– ITB Berlin Show & Convention is the largest tourism fair in the world
-A fair attended by the tourism ministries of each country
- The space is rented on behalf of the country, a stand is built where the important tourism agencies are invited to conclude partnerships with the delegations from the other participating states
-Over 180 countries out of the 195 existing on the world map are present
-In 2023, the Romanian Ministry of Tourism says it did not have time to organize the tender for the construction of the stand
-From South Eastern Europe, Bulgaria , Moldova, and also Ukraine, a country at war, are participating in the fair.
What is the Berlin International Tourism Fair
ITB Berlin Show & Convention describes itself simply and to the point: “ This is where the heart of the global travel industry beats.” The only blood that will not be pumped through this “heart” is Romanian blood. I don’t know if I should be surprised by this lack of interest on the part of state officials, but it seems that the offices of the Ministry of Tourism are hosting Solitaire championships, instead of projects for the benefit of this economic sector.
In short, ITB Berlin Show & Convention is the largest tourism fair in the world, attended by the ministries of 180 out of 195 countries on the globe. From South Eastern Europe, Bulgaria , Moldova, and even Ukraine, a country at war, are participating in the fair . Those who were at the fair say so themselves.
In 2023, the Romanian Ministry of Tourism says that it did not have time to organize the tender for the construction of the stand
To participate in the most important tourism fair in the world, tourism ministries rent the space on behalf of the country, a stand is built where national travel agencies are invited and thus partnerships can be concluded with delegations from other participating states. This year, the only stand representing a company from Romania is the one at Karpaten, and this is financed from private, not public money.
Adi Voican is the representative of the Federation of Tourist Promotion Associations in Romania and is the first to publicly notice the lack of our country from the place where the exact time is given in tourism.
"ITB Berlin, March 7-9, the biggest tourism fair on the globe, say the specialists. 161 countries present in 27+ stands. 5500 exhibitors on 100.000+ sq.m. "Open for Change" is the slogan of the organizers, after 3 years of suspension of the manifestation in physical format! 200 discussion panels with 400 top speakers. Georgia is the partner country and the main sponsor of the event. This year, Romania - without a national stand."
Why didn't Romania go to Berlin?
I would have liked to describe the official point of view of the Romanian Ministry of Tourism, but so far the institution has not responded to the requests of www.funkytravel.ro However, in a reaction to Antena 3, Daniel Cadariu, the Minister of Tourism, claims that our country does not have a stand because it did not have time to organize the auction. "We wanted to be present, unfortunately a technical detail made participation impossible, namely that the organizers of this fair changed the basic rule from previous years, when they built these participation stands and made them available to those interested. This year they outsourced this operation, which is why we had to build that stand ourselves, but the approval regarding the participation fee came to us very late, at the end of January."
It is incredible that only Romania did not have time, the rest of the 180 countries in the world succeeded. Good that we presented ourselves "exemplary" in New York.
Greater shame! A curtain with some pictures printed out! This is how the stand of the Romanian Consulate looked at the New York Travel Show
Yes, this is what the stand looks like in the opening photo of this article. The image and the accompanying text can be found right on the page...
To end this article with a smile, I leave you with the post of the Ministry of Tourism caught on the wrong foot again . “ A delegation from the Ministry of Tourism nevertheless arrived at the Berlin Tourism Fair and offered promotional materials.”
