MITT, Russia's Largest Travel Show, Announces New Business Programme & Keynotes

LONDON - Jan. 19, 2018 - PRLog -- The Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (MITT), Russia's largest international travel and tourism event, returns to Moscow's Expocentre from 13-15 March 2018 for its 25th edition.

With UFI approved status, MITT is not only the largest show of its kind in Russia, but also one of the top 5 annual travel exhibitions in the world. Around 23,000 travel industry professionals and more than 1,900 exhibitors are expected to take part in 2018.

MITT visitors include buyers from tour agencies and operators from across Russia and more than 100 other countries.

Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Catalonia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Dubai, Egypt, Goa, Greece, India, Italy, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Karnataka, Macau, Maldives, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Norway, Palestine, Portugal, Sarajevo, Serbia, Sharjah, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Aegean, Spain, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Taiwan, Tanzania, and Tunisia and many others have also confirmed their participation with group stands.

Dubai has confirmed its status as Partner Destination after its flow of Russian tourists more than doubled in 2017.

This year marks the 'Russia-Greece Year of Tourism', launched in October 2017 and covering the summer 2018 season. The Greek National Tourism Organization returns to MITT 2018 with a national stand presenting hotels, airlines, tour operators, and travel agents.

A strong year for Russia

2017 has been a remarkably strong year for Russian tourism. In the first half of the year alone, Russian tourists made 28% more trips abroad, leading to huge growth for many destinations including the Dominican Republic (223%), Cuba (117%), and Vietnam (50%).

The most popular destination for Russian tourists in 2017, however, is Turkey. Its return to the market after charter flight bans in 2016 led to a rise of 871% in the first half of the year. On top of this, the tourist flow from Russia to Turkey is expected to exceed pre-crisis levels by the end of 2017. With such positive market indicators, Turkey is planning its largest ever showcase at MITT 2018 – occupying two whole pavilions at Moscow's Expocentre.

The Russian tourist flow to Europe also demonstrated an 18% rise from January-August 2017, making it the fastest growing source market for European destinations.

2018 looks set for further growth, with many destinations dropping their visa requirements – South Africa, Laos, and Grenada to name a few. This has prompted South Africa to return to MITT after a three-year break with a national pavilion led by South Africa's Department of Tourism.

MITT Tourbusiness 365

As the travel industry enters a new era driven by increased demands from tourists (year-round availability, new experiences, and an increased quality of service) the MITT team has enhanced its programme of business events to support industry professionals in this competitive market. MITT

Tourbusiness 365 will provide a packed programme of useful events for exhibitors and visitors for the 25th edition of MITT.

The line-up will include 10 major sessions, feature over 80 renowned speakers – opinion leaders and experts in their fields – and cover around 60 pressing industry issues.

Brand new events for this year:

- Travel Trends – an overview of market trends and their impact on doing business

- Market Shocks – a major panel discussion on market disruptions and their consequences

- Family Business in Travel – an interactive session on family businesses in the travel sector

Events making a return to the business programme:

- Outbound tourism in Russia – an analysis of recent outbound market statistics

- MITT Digital – a session dedicated to new digital and marketing technologies

- MITT Summit Hotel – an analytical session for hoteliers and travel company representatives

- MITT Academy – a three-day series of seminars and panel discussions on a variety of topics

Keynote speakers and their subjects include:

- Anna Shkirina, Founder of getblogger.ru – Using bloggers to develop your travel business

- Natalia Yakushina, HR Director, UTS Travel – Developing staff for the tourism industry

- Andrey Mikhailets, Development Director, Alean – Creating a roadmap for managing hotels effectively

- Vyacheslav Fedorov, Editor-in-Chief, e-moneynews.ru – The future of online payments

- Dina Chikunova, Customer Experience Director, MeetPartners Global Club – Service personalisation in tourism

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Notes to editors:

Photographs and more information about MITT are available on request.

MITT is an 'UFI Approved Event' and is supported by:

•          • The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation

•          • The Federal Agency of Tourism of the Russian Federation

•          • The United Nations World Tourism Organization

•          • The State Duma of the Russian Federation

•          • The Government of Moscow

•          • The Council of the Federation

For information on the event, visitor registration, and press accreditation, please visit: www.mitt.ru

For information on exhibiting, please contact:

Maria Badakh

Event and Sales Director T: +44 20 7596 5083

E: tm@ite-exhibitions.com W: http://www.mitt.ru/en-GB

About the organiser:

MITT is organised by ITE Group plc, a leading organiser of international exhibitions and conferences, and forms part of a large portfolio of travel and tourism events in countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, India, and Kazakhstan.

For more information on ITE, please visit: http://www.ite-exhibitions.com