The event is organised by SIE, Spain is Excellence, the Design Institute of Spain (D!OS) and 110 PERCEB Ltd., with the Regional Government of Madrid as its main sponsor and UDIT, the University of Design, Innovation and Technology, as its leading academic sponsor.
From a memorable hotel to a museum that transforms a city
What makes a hotel particularly memorable for a traveller? How can a museum help transform its surrounding area? How does design help a place stand out from competing destinations? And how should professionals prepare today to respond to emerging ways of travelling?
These are among the questions the Tourism & Design Summit will explore through a series of discussions focused on the visitor experience, architecture and heritage, education, destination identity, and changing leisure, consumption and travel habits among younger generations.
The aim is to bring diverse perspectives to a shared challenge: how to ensure that spaces and destinations are not only appealing, but also convey a distinctive identity, evoke emotion and build a connection with visitors.
The Summit will feature speakers including Carlos Garrido, President of Spain’s Mesa del Turismo; Eduardo Prieto, General Manager of Visa Spain; Enrique Sarasola, President of Room Mate Hotels; Álvaro Matías, Director of Madrid Design Festival; and interior designer Erico Navazo. They will be joined by professionals and representatives from the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Complutense University of Madrid, UDIT and other fields connected to tourism and design.
Madrid and its surrounding region will also feature in the programme. The day will open with “Walls that speak: how design brings places to life”, presented by Ana Alonso, CEO of SIE, Spain is Excellence, with the participation of Elena Rubio, Tourism Development Coordinator for Sierra Norte de Madrid. The session will explore how art, design and local identity can help create new visitor experiences and strengthen the connection between a destination and its travellers.
“Today, design is much more than a matter of aesthetics: it is a tool for tourism competitiveness. It helps us build destinations with a distinctive identity, improve the traveller experience and create value for local areas. Through this Summit, we want to bring tourism and design professionals to the same table, creating a shared space for dialogue that has not always existed,” says Ana Alonso, CEO of SIE, Spain is Excellence.
Tourism & Design Summit 2026
Tuesday, 6 October 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Auditorium 200, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid
The full programme and speaker line-up are available at tourismanddesign.com .
About Tourism & Design Summit
Tourism & Design Summit was created as a meeting point for tourism and design, connecting professionals, businesses and institutions from both sectors and encouraging new forms of collaboration in areas such as hospitality, destination management, urban planning, culture, architecture and experience creation.
It is organised by SIE, Spain is Excellence, the Design Institute of Spain (D!OS) and 110 PERCEB Ltd.
