Benidorm’s 23rd International Tourism Forum to explore the Social Value of Tourism

Benidorm’s International Tourism Forum will hold its 23rd edition this Friday, 23 October, offering a platform to debate and analyse all aspects of what is often called the “happiness industry”. This year, the focus will be on tourism’s social dimension, under the title “Beyond Growth: The Social Value of Tourism”.

As in previous years, Benidorm City Council and the Pedro Zaragoza Orts Chair of Tourism Studies at the University of Alicante organise the forum, with support from Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, Costa Blanca Tourist Board, Visit Benidorm and Hosbec. This year’s event will take place in Alfredo Orts Lecture Hall at the University of Alicante.

The 23rd edition will be officially opened by Benidorm Mayor Toni Pérez; Juan Llopis, the University of Alicante’s Director of Institutional Relations and Projects; and José Manuel Camarero, the Valencian regional government’s Regional Secretary for Tourism. They will welcome participants and introduce the forum.

The opening keynote address will follow at 9.30 am, entitled “Understanding the Responsible Traveller: New Profiles and Opportunities for European Tourism”. It will be delivered by Miguel Gallego, Head of Marketing and Communications at the European Travel Commission, with Josep Ivars of the University Institute of Tourism Research (IUIT) at the University of Alicante acting as moderator.

At 10.15 am, a panel discussion will bring together Issa Torres, Public Policy Analyst at the OECD’s Tourism Policy and Analysis Unit; Óscar Perelli, Executive Vice-President of Exceltur; and Leire Bilbao, General Manager of Visit Benidorm, who will moderate the session. The discussion will focus on “Addressing the Challenges of Social Sustainability in Tourism”.

At 11.30 am, an academic panel entitled “Taking the Pulse of Social Perception Data: An Academic Perspective” will take place. Participants will include María Jesús Salado, researcher at the Institute for Advanced Social Studies (IAES) and lecturer at the University of Alcalá; José Francisco Perles, honorary associate of the University Institute of Tourism Research (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 will continue at 12.15 pm with a further panel discussion on “The Social Inclusion of Tourism in Benidorm”. Participants will include Rafael García, Director for the Levante region and the Balearic Islands at Ilunion Hotels; Isaac Vidal, Head of Marketing and Sales Office at AR Hotels & Resorts; a representative of the Magic Costa Blanca hotel group; Elisa Fernández, Sustainability Director at Casual Hoteles; and María Jesús Such of the IAES at the University of Alcalá, who will moderate the session.

Finally, the institutional closing ceremony of this year’s Benidorm International Tourism Forum will feature José Mancebo, Director of the Costa Blanca Provincial Tourist Board of Alicante Provincial Council; Fede Fuster, President of Hosbec; and Ana Ramón of the University of Alicante.