capacity as the host region. In total, nine itineraries (one for each region) will present their best infrastructures for the staging of meetings of all kinds, combined with their rich natural, historical and cultural heritage, aspects that are highly valued by this highly-demanding type of tourist. In this respect, the Spanish regions are able to benefit from an important added-value element of their presence at FITUR CONGRESOS. In creating this programme, the organizers enjoy the support and collaboration of the corresponding authorities in each region, including the Tourism Department of the Madrid Region (Turmadrid), the Madrid Convention Bureau, Madrid's Municipal Tourist Board and the Spain Convention Bureau.

In addition, continuing the list of bodies that collaborate with FITUR CONGRESOS, we might highlight the agreement that has been renewed with IBERIA, the event's official air transport company, not to mention the support of the Madrid Hotel Business Association, AEHM, under the heading of accommodation, and that of Trapsa/Travelbus, in its capacity as the official overland transport company.

The supply-side participants at FITUR CONGRESOS will include the following: travel agencies, incentive companies, convention centres and congress centres, convention bureaux, hotels, official congress, convention and meetings organizers, official bodies, tourist boards, transport companies, complementary service providers and others.

As far as demand is concerned, the participants will include specialized travel agencies and incentive companies. The timetable for the meetings between supply and demand will be between 9.00 a.m. and 5.30 p.m., continuing up to 6.30 p.m. for interviews arranged outside the official agenda and for meetings with the press.

Furthermore, coinciding with the workshop, an exhibition area will be set up in the same hall, featuring some of the best Spanish destinations within the field of meetings tourism. FITUR CONGRESOS 2005 will thus provide a marvellous introduction to the best edition of FITUR over the last twenty-five years.

The twenty-fifth edition of the International Tourism Trade Fair will take place at the FERIA DE MADRID fairground, between 26th and 30th January 2005.