Benidorm to host European tourism association ETOA’s networking event in 2027

Benidorm will host ETOA’s Social Networking Event in 2027, following an announcement on Tuesday at the World Travel Market in London.

It will be the first time this professional gathering has been held in Alicante province, although the specific dates, final format and scope still need to be agreed with the organisation.

The event aims to connect European tour operators, travel agencies, hotels and destinations to encourage business relationships, as part of the Costa Blanca tourist board’s international promotion strategy.

Professional sessions and visits around the province

The proposed programme includes a session on the sustainability of tourist groups, another focusing on content and a third offering networking opportunities with the Costa Blanca accommodation sector.

Visits to other locations and municipalities in the province are also planned as part of the gathering’s activities.

Alicante provincial council president Toni Pérez and Costa Blanca tourist board director José Mancebo took part in the meeting with ETOA, alongside its representative in Spain, Jorge Traver, and chief executive Tim Fairhurst.

Meetings with operators and airlines in London

The tourist board’s exhibition agenda includes meetings with Jet2, loveholidays, On the Beach, Thomas Cook and World2Meet, as well as contacts with DER Touristik from the Czech Republic and Wizz Air.

Meetings with Karavel, eDreams ODIGEO, Booking.com and lastminute.com are also planned, together with a meeting linked to promotion in the Chinese market.

The strategy combines holiday tourism with golf, food, health, culture and the meetings, incentives and conference sector, aiming to generate activity throughout the year.

The United Kingdom is central to that promotion: British connections at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport recorded 5.4 million passengers, counting arrivals and departures, from January to September 2026, up 6.1% year on year.

For the winter season, more than 1.2 million inbound seats have been scheduled from 23 British airports, across approximately 6,000 flights.

Benidorm and Altea are attending WTM under the Turisme Comunitat Valenciana umbrella, alongside the tourist board and Alicante, Elche, Calpe, El Campello and Teulada.