The Moscow International Travel & Tourism exhibition (21-24 March 2007) is to be unveiled as an outstanding event to showcase domestic and international destinations and services to the valuable Russian tourist market.

According to recent estimates from the UNWTO, over 28 million Russians travelled in 2005 and growth of over 12% is expected over the next few years. These figures, combined with the fact that Russian tourists are considered amongst the highest spenders in the world, means that the Russian market is continuing to attract more attention from the global travel trade.

MITT is the undisputed premier industry event in Russia. In 2006, it hosted 1,496 international exhibiting companies from 111 countries and regions and 98,000 visitors. This year again, the international Pavilions 2 and Forum host 65 National Group Stands; hundreds of companies from the private sectors, represent 67 % of the total space. MITT is the only Russian travel event that truly reflects the vibrancy and continuous growth of the domestic and international travel & tourism industry.

Expocentr - Pavilion 2 Hall 1
The strong outbound market will be interested to see prominent stands from Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Bulgaria. Bulgaria, which has increased its stand size for the fourth consecutive year, is keen to promote spa and wellness tourism in order to expand their traditional client base. Key tour operators to these regions such as Libra Holidays, Zeus Travel, Biblio Globus, Capsis Travel, Maxi Tours, Mouzenidis as well as the famous Grecotel, are located in the same hall. Corfuterra Investments will make its first appearance at the show.

MITT’s Senior Event and Sales Director, Miss Frederique Maurell noted that, “the Mediterranean regions are promoting themselves aggressively to the Russian market and their efforts are paying off. This region is witnessing a growing number of visitors and Turkey, Greece, Italy and France are all amongst the top ten destinations for Russians”.

Pavilion 2 Hall 2
Italy is one of the fastest growing destinations for Russian travellers and this is highlighted with ENIT confirming their stand of 800m² which is surrounded by several Italian hotels and tour operators such as Gartour, Larus Viaggi, Luzhiniki Travel, Amanda Tours, Karlson Tourism, Tour Parade, Sin Elite, Groutas. Earlier this year, Alitalia opened another regular daily flight between Moscow and Milan.

Catalunya, Croatia, France, Spain, Malta and Portugal are looking to offer new products and more packages for the summer and winter holidays to the trade buyers at MITT 2007.

Newcomers in Hall 2 include Tombolo Talasso, Travco presenting online reservation systems, Monaco Congress & Tourism, Cote Luxe & Unique Yachting, Euro Company, Orco Hotels, Avis Aviareps, Windjet, World Destinations, the Italian region of Sardegna and Brescia Tourism.

Pavilion 2 Hall 3
Some Eastern European countries, notably the Czech Republic, are regaining their popularity as holiday destinations. Maurell confirms: “this is a noticeable trend at MITT 2007 and the Czech Republic stand has increased in size by 16%”. Another country emerging from the shadows of its neighbours as a popular destination is Montenegro. Its wild beauty and the large scale renovation of its tourist infrastructure has secured a high season of travel trade from Russian tourists. UK, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Slovenia, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Serbia, Norway, Finland as well as the Baltic States, have also confirmed their attendance at MITT 2007. The new destination of Belgium -Flanders will be exhibiting for the first time at MITT 2007.

Hall 3 has generated more demand from the private sector in the form of individual stands from regular participants such as Hertz, HRS, Kuoni, Imperial Karlovy Vary and Adex International; to first-time independent stand holders including Incontrade, Swiss Quality Hotels and Open Up; and to  newcomers such as Opera Hotels from Ukraine, Interhome from Switzerland and SC Dana Hotel from Romania.

The Forum at Expocentr
This hall, familiar to everyone as the glass pyramid, will again feature long haul destinations and hosts rapidly growing destinations from the Middle East, Latin America, the Far East, Asia Pacific and Africa. These destinations represent about one quarter of all international participation at MITT and include Argentina, Cuba, China, Dubai, Egypt, Fujeirah, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Morocco, Papua New Guinea,  Peru, South Africa, Seychelles, Singapore, Tunisia, Syria, Sharjah, Tanzania and Thailand. New destinations at MITT 2007 incorporate RAK Tourism UAE, Vietnam exhibiting with the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, Zimbabwe and the Nepal Tourism Board.

The private sector is also buoyant with individual stands from Tropicana, Carthage plus, Thai Airways, Taj Hotels, HTT, Bali Pavilion and Focus Asia (whose stand increased by over 50%) among many others. Unusual Villas and Best Getaways will promote the US market and are looking to make their mark on the show alongside first-time exhibitors Java Pavilion, Air Shagoon India, NCA Tours, Kadavu resorts and I Travel Africa.

Frederique Maurell comments: “With many companies and NTBs running offices in Moscow, long haul destinations have emerged as a strong competitor to the more ‘traditional’ destinations in Europe.” She continues, “There are now a huge variety of long haul packages available to the Russian market. Visitors will have plenty to see if they are looking for holidays offering luxury, adventure, beaches, cities, culture, entertainment, relaxation and more.”

The Private Sector
Year after year, MITT attracts an impressive number of exhibiting companies and provides an injection of energy into the travel & tourism industry in Russia. This year’s main development at MITT 2007 is the growing number of independent stands from the private sector. This highlights further progress for the market as more companies have identified the potential for business from a direct approach to Russian buyers.

Pavilions 1 and 5
MITT always provides its visitors with a full range of destinations and the Russian inbound and domestic travel market will be showcased in these busy pavilions.
A particular focus at MITT 2007 will be given to  inbound tourism through a  dedicated area in Pavilion 1.

Other Events
MITT has a great reputation for being a place to establish business relationships.  In addition to the exhibition, the event in 2007 will feature a series of seminars and workshops as well as the spectacular MITT Gala Dinner which will take place at the legendary Yar Restaurant.

Notes:
MITT is a member of UN WTO, ICCA, ITTFA, MPI, cecta and is an UFI approved event.