The MADFintech Tourism Commission held its inaugural meeting online, at which it set out its strategic work plan, which will be based on 8 pillars. With them, the Commission aims to generate a network of influence for tourism companies, redefine tourism products or create a mediation hub between Europe and Latin America for tourism in the entire Spanish-speaking area, are some of the challenges faced by this commission created last October.

The members of the MADfintech Tourism Committee, in their inaugural online session.
The journalist, writer and lecturer Fernando Gallardo, who chairs the Tourism Committee, points out that “It is to be expected that tourism will be a privileged sector for the financial world of these coming times which, thanks to the pandemic, is accelerating its digital transformation. The analogue world will definitely be left behind when this crisis is over. And tourism will be at the forefront of reconstruction. We are looking forward to some exciting years, full of opportunities, where everything points to Spain being the new world leader in tourism that will necessarily be more technological, more sustainable and more personalised.”
The 8 pillars of the MADFintech Tourism Commission
#1. Growth
Through the development of the potential of Spanish tourism companies to provide know-how and their capacity to invest abroad, the promotion of collaboration between the associates aimed at their globalisation and the creation of the MADRID GROWTH HUB to achieve the scalability of the associates’ business projects.
#2. Financing
Facilitation of new alternative financing channels such as crowdfunding, crowdlending, crowdequity, rounds withbusiness angels and, most recently, tokenisation of investment projects. In addition to the constitution of the TOURIST PROJECT BOARD for the financing of digital projects designed by the associates.
#3. Networking
Creation of a collaborative network of partners to share knowledge, experiences and participatory projects Constitution of an international hub of tourist capitals (network of institutions and companies).
#4. Working groups
Constitution of working groups as an operational structure of the Tourism Commission itself. Thematic groups: Big Data analytics, digital payment methods, crowdfunding and tokenisation of projects, business growth.
#5. FintechLab
I am working on a pilot scheme with a laboratory of ideas and projects derived from the transposition of the recently approved government FinTech sandbox.
#6. Advice
Advisory and support service for tourism companies with the support of new financial technologies, from the experience of international consultants to the digitalisation of associates, the definition of new business models, the search for opportunities, access to financing, as well as a series of actions aimed at guaranteeing their business survival and even change management.
#7. Mentoring and Training
Aimed at both training and extending knowledge in know-how transfer programmes and workshops for co-creation and resolution of tourism projects with Blockchain and other financial technologies.
#8. Events and Communication
Organisation of the MADRID TRAVEL WEEK, the Davos of tourism, the annual Ibero-American Online Conference Renacer del Turismo and a congress on the circular economy with eco-sustainable rewards or remuneration.
Photo by Alejandra Fajardo on Unsplash