The movers and the shakers of the world’s tourism industry have been meeting in Madrid as the sector effort to put behind a miserable 2009 and look ahead to new horizons. The next hot target is always top of the agenda and one region that could take off is Africa, mainly with this year’s Football World Cup.

Despite its worried poverty, rising democracy and stability to certain parts of the continent means there are high hopes between delegates. This year 170 countries are in the Spanish capital for the Fitur show, appreciably up from last year’s 140. Along with Africa other alien locations are vying for attention, including some of the old favorites in Asia and the Indian sub-continent.

Euro news’ Francisco Garcia Martin in Madrid said:
‘‘After a hard year that many would like to forget, the tourist sector’s vital signs are start to recover. Compared to last year, the financial crisis has damaged and investors are looking at the future with a little more confidence. According to information from the World Tourism Organization, the sector will increase between 3 and 5 percent in 2010.’‘