Benidorm will celebrate the 23rd edition of its International Tourism Forum tomorrow, Friday 23rd October, serving as a dedicated space for debate and analysis regarding the tourism sector. This year, the event will highlight social aspects under the theme “Beyond growth: the social value of tourism”.
Organised by Benidorm Town Hall and the Pedro Zaragoza Orts Chair of Tourism Studies at the University of Alicante, the forum is supported by Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, the Costa Blanca Tourist Board, Visit Benidorm, and Hosbec. The event will take place in the Alfredo Orts Degree Hall at the University of Alicante in San Vicente del Raspeig.
The opening of this 23rd edition will be led by the Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, alongside Juan Llopis, Director of Institutional Relations and Projects at the University of Alicante, and José Manuel Camarero, Regional Secretary for Tourism.
Following the welcome, the inaugural conference titled “Understanding the responsible traveller: new profiles and opportunities for European tourism” will begin at 09:30. Miguel Gallego, Head of Marketing and Communication at the European Travel Commission, will deliver the talk, moderated by Josep Ivars from the University Institute for Tourism Research (IUIT) at the University of Alicante.
At 10:15, a panel discussion on “How to face the challenges of social sustainability in tourism” will take place. Speakers include Issa Torres, Public Policy Analyst at the OECD Tourism Policy and Analysis Unit; Óscar Perelli, Executive Vice President of Exceltur; and Leire Bilbao, Manager of Visit Benidorm, who will act as moderator.
An academic panel titled “Taking the pulse of social perception data: a view from academia” is scheduled for 11:30. Participants include María Jesús Salado, researcher at IAES and lecturer at the University of Alcalá de Henares; José Francisco Perles, honorary collaborator of the IUIT and the Department of Applied Economic Analysis at the University of Alicante; and Carlos Mora, Director of Market Research at Likert Investigación Social Aplicada. The session will be moderated by Ana Ramón, Director of the Pedro Zaragoza Orts Chair at the University of Alicante.
The programme continues at 12:15 with a panel on “Social inclusion of tourism in Benidorm”. The discussion will gather Rafael García, Regional Director for Levante and Balearics at Ilunion Hotels; Isaac Vidal, Head of Marketing and Sales Office at AR Hotels & Resorts; a representative from the Magic Costa Blanca chain; Elisa Fernández, Director of Sustainability at Casual Hoteles; and moderator María Jesús Such from IAES at the University of Alcalá.
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