The International Tourism Trade Fair, which is holding its 46th edition from 21 to 25 January 2026 at IFEMA MADRID, announces the hosting of the 1st International Summit on Communication and Tourism. Organised in collaboration with Agencia EFE, the world’s leading Spanish-language news agency, it will take place on Friday 23 January in the Knowledge Hub.
Tourism professionals and leaders from around the world will meet to discuss the challenges and opportunities of tourism communication in a global context marked by uncertainty, tension in certain destinations, and misinformation. The event will include the participation of tourism organisation representatives from the Dominican Republic, Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Mexico and the Balearic Islands, among others, as well as the vision of media and news verification experts who receive daily institutional, business and destination information.
The first round table ‘Tourism communication in times of uncertainty: the value of the country brand’, will feature Jacqueline Mora, Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic; Miguel Sanz Castedo, Director General of the Spanish Tourism Institute(TurEspaña), and Marcelo Freixo, President of the Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion (EMBRATUR), who will be sharing their strategies to strengthen the reputation of their destinations and consolidate the country brand in a changing global environment.
This will be followed by the debate ‘Live from tourism or survive tourism. The challenge of communicating in tourism-phobic destinations’,Carlos Abade, President of the Portuguese National Tourism Authority Turismo de Portugal; Felipe Edibray, Secretary of Tourism of the State of Chihuahua(Mexico), and Pere Joan Planas, Managing Director of the Balearic Islands Tourism Strategy Agency(AETIB), will be discussing how to manage the relationship with local communities and communicate responsibly in destinations that are overcrowded or resistant to tourism.
The round table ‘Fake news and disinformation in tourism’ will include the participation of Jonathan Gómez Punzón, Director General of Tourism of Malaga City Council; Nuria Cabrero, Editorial Manager in Spain of Lonely Planetmagazine, and Jorge Ocaña, editor of EFE Verifica, who will be discussing the importance of verifying information and the fight against fake news that affects the perception of tourist destinations.
The day’s proceedings will continue with the round table ‘The future of tourism communication’ with Enrique Martínez Marín, President of the Spanish state company for the Management of Innovation and Tourist Technologies (SEGITTUR); Yasmina Laraudogoitia, Public Affairs Manager for Booking.com Spain and Portugal, and President of DIRCOM, Miguel López-Quesada, who will explore emerging trends, digital innovation and new strategies to connect to the travellers of the future.
Finally, the institutional intervention of UN Tourism by its Secretary-General, Shaikha Al Nowais, will offer a global vision on international policies and strategies to strengthen sustainable and responsible tourism communication.
The 1st International Summit on Communication and Tourism represents a unique opportunity for tourism professionals, media and authorities to share experiences, learn from international cases and build stronger business and destination communication strategies adapted to the current challenges facing the industry.
