From November 28th to November 30th, the Spanish capital will be once again the heart of the high-impact travel sector. The third edition of Forward_MAD will be held at the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art and will be supported by the Madrid regional government. International professionals from travel agencies, hotels, investment funds, transportation companies, tours and activities will be among the participants and attendees of the event.
At the conference, experts in the luxury industry and associated companies, whether in tourism, lifestyle, or fashion, will analyse the evolution of these sectors, as well as the high-impact tourism and traveller segment, which has evolved from a terrain with defined boundaries and little permeability, to a more volatile and flexible concept, capable of accommodating the needs and priorities of many audiences. Not only has it adapted to new consumer trends, digitisation, and the spirit of the times to appeal to diverse generations, but the traditional notion of “luxury” has expanded to accommodate the new demands of travellers.
As in previous editions, the event’s programme will combine presentations and round tables, which will address trends, challenges, and opportunities in the high-value tourism segment, with opportunities to increase the participants’ professional network. One of the objectives of Forward_MAD 2023 is to create and expand the luxury tourism ecosystem to promote and consolidate Madrid as a destination in this segment. The region’s crafts and trades will play an important role as they are essential to differentiate Madrid from other destinations.
Among the confirmed speakers are:
- Luis Martín, Head of Tourism at the Community of Madrid
- Hanna Kleber, president atKleber Group
- Yuriy Horovyy, Founder & CEO, at Almont Travel(UK).
- Jules Schroeder, Chief Operations Officer at Insider Expeditions(USA).
- Francisco Carvalheira, General Secretary at Laurel, Portuguese Association of Excellence Brands (Portugal).
- Clara Elliott-Bauzá, Brand Partnership Lead at
- Silvia Martínez, Tourism Director at Galería Canalejas(Madrid).
- Filip Boyen,Senior Advisor at Corinthia Hotels (Malta).
- Fernando Vives, Chief Comercial Officer at NH Hoteles.
- Natalia Bayona, Executive Director at the World Travel Organization(UNWTO).
- Maribel Rodríguez, SVP Membership, Commercial and Events, at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
- Chris Fradin, SVP Partner Services EMEA & APC atForbes Travel Guide.
- Héctor Coronel, Head of Tourism at Madrid City Council.
High-impact tourism as an economic driver
Tourism has continued to grow in Madrid since the last edition of Forward_MAD in October 2022, partly due to the end of global travel restrictions.According to Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), around 6.04 international tourists visited the Madrid region in 2022, in addition to the nearly 11 million trips made by Spanish tourists to the region in the same period. From January to July 2023, the
volume of international tourists visiting the region grew by around 24 percent, with the United States, France, Mexico and Italy as the main outbound markets.
According to Madrid Destino, from January to July this year, 3.64 million travellers stayed overnight in hotels in the Spanish capital. 2.33 million chose a four-star hotel and nearly 424,000 tourists stayed in five-star hotels, an increase of 8.9 and 7.3 percent compared to 2022. Madrid currently has 36 five-star and luxury hotels, three more than in 2022. 57.2 percent of the guests in these hotels are international.
The luxury tourism segment has a greater impact on the economy because of the higher spending travellers make in the destinations they visit. For example, the average daily rate (ADR) for hotels in Madrid is 139.98 euros, while the ADR for four- and five-star hotels is 202.98 euros and 280.96 euros, respectively. The average revenue per available room is 99.94 euros, while in four- and five-star hotels it is more than 133 and 172 euros.
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