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On October 20, 2023, the Tourism Innovation Summit (TIS) 2023 concluded, marking one of the most significant European gatherings where leading companies from the tourism and technology sectors, as well as government and institutional representatives, convened in Seville, the capital of Andalusia.

TIS, first introduced in southern Europe in 2020, has become a key event for understanding the current state of the tourism industry. Many companies and startups have presented projects, established connections, and discussed the industry's increasingly promising future.

Once again, TOP-GOVERSYS was present at FIBES, where our team had the pleasure of participating, engaging in discussions, and reconnecting with numerous companies, institutions, and colleagues in the sector.

In addition to these activities and meetings, it's worth noting the panel titled 'Government and Institutional Travel: A New Horizon for Destinations and Providers'. This panel was expertly moderated by María Paz Abad Marco, Director of Tourism & Law Abogados. Our COO, Manuel González Buiza, participated along with Carlo Suffredini, General Manager of the Hotel Alfonso XIII, and José Ramón Bauzá, Euro MP and former President of the Balearic Islands (Spain).

The panel was a resounding success, providing attendees with valuable insights into the GITT (Governmental and Institutional Travel and Tourism) sector and sparking interesting debates among the panelists and the audience.

During the panel, various topics related to the importance of the GITT sector for destinations and providers were addressed from multiple perspectives:

• Its role as an indispensable sector, increasingly so in many destinations, thanks to factors like the absence of seasonality and direct and indirect promotion. The speakers delved extensively into this aspect.
• How it positions destinations and providers on the national and international map, with a noteworthy contribution from Euro MP and former President of the Balearic Islands, José Ramón Bauzá, who provided specific examples.
• The cultural and heritage wealth highlighted in destinations due to government and institutional travel, with recent examples in cities like Granada, Spain, and Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
• The direct and indirect economic impact of the sector, with special mention of accommodation providers and those dependent on them. Carlo Suffredini, as General Manager of the Hotel Alfonso XIII, provided valuable insights.
• The technological solutions developed by GOVERSYS, many of which are aimed at making the organization and execution of government and institutional travel more satisfying and efficient for all involved parties, from the Travel Unit itself to the Delegation, various service providers, the destination itself, and even the impact on the local population. This led to an engaging debate between the panelists and the audience.
• The need and demand for professionals in the sector, for which GOVERSYS has developed training and certification plans for destination providers, such as the program recently initiated by the team at the Hotel Alfonso XIII, one of the leading figures not only in the city of Seville but in all of southern Europe.

As mentioned at the outset, TIS 2023 was a resounding success and continues to grow each year, solidifying its position as one of the most important tourism events today. This is largely due to its exceptional organization, which has allowed us to enjoy, once again, great activities, meetings, and intriguing projects in the unmatched setting of the city of Seville.