North American tour operators are not being discouraged by the unfavourable dollar-euro exchange rate or the reluctance of American tourists to travel abroad: of the…
North American tour operators are not being discouraged by the unfavourable dollar-euro exchange rate or the reluctance of American tourists to travel abroad: of the 227 international operators who have, so far, confirmed they will be at TTI, the Destination Italy workshop organised by TTG Italia in the Rimini Fiera on 10th and 11th October, 27% will come from North America. They are 48 US tour operators who specialise in selling Italy (22% of the total number of operators participating) and 13 Canadian operators (6% of the total).
Clear proof of the faith North American operators have in a definitive recovery of outbound tourism. And also an important signal for the Italian market which counts on North America as one of it`s main markets. In fact some 30-40% of US and Canadian visitors who visit Europe every year come to Italy and spend anything from 2,000 to 5,000 dollars a week per person. In 2002 3,320,870 Americans visited Italy (-10%), while Canadian visitors totalled 374,285.
But apart from the North Americans TTI will also attract many operators from central and northern Europe: 36% of the total. Germany tops the list with 14 per cent of the buyers. The Mediterranean, Middle East and Asia account for 20% while 17% will be from Eastern Europe.
There will be 249 Italian sellers, representing some 400 companies and organisations: regional tourist agencies, tour operators, hotels and consortiums who will be organised on the 6,600 square-meter exhibition area in the modern and functional pavilions of Rimini`s fair grounds.
This will be the third edition of TTI, the specialised workshop which sells Italy`s tourist attractions on the domestic and international markets. Both the buyers and the sellers have been carefully selected and they will be able to do business during the one-to-one meetings which will be scheduled by the organisers. A unique occasion for anyone who is interested in Destination Italy. During the fair a series of conferences, forums and meetings will be organised putting the spotlight on themes of particular interest for both the buyers and the sellers.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
