During the opening ceremony, the Councilor for Tourism and Andalusia Abroad, Arturo Bernal, opted to place innovation in tourism and the advances offered by technology “at the service of the best possible coexistence between resident communities and tourists”. For his part, the First Deputy Mayor of Seville and Delegate of Finance, Administration and Digital Transformation, Juan Francisco Bueno, stressed that the celebration of TIS “promotes the development of new trends and technologies, putting Seville at the forefront of this opportunity to improve the visitor experience. The president and CEO of the WTTC, Julia Simpson, has focused on the economic data derived from the tourism industry, ensuring that “15% of the economic activity comes from tourism, generating three million jobs”. At the same time, she called for cooperation between businesses, institutional representatives of cities and the local community: “Some destinations are very popular, hence the answer lies in responsible growth that takes into account the real benefits of the locals”.

The opening of TIS2024 also had the participation of the Minister Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Spain, He Yong, who emphasised the tourism relationship between the two countries through cooperation, stating that “we are willing to develop joint projects”. He also described Andalusia as “the most representative community of Spanish culture”, being a focus of tourist attraction for the Chinese community, and said that “by the end of this year is expected to visit 700,000 Chinese visitors” to the region. This year, China has been named Guest Country of TIS2024, with a delegation of more than 30 entrepreneurs from the sector.

Traveller experience and the future of the travel industry

In a rapidly evolving travel landscape, strategic partnerships are key to driving innovation and fostering sustainability and business resilience. In this regard, during his speech at TIS2024, Trip.com's CEO and Vice President of International Markets, Boon Sian Chai, said: “We strongly believe in working very closely with government tourism departments to bring our travel products to international customers”.

Regarding the new tourist profile, Boon Sian Chain emphasized technological advances, stating that “technology allows for customer self-service, as the younger generations prefer to do things themselves, so our tools must be advanced enough to allow this. In addition, we are witnessing a change in the mentality of tourists, “with the great trend that is happening now in Nuevo León with the arrival of digital nomads,” said Jorge A. Vasaro, Competitiveness and Innovation Director, Nuevo León Ministry of Tourism.

For her part, Emily Weiss, Senior Managing Director and Global Industry Lead Travel at Accenture alluded to the new trends in the traveller experience, noting that “tourists are looking for simplification in their travel journeys, seeking experiences,” which generates a new casuistry with travel agencies. “We see how they are partnering with non-travel companies. There is a change in the ecosystem due to the interaction of these travel companies with banks or with life sciences industries, that is where the future of the development of the tourism sector lies,” he added.