The objectives of the 61st edition of the largest tourism marketplace, which also attracts a 15% increase in foreign visitors, have been achieved. So says the official communiqué that describes the closing of the gates of TTG Travel Experience and the second Inout | The Contract Community, organized by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) and concluded today at the Rimini Fair. The press release therefore confirms the record of qualified attendance: +9% for total attendance and +15% for foreign attendance, on 2023. An increase, the note points out, which "confirms the ferment of the tourism sector, which has placed the fair in the center of attention of institutions, international buyers, companies of the sector, media". The most important b2b event at national level for the tourism industry brought to Rimini 2,700 exhibitors, 1,000 buyers from all over the world, 55 start-ups, 683 journalists from Italy and abroad. Record also for business meetings, which were 18,000 in three days.

"Veritas", or the search for truth for tourism was the main theme of TTG, unfolded in 200 events with 250 speakers of 9 arenas, between talks and debates, declined in all its different facets: has pointed the lights on the need to base on true stories of territories, reliable trend data and scientifically verifiable market analysis in a time when storytelling is artificially created, fake news are rampant and reviews are often misleading.

The villages, the cities of art, food and wine, but also trends such as the growth of cycling tourism, which make Italy the most popular destination, are just a part of the offer that attracted the thousand foreign buyers present at the fair from 62 countries (55% from Europe and 45% from the rest of the world), with North America (18%) in the lead, followed by the UK (15%) and Germany (10%). TTG is therefore an increasingly international fair, which this year has seen the presence of 66 foreign destinations, from Europe to Asia, from the Middle East to Africa, passing through the Americas. TTG has also brought all 20 Italian regions to Rimini, making the fair a meeting point of excellence for incoming.

Tourism boom in Italy

Italy is the first in the European luxury hotel market, with an annual turnover of 30.5 billion euros and a market share of 21%. In our country, 45% of hotel investments are focused on the luxury segment and concentrated on top cities (Rome, Milan, Venice and Florence), as well as on seaside and mountain areas. TTG has caught this trend by creating a specific event: the Luxury Event by TTG. A format with great participation of buyers who with 1400 appointments confirmed the expertise of Italian luxury players, focused on the needs of the new high-end tourist looking for extraordinary experiences.

TTG next start-up

TTG 2024 has created a real Innovation District of Tourism with 55 start-ups ready to revolutionize the sector in the fields of Technology, Mobility, Hospitality, Experience, Tour Operating. The programme will include 20 conferences and round tables. Here is also the Startup Pitching Session, which has awarded the best emerging startups in Tourism.

Tourism, a pillar of economic growth

Present at TTG and InOut the trade associations representing the tourism and hospitality industry, as well as the academic world with universities and cultural institutions. At the inauguration, the minister of Tourism Daniela Santanchè highlighted the fundamental role of tourism as a fundamental pillar for the growth of the nation and that of TTG as a reference event in Italy for the worldwide promotion of the sector. Also present: Maurizio Ermeti, president of IEG; Jamil Sadegholvaad, mayor of Rimini; Andrea Corsini, councillor for tourism in Emilia-Romagna; Pier Ezhaya, president of ASTOI-Confindustria Viaggi; Franco Gattinoni, president of FTO-Federazione Turismo Organizzato; Flavio Ghiringhelli, president of IBAR-Italian Board Airline Representatives; Bernabò Bocca, president of Federalberghi; Federico Pedini Amati, secretary of state for tourism of the Republic of San Marino and Gian Marco Centinaio, vice president of the Senate of the Republic.

INOUT second edition

Excellent performance also for the second edition of Inout |The Contract Community, the format dedicated to outdoor and indoor furniture of hotel and extra-hotel hospitality, which proposed new trends, cutting-edge technologies and new solutions for the sector, from the design of the hotel room to the design of the green, from the choice of materials and surfaces to the design of the bathing establishments.Italian Exhibition Group is giving the whole Italian and international tourism industry a date for 2025, also at the Rimini Fair, from 8 to 10 October.