site.btaEMITT Tourism Show Underway in Istanbul February 5-7

The 28th Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition (EMITT) is underway in Istanbul between February 5 and 7. Experts rank it among the world's top five tourism shows.

EMITT 2025 is taking place at the Tuyap Fair and Congress Centre, the largest exhibition venue in the Turkish metropolis. It has been organized under the auspices of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Trade and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in association with the Turkiye Hoteliers Federation (TUROFED) and the Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TTYD).

About 400 tour operators and companies active in tourism management as well as wedding, congress and spa tourism are taking part in the event, which features travel destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the United States.

Bulgaria is represented in a national booth organized by the Ministry of Tourism. It presents over 10 leading Bulgarian tourism companies, municipalities and spa centres, BTA learned from the country's Tourism Attache in Istanbul, Teodora Taskova. Among them are the resorts of Albena and Bansko and the municipalities of Veliko Tarnovo and Sandanski.

In addition to the international exhibitors, EMITT provides space for each of Turkiye's 81 provinces which offer a range of services in the field of coastal and maritime travel, wellness, paragliding and camper van tourism, among others.

The exhibition provides opportunities for direct negotiations between participants.

Speaking at a press conference before the opening of the event, EMITT Director Hacer Aydin said the exhibition offers new opportunities for business and cooperation among companies in Turkiye and abroad. Last year, exhibitors concluded EUR 500 million worth of deals, Aydin said.

She noted that EMITT contributes to the growth and diversification of domestic tourism in Turkiye and boosts the country's international appeal as a travel destination as the fair welcomes thousands of professionals in the industry and members of the public every year.

The first two days of EMITT 2025 are intended for meetings and exchange of opinions among tourism professionals. The third and last day is for visits by members of the public. The programme includes sideline events such as seminars, press conferences and meetings of executives in the sector from various countries.

Besides Bulgaria, the 28th edition of the fair involves tourism industry leaders such as Egypt, Italy, Greece, the Seychelles, Cuba, Japan, China, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Government ministers and representatives of tourism institutions from various countries are guests at EMITT.