BIZA BPM AT FITUR : FOUR YEARS CONNECTING THE WORLD THROUGH INNOVATION, INCLUSION AND JOY.
MADRID – 21 January 2026 – For the fourth consecutive year, Ibiza BPM has established itself as the essential voice at FITUR, covering every new development and broadcasting live as always with our beloved Paul Ross from the International Press Pavilion. In this edition, the Ibiza BPM team is not only celebrating its continued involvement in this global project, but also the evolution of a fair that this year is beating to the rhythm of human technology and inclusive leadership.
A Growing Global Ecosystem ‘We are delighted to be part of this project every year,’ say Ibiza BPM. ‘With each edition, we see more countries joining, bringing with them fascinating cultures, unique customs and idyllic destinations. Our mission is to share first-hand what it means to be part of this global fair and to contribute our vision and enthusiasm to bring the world closer together.’
Technology and Purpose: The two pillars of 2026 This year's coverage highlights two milestones that are transforming the sector and that Ibiza BPM is analysing live:
The TechY Revolution: The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics not as replacements, but as allies of tourism. From the ITH Lab to presentations on agentic AI, Ibiza BPM conveys to its audience how technology is creating more personalised and sustainable experiences.
The FITUR Woman Initiative: In line with the demands of Women Leading Tourism, Ibiza BPM highlights the importance of diversity. With tourism generating 1 in 3 new jobs and being a sector with 54% women, the coverage focuses on female talent as a driver of innovation and profitability.
The fifth edition of FITUR Woman has highlighted the importance of diversity and female talent in decision-making across the tourism industry, calling for greater access for women to leadership roles in order to drive innovation and generate positive impact.
The forum, part of FITUR – the International Tourism Trade Fair organized by IFEMA MADRID, which opened its doors today, examined tourism’s role as a driver of economic empowerment, opportunity creation and female leadership. FITUR Woman is organized by FITUR in collaboration with Women Leading Tourism (WLT), with the support of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and its country brand ‘Discover Puerto Rico’. At the opening session, all participants expressed their condolences to the victims of Sunday’s tragic railway accident.
Opening the event, Arancha Priede, Managing Director of Trade Fair and Congress Business at IFEMA MADRID, described FITUR Woman as “a space for dialogue and inspiration, but also for action, that gives visibility to female talent, generates knowledge and promotes real change in some of the most strategic sectors of our economy”. “
Tourism is, by its very nature, a driver of development, employment and cultural exchange,” she said. “But for that growth to be sustainable and competitive, it must also be inclusive. And along that path, female leadership is not an option – it is a necessity.”
This year’s edition focused on two key concepts: investment and economic empowerment. According to Priede, “investment should not be understood only in financial terms, but as a commitment to projects, people and business models that integrate diversity and female talent into decision-making. Empowerment, meanwhile, is the foundation that enables more women to access leadership roles, spearhead innovative initiatives and generate positive impact across the sector.”
Maribel Rodríguez, President of Women Leading Tourism, underlined “the importance of female leadership in the economic sphere and of investing in talent and infrastructure at a time of unprecedented tourism growth”.
She added that “investment is not only essential for the industry, but also a lever for economic, social and territorial development”. In this context, Maribel Rodríguez pointed out that “one in three new jobs created globally in the coming years will be linked to tourism, a sector in which women currently represent 54% of the workforce”. She also stressed that “economic growth requires vision, investment and leadership”, concluding that “investing in people is tourism’s true strategic asset”.
FITUR Sports 2026: Sport as a state strategy Economic impact: Sports tourism closed 2024 with €8.719 billion and is expected to grow by up to 10% by the end of 2025.
Key milestone: The upcoming Spanish F1 Grand Prix in Madrid (September) stands out, with an impact of €450 million and 8,200 jobs.
Sustainability and Territory: Sport (golf, skiing, sailing) is consolidating its position as a tool for deseasonalising tourism, stabilising the rural population and regenerating destinations (use of AI and reclaimed water).
Ibiza BPM continues its roll-out at IFEMA, demonstrating that digital communication is the definitive bridge between cutting -edge technology and the warmth of the world's cultures.
And so we close the first round!
If Madrid were a sport today, it would have been a 42km marathon between pavilions! We close this first day with tired feet but our hearts racing.
We have seen it all: from robots serving you coffee at the ITH Lab to the unstoppable force of women leading the sector at FITUR Woman, to the adrenaline rush of the F1 Grand Prix that is already in the air at FITUR Sports.
It has been a day of reunions, of discovering that AI is not here to take our jobs, but to give us more time for what really matters: enjoying those paradisiacal destinations that have left us speechless today.
