Thursday, January 23, 2025 Today at IFEMA Madrid, FITUR Lingua highlighted the burgeoning sector of language tourism in Spain, revealing that over 158,000 students traveled to Spain to learn Spanish in 2024, generating approximately €454 million in economic benefits. The event, themed “Language as a Tourism Asset: Challenges and Trends,” forms part of the broader FITUR exposition, which began today and continues through January 26. Another study showcased at the event noted that Spain welcomed over 600,000 international students in 2023, who collectively contributed more than €6 billion to the economy.
Organized by FITUR and in partnership with FEDELE (the Spanish Federation of Schools of Spanish as a Foreign Language), FITUR Lingua offered a robust agenda filled with presentations and panel discussions. The event served as a platform for professionals, institutions, and companies to discuss key strategies for fostering the growth of this vital industry. Eva Laguna, President of FEDELE, stated that FITUR Lingua “attracts an increasing number of companies and professionals in the Spanish language sector and will continue to grow in coming years, both in attendance and activities.
” She highlighted “the significant growth FEDELE experienced in 2024, reflecting the robust state of language tourism.” She also emphasized “the critical role of teachers, without whom it would be impossible to teach the language and promote Spanish worldwide,” and reminded that “.
