María de los Llanos Massó Linares, president of the Valencian Parliament

FOTUR 2025 AWARD THE WAY OF THE HOLY GRAIL

Authorities, representatives of all the sectors that make up FOTUR, workers, businessmen, award winners, ladies and gentlemen.

It is an honour, really, it is not a cliché, to inaugurate this gala of the Federation of Leisure and Tourism of the Valencian Community, a meeting that symbolises the commitment, courage and resilience of one of the most important sectors for our land.

Allow me to begin by thanking FOTUR for its invitation and, above all, for its constant work in favor of a sector, or sectors, that are a fundamental pillar in our region and in many cases, the main advertising panel of our three provinces.

Talking about leisure and tourism is not only talking about hotels, restaurants, bars, various leisure, cultural or musical activities, it is talking about people. Of those who undertake, risk, invest… of those who work day and night for others to enjoy. It is talking about employment, professionalism, freedom to undertake and prosperity for our land.

The Valencian Community is, and must continue to be, a tourist powerhouse, because this community would not be what it is without its tourism and leisure sector.

The Valencian Community is a tourist powerhouse. Not by chance, but by the sustained effort of generations of entrepreneurs and workers who have been able to adapt, innovate and maintain excellence even in the most difficult moments.

Each of our provinces brings talent, identity and strength to a diverse and competitive tourism model, which generates thousands of jobs and opportunities for our young people.

And we cannot forget that this sector has gone through very hard times. The pandemic was an unprecedented blow. But not only the pandemic, political decisions far from the reality of the sector and society, a legal insecurity that in some cases has weighed down the entire sector and an ideological vision that has sometimes treated leisure and tourism as a problem instead of an opportunity, has put the sector in very critical situations.

I am fully aware of the strategic importance of the leisure and tourism sector. We are not talking about something accessory, we are talking about one of the main engines of our economy, youth employment, entrepreneurship and the international projection of the Valencian Community.

It must be said clearly that leisure is not the enemy of coexistence. The enemy is the lack of dialogue, imposition and disconnection between those who legislate and those who work.

We must defend a model based on respect for freedom, entrepreneurial effort and honest work. A model that understands that without companies there is no employment, and without employment there is no social welfare.

Castellón, Valencia and Alicante need institutions that accompany, not persecute. Let them listen, not impose. That they generate confidence instead of uncertainty.

The Valencian Community competes with other tourist destinations inside and outside Spain. And to be competitive we need clear rules, regulatory stability and an administration that believes in its productive fabric.

The leisure sector has amply demonstrated that it can coexist with the territory and its people, innovate and adapt. It has invested in safety, training, sustainability and quality. And it deserves, therefore, institutional respect and real support.

Our land cannot be understood without its tourism. Without its beaches, without its mountains, its festivals, its gastronomy, its music, its nightlife, its festivals, its traditions and its cultural offer. All this is part of a model of coexistence that we must protect, improve and dignify.

From the institutions we must bet on public-private collaboration as the axis of economic development. Not from mistrust, but from cooperation. Not from ideology, but from common sense.

Tourism and leisure cannot be victims of discourses that criminalise success, economic activity or responsible enjoyment. Our land has grown thanks to those who have been able to generate opportunities, attract visitors and project a positive image of the Valencian Community.

Castellón, Valencia and Alicante deserve a future of growth, employment and freedom. A future where merit, effort and initiative are rewarded. A future where young people can work, undertake and build their life project without having to leave.

If there is one thing that is clear, it is that one cannot legislate on the basis of occurrences born in an office or taken from a manifesto of enlightened people who live in an unreal world.

The tourism and leisure sectors need something fundamental, legal certainty, dialogue and institutional respect for these sectors. And those of us who have some political or institutional responsibility, as is my case, we have to let them know that they have that support and our utmost respect as one of the fundamental pillars of our real economy.

I want to congratulate all the winners tonight. Your work is an example of professionalism, commitment and love for this land.

Thank you to the entrepreneurs who invest and create jobs.

Thank you to the workers who sustain the sector with their daily effort.

Thanks to the associations that defend, dialogue and build.

Thank you to all those who believe in this land and bet on it.

And I want to thank FOTUR for its tireless work, its defence of the sector and its commitment to modern, safe leisure and compatible with coexistence.

The Valencian Community has everything to lead: talent, resources, creativity and a unique way of understanding life. It only needs institutions that do not put up obstacles, but that open paths.

With dialogue, freedom and responsibility, Castellón, Valencia and Alicante will continue to be benchmarks for tourism and leisure in Spain and Europe.

I wish you a magnificent gala and a future full of opportunities for the entire sector.

Good evening, and congratulations.