The 37th International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR 2017, which is organised by IFEMA from 18 to 22 January of next year at FERIA DE MADRID, is hosting a renewed INVESTOUR. The Forum for Tourism Investment and Business in Africa, which is jointly organised by FITUR, the World Tourism Organisation UNWTO and Casa África, will focus its eighth staging on promoting the sustainable development of tourism in Africa, thus joining in the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 declared by the United Nations Organisation and channelled through the UNWTO, a specialised United Nations body. This will also be the leitmotif of FITUR 2017. The meeting will take place on 19 January 2017.

The goal of INVESTOUR, now established as the best showcase for African tourism, is that of propitiating this continent’s tourism development through workshops and B2B meetings between businesses and professionals. Normally, separate sessions were held on the same day of round tables and pre-arranged appointments between African destinations and international buyers interested in this offering. The novelty, on this occasion, is that the conferences and B2B meetings will be simultaneous, offering convenient access to participants between the different sessions.

INVESTOUR 2017 is scheduling two round tables revolving around “Technology and the design of new tourism products” and “Development of capabilities and jobs for young people and women in tourism”. The aim of these encounters is to generate debates that spark ideas on how to boost the potential of African tourism both regionally and globally. At this staging more time will be devoted to the round tables, allowing participants to give more in-depth attention to the issues being debated.

For their part, B2B business meetings have revealed themselves to be a valuable business tool by allowing, through previously arranged appointments, any African institutions with tourism projects to enter into direct contact with international buyers. Proof of this participation model’s success is that at INVESTOUR 2016 there were 14 ministers, 316 participants, 105 investment projects and 40 pre-arranged appointments, and since its first staging in 2009 this Forum has attracted more than 1,200 participants from 32 African countries and more than 800 projects.

In 2015 Africa welcomed 53.5 million international tourists, who generated a total of 30 billion euros. UNWTO forecasts suggest that by 2030 Africa will have received 90 million international tourists.