After the successful Moscow International Travel and Tourism exhibition which gathered over 3000 exhibitors, welcomes its 30th editon in 2013.
MOSCOW – Russia’s largest travel and tourism event, Moscow International Travel and Tourism exhibition (MITT), will mark its 20th anniversary on 20-23 March 2013. Held since 1994, this professional B2B travel event showcases all the countries and destinations available to the Russian outbound travel market. In 2011, Russians took 43.7 million outbound trips, and in 2012 this figure is expected to increase by 8%. At MITT, 95% of exhibitors are promoting holidays abroad.
At MITT 2013, Cuba will be the event’s Partner Country. With this unrivalled exposure, Cuba will be able to communicate the highlights the country has to offer Russian tourists. A country that is already well-known for its rum, cigars and beaches, Cuba is looking to grow their appeal to the Russian market as a prime holiday destination.
Estefania R. Escobar Diaz. Ministry of Cuba, Moscow Office Director, commented; “Russian arrivals to Cuba have increased significantly in the past few years. In 2009, there were 37,000 Russian tourists and in 2011, there was an increase to 78,000. We are very keen to continue this growth and thus, decided to become the Partner Country at MITT exhibition for its 20th year.”
Many of MITT’s long-standing exhibitors, who have participated at the show since its inception, have offered their congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the event.
Sergey Kanaev, Director of the Russia, CIS and Baltic Office of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, commented; “20 years ago, Dubai announced itself to the young Russian travel market for the first time by exhibiting at the debut MITT event. Dubai has constantly exhibited at every MITT event, acquiring potential each time by the increasing the number of exhibitors and professional visitors.”
Noridah Kamaruddin, Director of Tourism Office of Malaysia, commented; “The Ministry of Tourism of Malaysia exhibits every year at MITT, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013. We have not missed a single year – we consider the exhibition to be one of the main events in the tourism industry. For us, MITT’s great importance is down to its large number of visitors and interesting exhibitors.”
Maria Badakh, Head of Sales, ITE Group, stated; “I am delighted with our new partnership with Cuba which is a testament to the importance of MITT to international exhibitors. I would also like to welcome Uruguay and Okinawa (Japan) to the show for the first time. 97% of exhibition space is already booked and we look forward to the 20th edition of the event”.
There will also be a Luxury sector at MITT for the first time, with a dedicated area for exhibitors who specialise in this area. Russian tourists are some of the highest spenders when travelling abroad, which makes them a key market for many companies to target. In 2011, Russian tourists spent 32.5 billion USD on trips abroad, and are now the 7th top spenders in the world.
For the 3rd time, MITT will also host the Medical Tourism sector and conference within the exhibition. At 2012, 129 exhibitors from 45 countries participated in this sector.
MITT takes place at the Expocentre, Moscow, Russia. The first three days are for B2B visitors from the travel industry. The last day is open to the general public. In 2012, 82,993 visitors attended the event to meet over 3,000 exhibitors from 197 countries and regions.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
