The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) will place innovation and sustainability at the top of the agenda as it returns to the International Tourism Fair in Madrid (FITUR). At the 40th edition of the leading trade fair, the UN specialised agency will emphasise the global tourism sector’s enduring resilience and status as a beacon of stability in times of political, economic and social uncertainty.

FITUR 2020 will see UNWTO build on its presence at the recent COP25 UN Climate Conference, where it highlighted tourism’s unique and cross-cutting ability to contribute to several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On the eve of FITUR on 20 January, UNWTO will host its annual news conference, setting out its accomplishments to date as well as its vision for the future, both during the 2020 UNWTO Year of Tourism and Rural Development and beyond. The association will also present the latest data on global tourism numbers and trends, its first such report of the new decade.

On the opening day of FITUR on 22 January, it will launch the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, a landmark opportunity for tourism operators and destinations to establish themselves as global leaders in reducing plastic consumption and pollution.