“If you travel, it shows” is the claim of the International Tourism Exchange. In the 2023 edition, which ended a few days ago, the desire of the entire industry to restart was clearly visible: the long queues at the ticket office of Fieramilano City are the image that best describes the success of this fair, which over the years has become - for operators and enthusiasts of the travel world - an unmissable moment to take stock of results, trends, new needs and future challenges. An international event in which Italy plays the important role of host, whose excellent success this year is confirmed not only by images, but also by numbers: in fact, around 70,000 visitors and more than 1,000 Italian and foreign exhibitors filled the spaces of the Allianz MiCo in Milan from 12th to 14th February.

Among them, we were also there from Alpitour World, with the brands Eden Viaggi, Alpitour and Turisanda, representing the three-pillar reorganisation introduced by with the Trevolution project.
The participation to the 2023 International Tourism Exchange has been an opportunity to present ourselves with our renewed image, starting from the logo and the corporate narrative: two assets interpreting the values and the momentum with which we prepare for the future of our industry, because as stated by Pier Ezhaya, General Manager Tour Operating Alpitour World, “As habits and society change, the offer has to change too, because needs are changing.”

What we take home from the BIT is a picture made of new challenges and many opportunities.
The first encouraging fact to emerge from the event – which, compared to previous years, has been attended by a younger, international, more qualified and business minded audience – is undoubtedly the great desire to return travelling after the pandemic years. The vitality of the industry is accompanied by the rise of new trends and great returns: if in Italy the offer of slow and sustainable travel is growing strongly, starting with walks and proximity experiences, there it is at the same time a real renaissance of intercontinental routes, taking back a large slice of the market after years of restrictions.
This year the number of international tourists has already grown to two-thirds of the pre-pandemic level (according to data released by Unwto - United Nations World Tourism Organisation), but a further test bed is expected for the 2023 summer season, in which forecasts predict a growth in turnover for tour operators of around 30%.

Whether it is long or short haul, responsibility and sustainability are the keywords of the journey of the future: a need that has been clearly intercepted also by the BIT, designed to be a totally carbon neutral event. Part of the profits of this edition, infact, will support the project of a photovoltaic plant in the region of Andhra Pradesh in India, with a positive environmental impact such as to offset the 3000 tones of CO2 generated by the fair.

Another key topic is that of innovation, which has been widely covered by the more than 40 conferences of the Bringing Innovation Into Travel format: as far as technology is concerned, all eyes are on the opportunities offered by Metaverse and Augmented Reality.

And now, as the 2023 edition is behind us, we look forward to next year, for the 44th edition of the BIT fair, which will take place, again at the Allianz MiCo in Milan, from Sunday 4th to Tuesday 6th February 2024.