Dominican Republic and Mexico on the verge of a marketing conflict: what really happened at FITUR in Madrid
The controversy that erupted in early February 2026 showed how sensitive tourism promotion has become—a field where business interests, national image, and diplomacy intertwine. After the conclusion of the FITUR international fair in Madrid, part of the regional tourism scene called out the Dominican Minister of Tourism, David Collado, for an alleged “blow” to Mexico instead of focusing on representing his own country. In the background are massive market stakes: both destinations target the same European guests during winter months and compete for investments, airline routes, and global media attention.The debate flared up after eTurboNews published a text on February 4, 2026, stating that Mexican tourism communicators and one high-ranking official were dissatisfied with the tone of Dominican messages, claiming that promotion had crossed into disparaging the competition. Simultaneously, the Dominican side emphasizes its own results and ambitions, while domestic media portray the performance at FITUR as a confirmation of the country’s international position. Since there are few official, formal statements from institutions in public, part of the story remains in the sphere of impressions and interpretations, but the mere fact that the topic gained momentum speaks to how sensitive the tourism market is to tone and symbolism.
FITUR 2026: a stage where influence is sold, not just packages
FITUR (Feria Internacional de Turismo) in Madrid has long been more than just a place to arrange charter flights and available hotel capacities. The fair has become a platform where states and regions build reputations, attract investments, and send politically important signals about stability and openness to international partnerships. The organizer IFEMA MADRID states that FITUR 2026 was held from January 21 to 25, 2026, and that Mexico was the partner country of the fair—a status that traditionally brings additional visibility, a communication “advantage,” and protocol weight.
In a review of the fair, El País reported record attendance figures and a high level of international presence, which further explains why details at the pavilions became part of a broader story. In such a crowd and in such competition, destinations naturally compare themselves, but direct disparagement of the competition is generally avoided. A reputation in tourism is built over years and can be shaken in a few days if the impression spreads in the market that the game is being played “dirty.” Therefore, any allusion that a country is a “poorer choice” can trigger a quick reaction, especially when it refers to a large market like Mexico, which has a strong presence in Europe and a diversified offer for different traveler profiles.
How the controversy arose: “promote yours, don't tear down others”
According to eTurboNews, a senior Mexican tourism official expressed dissatisfaction because he believes the Dominican campaign is turning into messages that could deter tourists from Mexico. The same source states that the official summarized the problem with the idea that the minister should highlight the beauty of his own country, not “speak poorly” of another destination. In an industry where trust and the perception of safety are key, such an assessment, even when coming from informal circles, quickly becomes a subject of debate among agencies, tour operators, and communication teams.
eTurboNews also states that the debate was sparked by a rhetorical question asked at a Latin American tourism event, which called out “where is the Mexican tourism minister.” In isolation, such a sentence might sound like a joke or improvisation in front of an audience. However, in the context of market competition, it can be interpreted as a public “jab” at the competition and an attempt to strip away part of the rival’s authority. Sensitivity grows also because everything took place immediately after FITUR, during a period when destinations in Europe are increasingly selling winter arrangements and the first spring packages, while large tour operators are finalizing plans for the summer season. In such weeks, a negative insinuation, even an indirect one, can trigger a chain of questions and doubts that the market finds hard to ignore.
“Musical war” in the pavilions: an impression that crossed the line of entertainment
The most retold episode relates to the atmosphere in the pavilions. According to eTurboNews, some fair participants claimed that the Mexican side would begin a presentation or announcement, and that Dominican music with dancers and animation would then be turned up in the immediate vicinity, creating a powerful competitive backdrop. It is important to emphasize that in the publicly available summaries from the organizers, there are no recorded formal complaints that would confirm the incident as an official dispute. Because of this, this part of the story relies on participant impressions and media descriptions rather than a documented protocol.
Still, in the world of trade fairs, impression often determines the narrative. Once a story takes hold, it is reported by journalists and specialized portals, and then enters industry conversations and communication bulletins. Many participants in such events know that “who was louder” and “who dominated the space” can become a topic just as much as signed contracts. For Caribbean destinations, a performative approach is not unusual: music, dance, and an emphasized atmosphere are part of an identity sold just as much as sun and sea. But when neighboring stands compete for the same audience, and one of them represents the fair’s partner country, even seemingly harmless elements easily gain diplomatic weight. In such situations, the question is no longer who has the more attractive choreography, but who respects protocol and the space of others.
The Dominican message from Madrid: tourism as an engine, investment as proof of strength
Parallel to the controversy, the Dominican side in Madrid strongly emphasized the economic dimension of tourism. Dominican Today reported that Minister David Collado, at the opening of the Dominican stand at FITUR 2026, highlighted the fair as a key international platform for promoting investment, partnerships, and destination growth. DR1, in a text related to fair appearances, conveyed Collado’s message that tourism in the Dominican Republic should be better understood as a leading economic driver, accompanied by a delegation that included representatives from the hotel and financial sectors.
Such an emphasis is not accidental. In the tourism industry today, it is not just beaches and hotels that compete, but also investment conditions, regulations, and the state's ability to develop infrastructure and maintain a reputation as a safe destination. When a minister speaks about the “global strength” of tourism at an international fair, the message is aimed as much at travelers as it is at funds, banks, and investors. In the Dominican public space, FITUR was portrayed as confirmation that the country can stand alongside larger markets, which also explains why reactions to criticism are sensitive.
However, at the same time, the question arose as to how firmly grounded the announced figures are and when concrete results can be expected. In an analysis of FITUR 2026, the portal Acento states that ambitious announcements of investments and new capacities were communicated after the fair, and warns that promotional figures sometimes create an impression that does not automatically mean rapid implementation on the ground. This difference between announcement and execution is important because the market, especially investors and international partners, looks for clear signals about feasibility and the project timeline. In a situation where the impression of aggressive communication toward the competition appears alongside big announcements, reputational risk grows, and the responsibility of communication becomes greater.
Mexico as a partner country: why status symbolism matters
The status of a FITUR partner country is not just a marketing label. It carries the expectation that the country will have increased institutional visibility, additional slots in the program, and protocol “weight” in the fair’s communication. IFEMA highlights on its official pages that Mexico had precisely that role in 2026, which manifests in practice through focused presentation and additional activities related to the fair’s program. In such a framework, the impression that the “spotlight is being redirected” from the partner country to a neighboring stand can be interpreted as a provocation, even when no rules have been formally broken.
For Mexico, it is additionally important that in European promotion, it has been trying for years to avoid simplifying the destination to one type of vacation. Mexico performs as a combination of Caribbean and Pacific tourism, big cities, cultural routes, gastronomy, natural parks, and business travel. Because of this, messages that reduce it to “one riviera” or present it as a destination to be avoided are particularly sensitive. eTurboNews emphasizes precisely this diversity in its review and claims that part of the Mexican side is frustrated when Mexico is reduced to one coast in international discourse.
This conflict of narratives is not just a matter of prestige. In a market that is increasingly divided into niches, destinations want to prove the breadth of their offer: family vacations, adventure travel, gastronomy, cultural content, and city breaks. In such an environment, a message suggesting that a competitor is “one-dimensional” or “undesirable” can have broader consequences than a mere media spin.
Where promotion ends and provocation begins
In the tourism market, competition is normal, but tone and method make the difference. Promotion is most often built on highlighting one’s own advantages: accessibility, safety, accommodation quality, excursion and experience offers, as well as clear logistical information for travelers. Provocation begins when a competitor is portrayed as a risk or a poor choice, even without direct mention, because the audience easily “translates” the message into a binary framework: one destination is good, the other is problematic.
This was precisely the reason, according to eTurboNews, why part of the Mexican side reacted with the message that focus should remain on the “strength of the destination,” not on tearing down another country's image. A negative tone may attract attention in the short term, but in the long term, it increases the cost of crisis communication and tires the market. In tourism, where a buyer often makes a decision based on emotion and trust, such an approach can be counterproductive.
On the Dominican side, a more aggressive performance can be interpreted as part of the struggle for market share. For years, the Dominican Republic has been strongly positioned as a Caribbean destination for all-inclusive models, and the European market in winter and early spring months is of particular importance. In competition with Mexico, which offers both a Caribbean coast and large cities and cultural content, the Dominican Republic often relies on a clear, simple message: resorts, beaches, logistically “easy” vacations, and package arrangements. Such a strategy can be very effective, but it also has limitations. When a brand is built almost exclusively on one product, an attempt to “take” part of the audience from a competitor easily sounds like an attack rather than a convincing invitation.
In this sense, the controversy surrounding FITUR is not just a question of the minister’s personal style, but also a question of strategy: will the Dominican Republic expand toward more diverse experiences and messages or remain faithful to strong but narrow “beach” communication. For the market, especially the European one, which increasingly seeks personalized experiences, the direction of strategy can become more important than any fair episode.
A broader political layer: international tourism institutions and personal ties
The controversy gained an additional dimension through the mention of the Dominican tourism leadership's relationship with Zurab Pololikashvili, the head of the UN World Tourism Organization, which in recent years has increasingly presented itself communicationally as UN Tourism. eTurboNews states that Dominican officials in earlier years were among Pololikashvili’s more vocal allies and that stories circulated in industry hallways about political calculations regarding Mexican ambitions in international tourism structures.
Publicly available official documents that would directly confirm such hallway claims are not cited in the source, so they can be viewed as a contextual framework explaining why part of the industry is inclined to see “more politics” in events at the fair. But the mere fact that international institutions are mentioned at all in tourism texts says how much the sector has become tied to geopolitics, lobbying, and the struggle for influence. In such an environment, even symbolic gestures, like loud music or rhetorical questions, can be interpreted as part of a broader competition.
What follows: quiet diplomacy or continued competition
For now, there are no indications that the controversy will turn into an official diplomatic dispute between Santo Domingo and Mexico City. FITUR ended on January 21, 2026, and the debate flared up in public only in early February, mainly through media texts and reactions from the tourism industry. In practice, such misunderstandings are often resolved behind the scenes: through bilateral talks, agreement on communication tone, and more careful planning of appearances at future international fairs.
Still, the episode from Madrid opens a key question for the entire sector: how far can a state go in promotion when competing for the same travelers, investments, and airline routes. In a time when tourism is increasingly linked to a reputation for safety, sustainability, and political stability, short-term attention can come at the cost of long-term tensions. If 2026 is remembered in the industry as the year in which merengue and mariachi turned into a symbol of marketing measurement, the real winner will be the one who, along with a visible performance, maintains professional measure. Tourism, in the end, sells an experience, but also trust, and trust is built more slowly than turning up the music on a fair loudspeaker.
Sources:- eTurboNews – report on the controversy between the Dominican Republic and Mexico and descriptions of events and reactions after FITUR (link)
- IFEMA MADRID / FITUR – official information about the dates of FITUR 2026 and Mexico's role as partner country (link)
- Dominican Today – news about the opening of the Dominican stand at FITUR 2026 and highlights from the tourism minister (link)
- DR1 – report on Collado's messages at FITUR 2026 and positioning tourism as an economic engine (link)
- Acento – analysis of Dominican announcements from FITUR 2026 and critical review of published investment figures (link)
- El País – overview of record figures from FITUR 2026 and international presence at the fair (link)
Find accommodation nearby
Creation time: 2 hours ago