FITUR LINGUA 2024 highlights Spain's commitment to language tourism
In 2023, more than 133,000 students filled the classrooms of Spanish language schools, 33% more than in 2022.
The Federation of Spanish as a Foreign Language Schools brings together more than a hundred professionals from the language tourism sector at FITUR
In 2023, more than 133,000 students filled the cities and classrooms of the federated Spanish teaching centres in our country, 33% more than in 2022, reaching similar figures to 2019. These figures were presented at FITUR LINGUA 2024, the space dedicated to language tourism at FITUR, the International Tourism Trade Fair, being held at IFEMA MADRID from 24 to 28 January.
In its fourth edition, FITUR LINGUA has brought together more than a hundred professionals from different public and private entities, including the Cervantes Institute, the Special Commissioner for the Alliance for the New Economy of Language, the Directorate General for Spanish in the World, ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones and TURESPAÑA, among others.
The different sessions and interviews held at the fair highlighted the profile of the Spanish language immersion student, the sector's strategies in priority countries such as India and China, and the confluence between artificial intelligence, tourism and education.
With an average stay of three weeks per student, language tourism has a growing economic footprint, with an average expenditure of €650 per week (not including flights), according to the experts participating in the conference within the framework of FITUR LINGUA.
Language tourism and sustainable tourism
Among the speakers participating in FITUR LINGUA, Isabel Alonso, from Turespaña, highlighted the need to implement improvements in the field of sustainable tourism, both from an environmental and social point of view. For his part, Álvaro García Santa-Cecilia, from the Cervantes Institute, called for continued collaboration between institutions and the development of language. Pablo Conde Díez, from ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, established the strategic lines in markets such as India and China.
Since its inception in 2021, FITUR LINGUA has been a catalyst for the expansion of language tourism in Spain, highlighting the collaboration between FITUR and FEDELE (the Spanish Federation of Associations of Spanish Schools for Foreigners). At this edition, it has been presented under the slogan 'Language Tourism = Sustainable Tourism' with a proposal focused on the economic, social, cultural and environmental sustainability of language tourism, highlighting its positive impact on cities and companies.