‘The Madrid You Don’t Expect’ is presented at FITUR 2025
MadRural’s stand, located in Pavilion 9 at the recent International Tourism Fair held from 22 to 26 January at IFEMA, brought together a large number of visitors eager to discover all the experiential proposals across the four territories that make up the destination: Sierra Norte de Madrid, Las Vegas & Alcarria Madrileña, the Sierra Oeste de Madrid and the Sierra de Guadarrama.
It was also the perfect opportunity to showcase all the zero-kilometre products that shape the flavours and traditions of our gastronomy: cheeses, wines with Protected Designation of Origin, PDO olive oils, artisan gin, pastries, natural cosmetics and more. Because MadRural is “The Madrid You Don’t Expect”…
Three intense days for professionals
One of MadRural’s objectives,
, as an experiential destination within the Community of Madrid, was to present its zero-kilometre gastronomic tourism proposals to all the professionals who gathered at FITUR on 22, 23 and 24 January.
These were three days entirely dedicated to authorities, official representatives from the participating countries, inbound and outbound tour operators, hotel chains, transport companies, accredited journalists and tourism sector professionals.
During these professional days, MadRural’s stand welcomed the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso; the Regional Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport, Mariano de Paco Serrano; as well as other regional authorities. These included the Deputy Director-General for Sustainability and Tourism Development, Aránzazu Urbina;
Miguel Ángel García Martín, Regional Minister for Presidency, Justice and Local Administration; Carlos Novillo Piris, Regional Minister for Environment, Agriculture and Interior; the Deputy Regional Minister for Presidency and Local Administration, José Antonio Sánchez Serrano; Luis Fernando Martín Izquierdo, Deputy Regional Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport; and Javier Carazo Gil, Director-General for Territorial Rebalancing.
We were also joined by the presidents of each of the Tourism Innovation Centres: Antonio Coello, from Sierra de Guadarrama; Eva Gallego, from Sierra Norte de Madrid; Juan Antonio de la Morena, from Sierra Oeste de Madrid; and Miguel Ángel Pulido, from Las Vegas & Alcarria Madrileña, as well as mayors and tourism development officers.
All of this took place over four days, during which MadRural’s experiential proposals were accompanied by local producers such as Quesería La Caperuza, from Sierra Norte de Madrid; Gin Monti, representing Sierra de Guadarrama, Obrador Tradicional Horno Conejo from Las Vegas & Alcarria Madrileña and Jabones de Castilla from Sierra Oeste de Madrid.
All of them presented a selection of their finest products to both the authorities and visitors. In addition, during the first day of FITUR 2025, we were joined by El Nocturnario, with an interactive activity focused on meteor showers and solar eclipses, with special emphasis on the upcoming EclipsaFest 2025, which will be held in Collado Mediano on Saturday, 29 March.
On the morning of Thursday 23, the MadRural stand hosted the official incorporation of Loeches and Nuevo Baztán into the Las Vegas & Alcarria Madrileña region. The event was attended by the Director-General for Tourism and Hospitality of the Community of Madrid, Laura Martínez Cerro; Miguel Ángel Pulido, in his capacity as president of ARACOVE; Ignacio Espinosa Arjona, Councillor for Urban Planning and Legal Services of Nuevo Baztán; and Antonio Theodori, Mayor of Loeches.
That same day, we also received a visit from Agustín Bravo and hosted the live broadcast of his programme on Onda Cero Madrid, as well as two wine tastings with Protected Designation of Origin wines by Val Azul, from Chinchón in Las Vegas & Alcarria Madrileña, and Bodegas Aumesquet Garrido, in Cadalso de los Vidrios, Sierra Oeste de Madrid.
Friday 24 began with representatives from the Vega del Tajuña Nature Centre promoting their space as a benchmark for raising awareness of environmental values in the south-east of the Community of Madrid.
This was followed by an olive oil tasting featuring oils with Designation of Origin, led by Posito from Villarejo de Salvanés and Óleum Laguna from Villaconejos, accompanied by a tasting of Campo Real olives from Hijos de Segundo González.
The afternoon concluded with a workshop on cheese as a historical reality that moves from the global to the local, led by Quesería La Cabezuela, from Fresnedillas de la Oliva.
Visitors continued to sample the flavours of MadRural with a tasting of palmeritas from Morata de Tajuña, courtesy of Horno Conejo, and artisan chocolate from Valdeisabella, in San Martín de Valdeiglesias.
Restaurante Casa Miró, from Titulcia, treated attendees to an artisan cheesecake, while Fanum Aceite, from Torremocha de Jarama in Sierra Norte de Madrid, closed the afternoon with a talk on zero-kilometre olive oil tourism.
Two days dedicated to the general public
Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 were the days when the fair opened to the general public. FITUR 2025 welcomed visitors who, pavilion after pavilion, discovered the world before their eyes. Those who stopped by the MadRural stand were looking for plans and getaways in parts of Madrid they had yet to discover, as well as zero-kilometre experiences to enjoy wine, gastronomy, hiking and cycling routes in any of the four territories.
Astronomy and the skies of Madrid returned to the MadRural stand thanks to El Nocturnario. We explored the Camino de Uclés alongside those who know it best, helping everyone who came by to discover the route and get a closer look at its landscapes.
Agrotourism was brought closer to visitors through a talk by KUN-TU and its natural, organic and vegan cosmetics. This theme continued with the participation of Ana de Castilla and her soaps, presented alongside a workshop on soap-making and tasting. Meanwhile, the La Chanta Nature Centre, from Corpa, invited children to discover some of the activities organised there to showcase its educational work.
The afternoon ended with a tracks and footprints workshop led by the Sierra de Guadarrama Booking Centre, which brought together the most curious visitors for a fun activity identifying the footprints of different types of animals and creating clay models.
On Sunday 26, the final day of FITUR 2025, the Vega del Tajuña Nature Centre offered younger visitors an activity commemorating World Environmental Education Day. Meanwhile, from the town of Cenicientos, in Sierra Oeste de Madrid, CAV Taller offered an artisan bookbinding activity using material resulting from historical research, attracting many curious visitors.
All of this shaped a very special FITUR for MadRural. For the first time, a single stand brought together the four destinations that make up the brand at the world’s leading tourism fair. It was the perfect opportunity to showcase “The Madrid You Don’t Expect”: the Madrid beyond the capital, with experiential proposals and zero-kilometre products just a short distance from the city, offering the chance to experience the very best of a region with countless stories to tell.
🇪🇺 Funded by the European Union NextGenerationEU – Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan – Ministry of Industry and Tourism – Government of Spain