Madrid’s Fitur tourism trade fair: Around the world in 10 pavilions
Belgian chocolate from Flanders, virtual reality from Moscow, dance rhythms from Colombia and much more are all on display in the Spanish capital until January 26
The southern Mexican state of Guerrero once again has its own stand at Fitur inside Pavilion 3, along with the other regions of the Americas. Elaborately decorated with colorful jaguar masks used in the ritual “Dance of the Devils” specific to the Mexican coastal states of Guerrero and Oaxaca, the stand is living up to its reputation – last year it was awarded the Countries and Regions prize, along with Karnataka, India, and Japan.Alfredo AriasWearing the striped headdress typical of the Egyptian pharaohs, a man writes a visitor’s name on papyrus paper in hieroglyphic symbols. Each figure corresponds to a letter of the alphabet and has a different meaning.Alfredo AriasSouth Korea’s stand in Pavilion 6 alongside the rest of the Asia-Pacific introduces visitors to Hallyu tourism, a term that translates as Korean Wave and refers to the growing global popularity of the country’s contemporary culture. Fitur’s 2020 partner, South Korea offers tourists a blend of the traditional and the avant-garde. In 2018, it attracted 15.3 million foreign tourists, including 27,314 Spaniards, 17.2% more than in 2017.Alfredo AriasAt the stand for South Korea’s capital Seoul, visitors are invited to get to work on a mural called “My Seoul coloring @ Madrid ”that lets them decorate its monuments, streets and squares. The mural includes the Sangam Stadium where World Cup games were played in 2002 and the banks of the Cheonggyecheon River, an iconic example of urban renewal in the very heart of Seoul.Alfredo AriasAt the Moscow stand, virtual reality transports visitors to the painting studios of the 20th-century Russian masters where they can wield a brush and add color to some of their most iconic work.Alfredo AriasAs chocolate is practically synonymous with Belgium, it is the first thing visitors see when approaching the Flanders stand in Pavilion 4, where a chocolate master is busy building replicas of the World Expo Atomium building in Brussels and St. Rumbold’s Cathedral in Mechelen. They will be completed by Sunday only to be smashed into a thousand pieces for visitors to sample before the fair winds up.Alfredo AriasAndalusia is the Spanish region with the largest presence at Fitur, and it almost manages to fill Pavilion 5 single-handedly. At one stand, a couple in showy outfits perform dance moves to advertise three-minute flamenco classes for visitors. Whoever steps up to the plate – in public – will be rewarded with a 30-second video of their efforts sent to their email.Alfredo AriasThe latest tourism initiatives in the Americas are being promoted in Pavilion 3, where the Dominican Republic stand features a craftsman making cigars from tobacco leaves which have just the right amount of moisture to allow them to be rolled and pressed in a few minutes. Each cigar is on sale for €5.Alfredo AriasA Colombian band entertains visitors with a playlist of Latin rhythms to promote the country, with music and dancing scheduled throughout the weekend.Alfredo AriasThe rest of Spain’s tourist attractions are displayed in Pavilions 7 and 9. Toledo shows off its historical and cultural heritage with a tourist map of its center that includes the establishments awarded the SICTED stamp, which elevated it to the highest quality tourist destination of 2019. Toledo was home to the 16th-century master El Greco (above, an animated version of his famous work 'The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest,' painted around 1580). And it is here that the outdoor history-based show Puy de Fou launched last year and will once again be Toledo’s main cultural attraction in 2020.Alfredo Arias
