Abel Matutes, president of the Spanish Tourism Board and of the Fiesta Group made the most of his participation in the IV Futuralia by highlighting the growth in tourism in Dominican Republic and its contribution to development.

“When the Fiesta Group first arrived in the country it was at the tail end of the American continent and now it is in third place”, he stated. He believes this is proof that “tourism development on the island has resulted in the country´s improvement, including the standard of living for its citizens”.

According to Nexotur, the Futuralia 2011 Spanish Forum for Environmental Sustainability in Tourism was headed by Matutes and the secretary general of World Tourism Organization, Taleb Rifai.

Both coincided in highlighting the importance of banking on sustainable development, adding that not just the companies but the actual travelers are more and more demanding on this front.

The fourth Futuralia, held in the Hotel Eurostar Madrid Tower, started with a welcome speech by its president, Eugenio de Quesada, who put a special emphasis on the fact that “it´s becoming more and more important each day that destinations respect the environment and that sustainability is a priority factor”. Before handing over to the president of the Spanish Tourism Board Abel Matutes and the secretary general of World Tourism Organization, Taleb Rifai, De Quesada highlighted that “Futuralia has kept its promise so that people in the tourism industry are more sensitive to the environment”.

Later on in the opening ceremony Matutes, who first of all highlighted “the importance of relying on a forum dedicated to environmental sustainability”, explained that “respect for the environment is necessary and fundamental for any business person, particularly for those in this field”. He pointed out that “Clientele are becoming more and more demanding and better informed while businesses dedicated to the distribution of holidays are selecting destinations with solid reputations”. But Matutes goes even further and forecasts that “soon the tourism demand will be concentrated on the offers that best respond to the development of sustainable development”.

The president of the Spanish Tourism Board and of the Fiesta Group made the most of his speech to praise the contribution of tourism in developing countries, exemplifying the Dominican Republic. “When the Fiesta Group first arrived in the country it was at the tail end of the American continent and now it is in third place”, he underlined. In his opinion, this goes to demonstrate that “tourism development on the island has resulted in the country´s improvement, including the standard of living for its citizens”.

In the concrete example of the Spanish market, Matutes considers it “necessary to offer an added asset seeing as prices in other Mediterranean countries are much lower”. Therefore he recommended “a policy focused on preserving the counties virgin areas and in investing in the recovery of the areas that have fallen into decline”. He summed up by saying “To achieve this we need policies that stimulate private investment”.

Source: CICOM