Conferenze e Fiere

🏕 Over half of Italians (57%) plan to travel during the upcoming Christmas holidays, according to the Amex Trendex report by American Express. Of those traveling, 61% will stay within Italy and 54% will go abroad. Approximately 70% will travel for pleasure or to visit friends and relatives, and 81% are willing to pay more for a comfortable experience. The average expenditure is 843 euros for travel and 525 euros for entertainment. Half of the travelers (50%) will be accompanied by family or partners. Entertainment events such as Christmas markets and festivities (59%) and shows (31%) are top activities for the holiday season.

🎶 Vienna celebrates the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II throughout 2025. Events include a grand exhibition at the Theatre Museum (December 4 - June 23), Johann Strauss. New Dimension immersive experience, and birthday events on October 25. Isabella Rauter highlighted that 50 million viewers annually watch the New Year's Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic, and the city hosts an average of 10,000 visitors every night in its theaters. The celebrations feature ten entertainment genres across 23 districts.

🚀 Finnair will increase flights to the US and Far East from the end of March 2025 through the summer season. Daily flights to Chicago, 11 flights a week to Dallas (5 additional frequencies), two extra weekly flights to both Seattle and Los Angeles. In Japan, daily operations to Osaka, home of Expo 2025, and one additional weekly flight to Nagoya. Shanghai to have four weekly frequencies. Finnair's increased capacity to the US offers passengers better connectivity to North America and beyond through partnerships with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

📍 Over 70 CEOs representing as many destinations, more than 220 exhibitors and over 180 buyers from Europe and the UK attended the sixth edition of Brand USA Travel Week UK & Europe in London. Europe and the UK, key markets for the US, expect to welcome approximately 15 million visitors in the current year and forecast 16.9 million tourists by the end of 2025, nearing 18 million in 2026. Fred Dixon, CEO of Brand USA, predicts 76.9 million arrivals in 2024, exceeding 2019 levels, with an estimated 87.4 million arrivals in the following year and 92.7 million by 2026. Italy, as the fourth largest European market after the UK, Germany, and France, saw an 18% increase in visitors in the first nine months of 2024. In 2023, tourism spending hit $226 billion, a 31% increase from 2022, with Italy averaging $4,300 per capita. A positive outlook for 2024 forecasts a 16% increase from 2023. Lastly, global seat capacity rose by 9% from the previous year, maintaining the USA's status as the top long-haul destination.

🎭 Universal Orlando Studios will open the Epic Universe theme park on May 22 next year, with tickets on sale from October 22. The park will feature five themed worlds, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic and Super Nintendo World. Accommodations at the Universal Helios Grand Hotel can be booked starting May 22 as well.

🚲 Italy, hailed as the top global cycling tourism destination, was spotlighted at TTG Travel Experience. EuroVelo, now coordinated by Fiab-Italian Environment and Bicycle Foundation, aims to develop a 20,000 km cycle route network. The sector anticipates an 88% revenue growth in the coming months. Rimini will host the 2026 Velo-city summit, with over 1,500 delegates from 60+ countries.

✈️ ITA Airways has started selling tickets for the Rome-Bangkok route, set to begin on November 16. In the winter season of 2024/2025, this flight will operate with five weekly frequencies from Rome Fiumicino and Bangkok. Frequencies will reduce to three weekly flights for the summer season starting on March 30, 2025.

🚢 VIVA Cruises launches VIVA Boutique, debuting with VIVA Beyond in May 2026 on the Seine. The brand promises premium all-inclusive 'boutique cruises' along Europe's major waterways, combining the comforts of a boutique hotel with the diversity of river cruising, as per CEO Andrea Kruse.

🏖️ Umbria hosts Mirabilia 2024, with President Donatella Tesei endorsing the event as an 'extraordinary invention'. Tesei emphasizes the importance of Italy's beauty, high-level communication for tourism, and centrality of UNESCO sites promotion. Infrastructure improvements are deemed crucial for accessing 'minor' but extraordinary tourism experiences. Umbria supports accommodation operators to enhance service quality and create a tourism ecosystem to encourage revisits. Tesei advocates for requalifying tourism roles, valuing education, and engaging youth as the industry's future.

📰 Gdsm Global gsa launched Global2share, a platform for travel agencies to get customized content for sharing. Selma Lakhial, cruise & multiproduct supervisor, announced the free service as part of their website's restyling, providing a simple way for agents to access new content, events, and promotions weekly. Agencies can add their logo and receive personalized communication in multiple formats.