- Envera and Radio Viajera will broadcast a special program from IFEMA's Hall 10
- Envera students with disabilities support Iberia at FITUR stand
Madrid | January 25
The official opening of Fitur 2024 took place this Wednesday, presided over by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and hosted, as every year, by the city of Madrid at IFEMA. The largest International Tourism Fair has counted, for the third consecutive edition, with the coverage of the program Tour Dis-friendlyThe program, produced by Envera for Radio Viajera, featured the Madrid City Council's Tourism Delegate, Almudena Maíllo, as well as representatives of Iberia, Grupo Viajes El Corte Inglés, PANGEA, La Fontana Gastro and Impulsa Igualdad, who defended the fact that sustainable and inclusive tourism is very competitive for the sector.
Maíllo assured that "Madrid is an open city and anyone who wants to come to our city should have the peace of mind of knowing that they will not encounter any obstacles". For the head of tourism in the capital "cities can no longer afford not to be accessible". During the interview she also talked about the upcoming milestones that Madrid will celebrate in the future, such as the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix scheduled for 2026.
For the first time, Fitur has a space dedicated exclusively to inclusive tourism. This was explained by the executive president of IMPULSA IGUALDAD, Francisco Sardón, speaking on the day. Fitur4All which will be held this Thursday at the fair, bringing together experts in sustainability, accessibility and inclusion and with the presentation of the first awards recognizing best practices in this regard.
In addition, Martina Junquera, one of the program's regular collaborators, pointed out that Iberia has for the first time at its Fitur stand with people with intellectual disabilities, students of Envera, who will welcome visitors who come to the company's space. Among them, Martina herself, for whom it is a first approach to the world of work.
Travel agencies also had their space in the Tour Dis-friendly special. For Álvaro Gallego, Sustainability Coordinator of Grupo Viajes El Corte Inglés, "it is very important to integrate sustainability into the business model". He pointed out that "in Spain there are more than four million people with disabilities who also want to travel", to show how interesting these customers are for the sector.
David Hernández, CEO and founder of PANGEA The travel store, also agrees that tourism and sustainability should go hand in hand, as this is what the customers themselves demand, highlighting the importance of social actions for the company.
Hernández is also the driving force behind the Soñar Despierto Foundation, whose mission is to accompany and support minors residing in shelters, open centers and residential centers from marginal environments and dysfunctional families, from the moment they enter the center until they reach autonomy.
Finally, Tour Dis-friendly also wanted to give a nod to the Fitur 2024 partner country: Ecuador. From La Fontana Gastro, a fusion cuisine restaurant, its director of operations, Luis Uyana, spoke about Ecuador's rich gastronomy, culinary tourism and combining sustainability and cuisine.
Tour Dis-friendly is a Radio Viajera program produced by the Envera team led by Adrián Llopis, accompanied by Marta Galán, Kenia Herráez, Nuria Espí, Martina Junquera and Antonio Martín 'Michael', with David Esteban and Sonia Calvo in technical direction, and Virginia Ródenas, Paula Lobo, Ricardo Dómine and David Ferrero in production.
