Southern Gran Canaria is consolidating its position in the strategic segment of meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) tourism. The Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) officially inaugurated the 53rd edition of its National Congress this Wednesday in Maspalomas. This industry event will run until May 23rd under the theme "Where the Skin Breathes Science." The medical-scientific gathering brings together leading specialists in the field in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana to discuss the latest innovations in clinical practice, biological therapies, cutaneous cancer research, and diagnostic advances in the specialty.
The choice of Maspalomas as the venue for this annual forum injects a significant number of overnight stays into the high-end hotels of the southern region at the start of the low holiday season. The organizers of the event project an attendance of 2.250 participants in person, a figure that rises to over 3.000 when including the technical teams for the trade show, logistics personnel, secretariat committees, and press delegations. The influx of this contingent of high-spending visitors directly boosts consumption in the restaurant sector and specialized transport services in the south of the island, mitigating the impact of the seasonal transition.
The scientific committee of the congress has designed a highly intensive academic program to accommodate the latest innovations in venereological and dermatological pathology. The president of the AEDV (Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology), Dr. Yolanda Gilaberte, outlined the key features of this year's event at the official presentation. The congress boasts 337 expert speakers, including twelve internationally renowned researchers. The evaluation committees have selected a record 724 submissions, 187 of which will be presented orally in the congress halls, while the remaining 530 will be displayed as interactive digital posters and panels.
The academic program includes over one hundred simultaneous continuing education sessions focused on medical subspecialties. The main symposia will address the use of artificial intelligence in early melanoma screening, the therapeutic management of severe atopic dermatitis with new molecules, and strategies for tackling sexually transmitted infections in urban environments. The academy's executive committee, comprised of Doctors Isabel Belinchón, Ricardo Fernández de Misa, and Agustín Buendía, highlighted the suitability of the infrastructure in southern Gran Canaria for hosting scientific debates that require complex telecommunications logistics and large-capacity modular spaces.
The AEDV's campaign in Maspalomas furthers the local government's objective of diversifying the economy of southern Gran Canaria, historically linked exclusively to sun and beach tourism. Attracting major medical conferences helps stabilize the income of accommodation complexes in the Meloneras area, thanks to the fact that conference attendees spend twice as much as the average daily tourist. The technical workshops will be complemented by outreach activities aimed at raising public awareness about the risks of unprotected sun exposure in the archipelago, reinforcing the medical organization's commitment to public health prevention.
The organizing committee will maintain active online communication channels throughout the four days of the event to disseminate the symposium conclusions to the rest of the Ibero-American healthcare community. The Maspalomas Dermatology Summit is positioned as the largest scientific event of the year in the south of the island, serving as a technical test to evaluate the responsiveness and capacity of the service networks in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana in preparation for securing future bids for logistically demanding pan-European congresses.
