Lucena brings together 110 inland tourism professionals on October 21 and 22

Lucena hosts the VII UNAV Forum for the Future of Tourism on October 21 and 22, which will bring together around 110 professionals, representatives of companies and institutions and experts from the sector to analyse the challenges of inland tourism. The event is organised around the motto Inland heritage tourism and has the honorary presidency of King Felipe VI, according to Lucena City Council.

The programme starts on Wednesday, October 21 with a guided visit to some of the city's main heritage resources, followed by the official reception of participants at the Palacio de los Condes de Santa Ana. On Thursday, October 22, the Casa de los Mora will host the professional conference, with sessions on the creation of tourism products, distribution and marketing of destinations, new traveller habits and connectivity. Representatives of companies and entities linked to tourism distribution and transport will take part in the sessions, including Viajes Carrefour, Viajes El Corte Inglés, Iberia, Renfe and Iryo. The evolution of the traveller profile, the role of travel agencies in recommending destinations and collaboration between administrations and companies will be addressed. The conference will close with the presentation of ten ideas to turn heritage into tourism and a working meeting between agencies, destinations, companies and institutions.

The mayor of Lucena, Aurelio Fernández, has stated that hosting these professionals represents «the opportunity» to give the city greater visibility and bring it closer to new travellers, as well as generating contacts and opportunities for the local tourism and business fabric. Iván Méndez, executive vice-president of the Unión Nacional de Agencias de Viajes (UNAV), has stressed the value of holding this edition in «a city with an important historical and heritage legacy» that will place Lucena at the centre of the national debate on inland tourism. The councillor for Tourism, Francisco Barbancho, also took part in the presentation.