Mexico’s delegation at FITUR 2026, one of the world’s largest tourism fairs, welcomed some very special guests on Thursday: Felipe VI and Letizia, king and queen of Spain.

The monarchs visited Mexico’s pavilion at FITUR, hosted in Madrid this year, following their inauguration speech. They were greeted by Mexico’s Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, Mexico’s Ambassador to Spain Quirino Ordaz, as well as other Mexican officials and cultural representatives.

For the fair’s 46th edition, Mexico has been featured as FITUR’s partner country, presenting a historic program that includes tourist destinations in all 32 states. Boasting the largest stand space in the America’s section, Mexico aims to speak to a global tourism market by emphasizing the essence of Mexican culture.

During her Thursday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum referred to the monarch’s visit to Mexico’s pavilion as “symbolic.”

“They were accompanied by representatives of the Indigenous communities. It’s symbolic,” Sheinbaum said. “It seems symbolic that the king and queen of Spain have come to recognize the Indigenous peoples of today [at FITUR] … We will insist on the importance of this recognition, because it heals wounds.”

The monarchs greeted the large Mexican delegation on a stage decorated for the occasion and reportedly showed great interest in Mexico’s proposals during a friendly conversation with Mexican officials.

The Spanish royals have not had contact with Mexican officials since 2019, when former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador demanded an apology in 2019, for abuses faced by Indigenous peoples during the conquest of Tenochtitlán in 1521, preceding  to Spanish colonization.

Spain “vigorously” rejected the request. While economic, social and cultural ties between the two countries run deep, political ties turned frosty after the falling out.

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Rodríguez said she appreciated the royal’s appearance at Mexico’s pavilion amidst the tragedy that recently hit the country after a passenger train derailed in the province of Córdoba, killing dozens of people.

“I was deeply grateful that they came to visit us in spite of this situation,” she said. Rodríguez told the king and queen about the role the Indigenous communities play in Mexico’s tourism industry, she said, and how tourism can be “a source of prosperity for communities.”

With reports from El Heraldo de México and La Jornada