Soltour Travel Partners brings together key players in the travel industry

• The tourism hub has dedicated the second day of the Soltour Travel Partners Summit to organize three round tables with leading industry professionals on topics as diverse as the digitalization of travel agencies, the new value propositions of tour operating and sustainability in airlines
• The company has also experientially presented two exotic destinations that will be part of Soltour's operations in 2023: the Dominican Republic and Cape Verde

Madrid, January 19, 2023. Following the opening of the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in Madrid, Soltour Travel Partners has maintained a diverse agenda during its second day at the event. From its Summit in pavilion 3, stand C05, the company brought together various experts from the world of tourism who gave their views on the future of the industry in important areas such as tour operators, travel agencies and airlines. In turn, Soltour has highlighted two of the most exotic and well-established destinations in its operations, the Dominican Republic and Cape Verde, with the attendance of leading figures from the world of tourism, such as Tammy Reinoso, Vice Minister of Development of the Dominican Republic.

The morning began with a round table on the “Digitalization of Travel Agencies in the Challenge of Sustainability”. It was attended by leading experts from the tourism sector such as Eugenio Mallol, journalist and analyst at Cátedra Ciencia y Sociedad FRP and advisor at Atlas Tec; Fernando Ramiro, Director of Spain and Portugal at Expedia; Miguel Abril Monserrat, Chief Information Officer at Soltour Travel Partners; and David Vidal, Sales Director for Spain and Portugal at Amadeus.

Under the expert guidance of Fabian Gonzalez, founder of Forward Travel, the attending travel agencies discovered the keys to innovation and digitalization and the advantages of applying them to their work model. “We believe that the implementation of new technologies increases the competitiveness of travel agencies and offers a differential value for the new generations, who are very conscious of the need to reduce their impact on the environment,” says Tomeu Bennasar, CEO of Soltour Travel Partners.

This interesting debate gave way to another of the great moments of the day, the panel of experts in tour operating: “Specialization and Innovation: the New Value Propositions of Tour Operators” featuring Tomeu Bennsar, CEO of Soltour Travel Partners, and Eduard Bogatyr, Managing Director of TUI. With the help of Luis Buzzi, partner in charge of the Tourism and Leisure sector and of KPMG Innovate, both commented on the importance of tour operating in the tourism industry and how the value proposition seems to have evolved towards product specialization offering travel agencies innovative solutions to maintain their competitiveness in the tourism industry.

This was followed by the last round table of the day, “Conscious Flights. Consistent Travel”, an original debate on the application of sustainability in the airline industry. The chairman of the Asociación Líneas Aéreas (Airline Association), Mr. Javier Gándara, was in charge of moderating the talk, with the presence of Iberia's Director of Sustainability, Ms. Teresa Parejo; AENA's Director of Innovation, Sustainability and Customer Experience, Ms. Amparo Brea Álvarez; ENAIRE's Head of Sustainability and Institutional Relations Division, Ms. Estibaliz Salazar Fernández; and Ms. Elena Cabrera, Ryanair's Country Manager in Spain and Portugal. Sustainability, a globalized and increasingly important trend among younger generations, has forced a rethinking of the strategies of various sectors, including tourism and aviation, towards a greener, more sustainable and environmentally friendly model.

Throughout the round table, the speakers discussed the need to transfer to the end consumer all those activities on sustainability that airline companies are working on. In the words of Teresa Parejo, “If we talk about decarbonization in aviation, what we can do is invest in fleet renewal, since every time an aircraft is renewed it can mean a 37% efficiency gain, the digitalization of processes or the reduction of aircraft weight.” She also pointed out that “SAF fuels are the present and future of aviation.” This commitment is also present in the company Ryanair, as Elena Cabrera stated: “at Ryanair we are also committed to renewing 100% of our fleets by 2050, we have invested more than 22 billion dollars in the renovation... these are much more sustainable aircraft, which consume 14% less fuel and 4% more space inside the aircraft.” In addition, she highlighted how the population is joining the commitment to sustainability and that “3% of passengers who flew on Ryanair voluntarily paid the fee to reduce the carbon footprint” understanding that it is everyone's responsibility.

After this conference session, Soltour presented two major destinations for 2023: the Dominican Republic and Cape Verde. Through a showcooking session with the ambassador and expert of the new Dominican cuisine, Chef Tita, Soltour has introduced agents to its operations in the destination. Gastronomy is a differentiating element of the Dominican Republic, and with the invaluable help of Chef Tita, the attendees were able to discover the aromas, flavors and essences of this unique and distinctive land through the palate.

To close this second day, Soltour presented one of the most exotic destinations for 2023: Cape Verde. Soltour is working to offer the best products and innovative solutions to travel agencies.

After this second day, Soltour Travel Partners reinforces its commitment to work by and for the agencies, hand in hand with partners of recognized experience, offering real and useful solutions to the agencies with which to remain a reference in the sector, ensuring their competitiveness and providing high quality services.