From November 26 to 28, 2024, Cáceres will host the 1st World Congress on Inland Tourism, organised by the Iberian Association of Inland Tourism (AITI), at the San Francisco Cultural Complex. This congress will bring together more than 400 professionals from 15 countries, including tourism experts, tour operators, and academics. Over the course of three days, there will be round tables, workshops, and academic presentations, featuring the participation of 42 international universities.
The event will be key in positioning Extremadura as an alternative inland destination and will offer an opportunity for tour operators to showcase their businesses, promoting knowledge exchange and the creation of new business opportunities. Additionally, the congress will include a familiarisation trip to iconic destinations such as Cáceres, Trujillo, Malpartida, and Monsanto, under the appealing name “War of Thrones”, a new binational tourism product.
The Regional Minister for Culture, Tourism, Youth, and Sports of the Government of Extremadura, Victoria Bazaga, highlighted the event as an essential platform for assessing the challenges of the tourism sector and generating conclusions that can benefit the region. Meanwhile, the Vice President of the Provincial Council of Cáceres, Esther Gutiérrez, emphasised the congress’s importance for promoting Extremadura internationally, contributing to sustainable development, job creation, and population retention.
The president of AITI, Miguel Martins, pointed out that the main goal of the congress is to put inland territories on the global tourism map, noting that Cáceres has the capacity to host an event of this scale, on par with cities like Lisbon, Porto, or Madrid.
This congress is supported by the Extremadura Tourism Cluster, CETEX, FEXTUR, Turismo Centro Portugal, and Turexpo Galicia, reinforcing cross-border cooperation in tourism and underscoring the importance of working together to create a unified destination that transcends borders.
