The global tourism industry is stepping into the 2025 season with a series of major fairs. Istanbul Tourism Fair (2024), Utrecht Vakantiebeurs, ITB Berlin, and MITT Moscow held in Türkiye, the Netherlands, Germany, and Russia respectively, brought together tourism professionals and travel destinations from around the world.
Istanbul Tourism Fair (ITF) 2024: A Meeting Point in the Heart of Türkiye
The Istanbul Tourism Fair (ITF) was held on October 9–10, 2024 at the Yenikapı Eurasia Show and Art Center. The fair showcased Türkiye’s growing influence in global tourism and played a key role in setting the tone for the 2025 season. ITF offered valuable opportunities for both business and knowledge exchange among tourism professionals.
Notable for Its B2B Focus
Open exclusively to industry professionals, the fair’s B2B format enabled hotel managers, travel agencies, tour operators, and service providers to meet face-to-face.
Tourism Summit: Thought Leaders on Stage
Panels held during the fair addressed key topics such as digital transformation, sustainability, and destination management, offering space for industry experts to share ideas and insights.
ITF 2024 was more than a single event—it became a meeting point that will leave a mark throughout the year. With its rich content and professional setup, the fair strongly reflected Türkiye’s tourism vision.
Utrecht Vakantiebeurs 2025: The Dutch Market Is Reviving
One of Europe’s most important tourism fairs, Utrecht Vakantiebeurs 2025 was held in the Dutch city of Utrecht from January 14–19. The event showcased popular destinations for Dutch travelers, with a focus on eco-friendly holiday concepts and boutique hotel options. Dutch visitors showed great interest in camping and caravan holidays, hiking trails, and cultural heritage tours.
Türkiye Introduced Nature and Culture
At Utrecht Vakantiebeurs 2025, Türkiye highlighted its hidden gems along the Aegean coast, hiking routes like the Lycian Way and Cappadocia, local cuisine, and sustainable tourism projects. With Dutch tourists increasingly interested in nature-based holidays, green tourism and agro-tourism (farm stays) were also featured. Tour packages for top destinations such as Alanya, Fethiye, Marmaris, and Çeşme received considerable attention.
Türkiye’s Strong Participation
Türkiye took part in the fair with a broad delegation led by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA). The 200-square-meter GoTürkiye booth in Hall 8 presented the country’s tourism potential and diversity to international visitors.
Exclusive Reception by Turkish Airlines
A special reception was held at the Turkish Airlines stand on the opening day of the fair, attended by Dutch tour operators. The event focused on strengthening tourism cooperation between the two countries.
Türkiye’s Goals in the Dutch Market
Türkiye aims to boost its tourism targets in the Dutch market. Throughout the fair, Turkish tourism professionals held one-on-one meetings with their Dutch counterparts to build new partnerships for 2025. Türkiye’s commitment to quality service and diverse vacation options continues to draw strong interest from Dutch travelers.
ITB Berlin 2025: The Heart of Tourism Beat in Germany
One of the world’s largest tourism fairs, ITB Berlin was held in the German capital on March 4–6, 2025. With participation from more than 170 countries, the event offered a major platform for both professionals and travel enthusiasts to discover the latest trends and innovations.
This year’s highlights included sustainable tourism, AI-assisted booking systems, blockchain solutions, and the growth of luxury travel. Eco-friendly hotels, low-carbon travel options, and nature-based tourism models stood out as major investment areas.
Türkiye Showcased Its Strength at ITB Berlin
Led by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Türkiye took part in the fair with a special booth organized by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), introducing the country’s diverse tourism offerings. Destinations such as Antalya, Istanbul, Cappadocia, and the Aegean region attracted strong interest. Türkiye also introduced its gastronomy, cultural heritage, and health tourism in detail.
New Partnerships and Agreements
Meetings with German tour operators resulted in agreements to expand package tour options to Türkiye. In 2024, 6.6 million German tourists visited Türkiye, and the number is expected to rise further in 2025.
General Overview of the Fair
With more than 5,800 companies and around 100,000 industry representatives from 170 countries, the three-day event attracted record attendance. ITB Berlin once again proved itself as one of the world’s most influential tourism events and a central hub for the industry.
MITT Moscow 2025: New Routes and Growing Interest in the Russian Tourism Market
Russia’s largest tourism event, MITT Moscow 2025, took place in Moscow from 18th to 20th March with over 1,500 participants from more than 60 countries. The fair offered insights into the changing travel habits of Russian tourists and their evolving destination preferences.
Luxury, Health, and Sustainability Trends Came to the Fore
MITT 2025 showed that Russian tourists are increasingly interested not only in traditional holiday spots, but also in luxury travel, health and wellness tourism, and gastronomy tours. Eco-friendly practices, reduced carbon footprints, and nature-focused holidays are also gaining more attention among Russian travelers.
Türkiye Remains a Favorite Among Russian Tourists
Türkiye was among the most popular countries at MITT Moscow 2025. At the special booth led by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and organized by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), popular destinations like Antalya, Belek, Bodrum, Marmaris, Cappadocia, and Istanbul were highlighted. New agreements signed with major Russian tour operators point to a significant increase in the number of Russian tourists visiting Türkiye in the 2025 season. Visa-free travel, affordable holiday packages, and quality service are among the main reasons behind Türkiye’s continued appeal.
New Collaborations and Agreements
Turkish tourism professionals held meetings with Russian tour operators and travel agencies to expand package tour offerings to Türkiye. Discussions focused on early booking campaigns and new tour routes, especially for popular holiday destinations like Antalya, Bodrum, and Cappadocia.
Future of Russian Tourism and New Destinations
While interest in alternative destinations such as Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America has been rising among Russian tourists in recent years, Türkiye continues to maintain its strong and reliable position in the Russian market.
Health Tourism and New Trends
Health tourism also received attention at MITT, with promotions focusing on aesthetic surgery and thermal hotels. Health tourism centers in Istanbul, Bursa, Afyon, and İzmir were presented as attractive options for Russian visitors.
The fair remains a key hub for those looking to strengthen partnerships in the tourism sector and explore innovations in the travel industry.
The Future of Tourism: High Expectations Istanbul Tourism Fair, Utrecht Vakantiebeurs, ITB Berlin, and MITT Moscow
Major fairs such as Istanbul Tourism Fair, Utrecht Vakantiebeurs, ITB Berlin, and MITT Moscow played a key role in shaping trends for the 2025 season of the tourism industry. Digitalization, sustainable tourism, personalized travel experiences, and health tourism stood out as the main focus areas. Industry professionals are already looking ahead with high expectations for the next editions of the fairs.
New Era in 2026: Digitalization, Sustainability and Personalized Voyages to Take Center Stage
The tourism sector is expected to go through a significant transformation in 2026 season, with digital tools, eco-friendly holiday concepts and tailor-made travel experiences becoming more prominent. Topics like AI-powered travel planning, eco-conscious accommodation options, and health tourism will likely lead the agenda at ITF, Utrecht Vakantiebeurs, ITB Berlin and MITT Moscow for the 2026 season.
In Europe, ecological hotels and nature tourism will continue to rise; in Russia, luxury and wellness holidays will stand out; while in the Netherlands, outdoor experiences like camping and cycling tourism will attract growing interest.
Türkiye aims to quickly adapt to these changes through sustainable tourism projects in its Aegean and Mediterranean regions, health tourism offerings, and premium hotel options. 2026 is already being seen as a year of transformation in tourism.
By closely following these developments, Türkiye will continue to strengthen its competitive edge in international markets.
