The fifth edition of Fitur Cruises is preparing to open its doors at IFEMA Madrid, as part of the upcoming International Tourism Fair. For five days, this themed space will once again bring together cruise lines, travel agencies, tour operators, and travelers to discuss the rise of so-called "blue tourism" and new travel habits linked to cruise vacations.
With an established format but an expanded program and more participating cruise lines , Fitur Cruises aims to reinforce its role as the leading meeting point for the Spanish-speaking cruise industry. The section will combine strictly professional content with educational offerings and experiences designed to allow the general public to approach the world of cruises in a practical and accessible way.
Dates, location and focus of the fifth edition
The Fitur Cruises area will be held from January 21 to 25 at the IFEMA Madrid trade fair center, as part of the overall Fitur program. The activity will be concentrated in Hall 4 , where the Cruise Market will be located , the central area from which both professional meetings and activities aimed at the general public will take place.
Organized by IFEMA MADRID in collaboration with the specialized publication Cruceroadicto.com , the cruise section was created with the aim of being a permanent meeting point for the cruise industry, travel agencies, and travelers . In this way, the space facilitates business deals, showcases new offerings, and allows those who are traveling—or considering traveling—to have their questions answered and learn more about the product.
The program's design clearly distinguishes between B2B sessions , geared towards professionals, and a more experiential component that takes center stage during the weekend, when the fair opens its doors to the general public. This structure allows each type of visitor to find content tailored to their interests, from negotiating business agreements to planning their first cruise.
In this fifth edition, the context is in our favor: cruise tourism is perceived as one of the segments that best reflects the transformation of demand, with travelers seeking more personalized experiences , combining onboard life, cultural immersion at the destination and, increasingly, attention to sustainability.
The section dedicated to blue tourism is thus presented as a showcase to understand how the expectations of the European and Latin American traveler are changing, from the most classic family holidays to boutique trips and river cruises focused on the destination.
Record number of shipping companies and a very complete picture of the market
One of the major highlights of this fifth edition is the participation of 12 international cruise lines , the highest number since Fitur Cruises' launch. This increase allows for a more representative overview of the different market segments, both for cruise sales professionals and for travelers looking to compare options.
Among the confirmed cruise lines are Costa Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, both with a strong focus on the family segment and offering itineraries where the ship largely becomes a vacation destination in itself . They will be joined by premium and upper-premium cruise lines such as Azamara Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard Line, Princess Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and Oceania Cruises , which emphasize onboard service, cuisine, and the overall quality of the experience.
The offering is rounded out by Regent Seven Seas, Emerald Cruises, Scenic Luxury Cruises, and AmaWaterways , all specializing in high-end products, ocean and river itineraries, and a strong focus on the destination itself. In these cases, the emphasis is on personalized service and port calls that allow for a deeper immersion in each port, something increasingly valued by European cruise passengers.
Alongside the cruise lines, Fitur Cruises will include specialized travel agencies , such as Navega Mediterráneo, as well as companies offering excursions for cruise passengers, most notably Shore2Shore . In this way, the section covers the entire value chain of the product, from marketing to the onshore experience, offering visitors a comprehensive view of how a cruise trip is created from beginning to end.
For Spanish and European professionals, having this diversity of proposals in the same pavilion makes it easier to compare positions, define agreements and adjust their portfolio to the different types of clients: first-time families, luxury travelers, senior citizens or profiles interested in river or cultural cruises.
The Cruise Market as the core of activity
This entire ecosystem will be organized around the Cruise Market , conceived as the heart of the Fitur Cruises area. This zone will house the stands of cruise lines, agencies, and service companies, as well as specific areas for talks, presentations, and meetings between exhibitors and visitors.
The Cruise Market aims to serve as both a business and information platform . On the one hand, it allows professionals to manage B2B meetings, close deals, present marketing campaigns, and showcase new ships or itineraries for the coming years. On the other hand, it offers the general public an accessible environment to ask questions, gather information, and compare options without the usual pressure of a direct sales pitch.
This space will host a large part of the Cruise Campus activities , as well as destination presentations, raffles, meetings between travelers, and small workshops that help to better understand how the cruise product has evolved in Europe and other Spanish-speaking markets.
For many visitors, especially those who have never sailed before, the Cruise Market functions as a kind of one-stop shop where they can get information on cabin types, onboard policies, life on the ship, excursions, or recommendations for choosing an itinerary according to the time of year.
This practical approach reinforces the idea of Fitur Cruises as a place where not only is the industry promoted, but the traveler is also accompanied in the decision-making and planning process for their future holidays at sea.
Professional program: Cruise Campus and roundtables
During the business-focused days, Fitur Cruises will offer a professional program centered around its established Cruise Campus . This series of talks, short presentations, and mini-courses aims to provide industry professionals with up-to-date tools to adapt to a changing environment.
The major new feature of this fifth edition will be the addition of two roundtables with top executives from various cruise lines and companies linked to the cruise industry. These meetings will serve to analyze in detail the current situation and future prospects of the Spanish-speaking market , both in Europe and Latin America.
The discussions will be structured around two main themes. The first will analyze the ship as a destination , delving into the complete onboard experience: culinary offerings, leisure, wellness, technology applied to service, sustainability, and personalization. The second will focus on what happens beyond the ship , that is, the growing importance of final destinations, cultural immersion, and exclusive experiences on land.
In addition to these discussions, the Cruise Campus will address issues closely linked to the day-to-day operations of the business. These include the use of artificial intelligence in the cruise industry, both in operational management and customer relations; the evolving profile of the cruise passenger; and the main trends for 2026 regarding trip duration, route types, and onboard preferences.
Attention will also be paid to the situation in the Latin American and Ibero-American markets , key for many shipping companies that operate in Europe but derive a significant portion of their demand from Spanish-speaking countries. The different product segments—family, premium, luxury, and river cruises—will also be analyzed, as well as the continued strategic role of travel agencies as specialized advisors.
Artificial intelligence, new customer profiles and booming segments
One of the most talked-about thematic blocks will be the one dedicated to artificial intelligence applied to the cruise sector . The program's content is expected to cover everything from the automation of internal processes to itinerary recommendation tools, dynamic pricing, and virtual assistants that accompany passengers before, during, and after their trip.
At the same time, the focus will be on the new profile of the cruise passenger . Beyond the traditional image of organized tourism, the industry is seeing more and more travelers seeking tailor-made experiences, combining shorter cruises, themed getaways, multigenerational trips, or products that integrate sustainability and authentic contact with the destination.
In this context, the premium, luxury, and river cruise segments are gaining visibility at Fitur Cruises. The cruise lines and companies present will use the fair to explain how they are adapting their value proposition to a public that demands more space, signature cuisine, onboard wellness, and port calls that allow for more leisurely exploration of cities.
It is expected that many of the talks will address issues such as adapting ships to more demanding environmental criteria , reducing emissions, waste management, and how cruise lines are trying to integrate more responsibly with the destinations they visit, a growing concern especially in European ports.
For European travel agencies and tour operators, these sessions will serve as a guide when repositioning the cruise product in their catalogs, reinforcing their role as specialized intermediaries capable of translating to the end customer the complexity of an increasingly segmented offer.
Weekend for the public: experiential and educational activities
When the weekend arrives and the fair fully opens to the general public, Fitur Cruises shifts its focus, centering its program on making the world of cruising accessible in a simple and experiential way. The Cruise Campus remains active, but with content tailored to travelers who want to learn, resolve doubts, or find inspiration for their next vacation.
The planned activities include informative talks showcasing the diversity of current offerings: from large-capacity cruises designed for the whole family to boutique sea voyages , themed itineraries, and routes to less-traveled destinations. These sessions address practical questions such as what to pack, how port calls work, and which type of cabin best suits different budgets.
Special attention will also be given to iconic destinations highly sought after by European travelers, such as Alaska and other nature itineraries, as well as routes along the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and rivers like the Rhine, Danube, and Seine. The talks are typically led by experts, bloggers, or seasoned cruisers, giving them a friendly and easily understandable tone.
The more playful side is enhanced by the already popular Cruise Scavenger Hunt , an activity that invites visitors to explore different pavilions at Fitur following a route of "stops" related to the world of cruises. This initiative, sponsored by Discover Puerto Rico , includes raffles for trips, excursions, and other prizes for those who complete the route.
Alongside this, the Café & Cruises events are becoming increasingly popular . These informal gatherings, where experienced cruisers share anecdotes, recommendations, and advice with those considering boarding a ship for the first time, are a great way to stay connected. It's a simple, almost casual, format that helps dispel common myths and fears , from the fear of seasickness to the idea that cruises are only for a very specific type of person.
Cruise Addict Awards and Industry Recognition
One of the highlights of the Fitur Cruises calendar will be the presentation of the Cruise Addict Awards , organized by the event's media partner. The ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, January 22, taking advantage of the presence of executives, professionals, and specialized media at the fairgrounds.
These awards have become a benchmark recognition within the cruise sector for one key reason: the results are based entirely on votes from the international community of Spanish-speaking travelers. Furthermore, they are endorsed by AENOR , which lends added rigor to the process.
The most recent edition saw a record number of participants in the voting, reflecting both the growing interest in cruises and the degree of involvement of the travelers themselves in making decisions about which shipping companies, ships or ports deserve to be recognized.
The awards include categories such as best shipping company, best ship and best port of the year , in addition to various subcategories that allow focusing on specific aspects of the product: onboard service, innovation, gastronomic experience, itineraries or sustainability, among others.
The celebration of the Cruise Addict Awards within Fitur Cruises reinforces the role of the event as a voice for the sector and, at the same time, as a space where the opinion of the end traveler is made visible, who is increasingly important in shaping the offer.
With a combination of a solid professional program , a calendar of educational and experiential activities for the general public, and the presence of twelve international shipping companies, specialized agencies, and service companies, the fifth edition of Fitur Cruises is consolidating itself as a key space to understand where cruise tourism is headed in Spain, Europe, and the entire Spanish-speaking market, both at sea and on land.
