NTG at FiturtechY – Spain

2019年1月,The Next Tourism Generation Alliance (NTG)was represented at the FiturtechY. This is the specialized section for technology and tourism that FITUR – IFEMA and the Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero (ITH) jointly organize annually. This section of FITUR, the International Tourism Fair in Spain, has more than 12 years of history, through which it has become a benchmark for innovation in the sector. Covering a space of more than 2,000 square metres at Feria de Madrid, the section has four forums dedicated to business management, tourism destinations, sustainability and future trends in tourism – all connected by technology as the main theme. FiturtechY also has an exhibition space, in which visitors have the opportunity to see the latest developments in digital technology.

FiturtechY 2019 was very successful. The section received more than 16,371 visitors over three days and during the four forums there were 223 expert speakers that together with #techYhotel involved 148 participating companies. The event section was the largest and most international held to date, drawing the attention of the international tourism community.

At this special event, Mr. Alvaro Carrillo, General Manager of ITH, presented the Next Tourism Generation (NTG) Project funded by the European Commission to an audience of one hundred people. Mr. Carillo explained the main objectives and scope of the NTG Project, highlighting the five sub-sectors addressed: food and beverage, accommodation, visitor attractions, destination management, travel agents and tour operators. The NTG Project will identify existing digital and sustainability skills gaps and the competences and core skills required by the future work force. The NTG Alliance also aims to improve the relationship between the tourism industry and educational providers and improve the image of tourism career pathways at company and educational level. Mr. Carrillo encouraged professionals attending the event to volunteer to join NTG sector skills teams.