The mayor attends the VII Benidorm Tourism Conference organized by AVE and highlights the suitability of #EresTurismo campaign

The seventh edition of the Benidorm Tourism Conference organized by the Valencian Association of Entrepreneurs, AVE, was held today at Asia Gardens Convention Center, consolidating itself as a reference event to analyze tourism as an engine of the economy.

Once again, the AVE initiative is joined by Family Business Association (AEFA), the global community of APD executives, Alicante Chamber, Valencian Business Confederation, EDEM School of Entrepreneurs and the Community Hotel and Tourism Business Association Valenciana, HOSBEC. The objective: to analyze, support and contribute to strengthening the Tourism sector as a key to the economy of the Valencian Community and Spain.

After the welcome of the president of AVE, Vicente Boluda, and a reminder of the #eresturismo campaign, a dialogue, a presentation and two round tables were held: one on the duality of music and tourism and another on the tourism and entrepreneurship component.

The day opened the dialogue between the executive vice president of Exceltur, José Luís Zoreda, and the director of business development of IBM, César Romera, moderated by Antonio Bernabé, from Turismo Valencia. The transversality of Tourism, the current difficult situation and the particularities of the Renacer Plan, proposed to the Tourism Board and ignored, were highlighted. The presentation was given by the president of Room Mate, Kike Sarasola, on his accommodation business model and work philosophy, materialized in a representative chain of a new conception of the Tourism opportunity.

All the components of the different panels highlighted the importance of Tourism from each of its nested subsectors and the importance of overall resilience, all agreeing both on the need to regain confidence in the Spain brand and its destinations, and on not losing the existing business and labor fabric, pointing out the need to try to reconvert the sector with European funds, tackle technological challenges, save the companies -which generate the activity and employment- and improve public-private governance.

The mayor of Benidorm Toni Pérez, at the conclusion of the Conference, congratulated himself that once again, "and this is the seventh in a row that AVE from Benidorm analyzes, debates and carries out an X-ray of the tourism sector". Pérez, after the presentations and debates, highlighted the suitability of the #eresturismo campaign "which combines the same message to promote tourism in the Region" under the premise that, due to its transversality, "we are all tourism".

Pérez recalled the importance of keeping the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda in mind in recovery planning, "since the moment implies addressing sustainability", and opted for "improving both governance and alliances of administrations and organizations and institutions to achieve the objectives "

The mayor had an impact on the concept of the "tractor sector of the economy" for Tourism, pointing out the need to achieve an effective dialogue "that assures us a super preferential attention from the Administration", lamenting that "the absence of Tourism in the decisions that design future actions to overcome the situation "attack the economic foundations of the country. Pérez recalled, "as it has been highlighted in the room that moments of crisis, well planned in their solution, are moments of opportunity", highlighting the initiatives undertaken by Benidorm since March.

Toni Pérez recalled "the capacities for innovation and resilience with which Benidorm is marking crisis situations" and showed his conviction in "overcoming the situation and coming out strengthened thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of this land". Because, the mayor concluded, "we are all key to reactivating tourism."