Thursday, January 23, 2025 F ITUR Lingua 2025 , organized by FITUR in collaboration with FEDELE (the Spanish Federation of Schools of Spanish as a Foreign Language), has spotlighted Spain’s prominence as a global leader in language tourism. Held at IFEMA Madrid under the theme “Language as a Tourism Asset: Challenges and Trends,” the event featured presentations, panel discussions, and reports emphasizing the sector’s growing economic and educational significance. Economic Milestones and Student Numbers The event highlighted the findings of a 2023 study by Spain Education Programs, ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, and EDUESPAÑA.
Over 600,000 international students pursued educational programs in Spain, generating an economic impact of more than €6 billion. Additionally, federated Spanish language schools hosted 158,800 students in 2024, marking an 11.42% increase from the previous year and contributing €454 million to the economy.
David Trigo, FEDELE’s General Manager, noted that 2024 was a record-breaking year, underscoring FITUR Lingua’s role in boosting language tourism. According to Daniel Escalona, FEDELE’s Marketing Director, most students came from Germany, Italy, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom, with an average stay of 3.97 weeks.
Strategic Initiatives and Insights FEDELE President Eva Laguna emphasized the critical role of teachers and robust research in advancing language tourism. Panel discussions explored topics such.
