Castilla y León reaches a «historical record» of Spanish students and an economic impact of 160 million euros in 2024
The VIII International Spanish Congress, held from Thursday 26 in Salamanca, has concluded this Saturday its «most successful» edition with more than 1,100 participants from 44 countries, with 68 percent of foreign attendees, representing a 10 percent increase compared to the previous meeting.
The Deputy Minister of Cultural Action and Commissioner for the Spanish Language, Mar Sancho, has valued these data and has defined the event as «a successful and effective international promotion action for the teaching of Spanish in Castilla y León». Likewise, she has emphasized that the Community is «a leader in this sector thanks to the quality offer of its universities and schools».
This International Congress of teachers, promoted by the Junta of Castilla y León, has had Germany as the guest country in this edition, which has had the largest representation due to the collaboration of the German Association of Spanish Teachers (DSV).
Within the program of this eighth edition, a total of 112 activities have been included in three days, with five plenary sessions, nine conferences, seven round tables, 16 workshops taught by schools, nine communications from the DSV, a presentation, and 65 general communications, as reported by the Junta in a press release collected by Europa Press.
The University of Salamanca has been in charge of coordinating the scientific content with the participation of international prestige experts in the field of Spanish.
In the institutional scope, the Congress has brought together representatives from the four public universities of Castilla y León, the Pontifical University of Salamanca, specialized centers in Spanish teaching in the Community, and numerous national and international universities.
In turn, the City Council of Salamanca, the Ministry of Education, the Cervantes Institute, and the Education Ministries of various Spanish embassies, such as those of China, South Korea, Japan, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany, have participated.
STUDENT RECORD
During her speech, Sancho has pointed out that the data from the Congress reinforce Castilla y León’s position as a «worldwide reference» in Spanish teaching. In 2024, the Community has set a historical record with 63,371 foreign students enrolled in training courses in schools and universities, representing a 21.34 percent increase compared to 2023.
This growth adds to the 22 percent increase recorded in 2023 compared to 2022, an accumulated growth of 43.34 percent in the last two years.
In this context, the main countries of origin of the students have been Italy, the United States, France, and China, where the Junta carries out promotional work.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
On the other hand, the Congress has had a commercial aspect with a total of 41 exhibitors participating in the trade show, including specialized publishers, universities, companies, and institutions, as well as numerous international exhibitors. During the event, more than 5,500 meetings have been held between traders and potential buyers.
According to data provided by the Junta, the economic impact of the spending by foreign students in the Community in 2024 amounts to 160 million euros, the highest figure recorded to date. «The Spanish sector as an economic resource is experiencing its best moment in history in Castilla y León,» Sancho emphasized.
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