The 2023 Edition of the Mediterranean Tourism Exchange was held from 1 to 3 March, Puglia edition, held at Fiera del Levante, New Pavilion number 4.
From this year the BTM Puglia, in reality, becomes BTM Italia with the approval of the Puglia Region; from which there was not only a name change, but an international recognition of the event.
This edition, in fact, hosted BuyPuglia in the same places and times: a space inside the pavilion for welcoming and negotiating with international and local buyers.
As usual, having done so in the two previous editions in Lecce and Taranto, various topics were presented and then developed by as many dedicated panels.
In this edition, the following topics have been addressed: BTM Gusto, BTM Wedding Tourism, BTM between the lines, BTM4JOB. Personally, I had to make some difficult choices in choosing the events of the various think tanks, speakers in the various topics.
science
Leaving aside the purely technical aspects, I asked myself a question: how can we evaluate the success of a tourist fair?
za and Nutrition
By the number of participants? From the number of exhibitors? From the number of professionals called for the panels?
Probably, all the above factors are elements that decide the success, or otherwise, of a tourist promotion event. Most likely.
For my personal evaluation, however, as a result of success I evaluate ... the handshakes between the participants. If, let's think about it, a handshake decrees a concluded deal; a friendship found or rediscovered; an understanding of ideas.
I saw a lot of handshakes at the Fair, obviously, it won't be the new forecasting parameter of a nation's GDP, yet, it gave me a feeling of collaboration and synergy.
This edition has seen the development of topics, such as Sustainability, already introduced in the previous year's event. Ample space has also been given to innovation and to the research and proposal of advanced professionalism in the tourism field. We recall that in the last two editions BTM has hosted a total of 24 thousand visitors, 330 exhibitors, 350 speakers, 160 international buyers and 150 accredited media.
BTM Italia is organized by the events agency 365 Giorni in Puglia srls which has been offering a tourism model based on professionalism, digital training, innovation and hospitality for 8 years.
The only thing worth noting is a discrepancy in the events concerning Sustainability and Climate Change: they had a low number of listeners. It is a bit sad to report this data, but it must make us think about how environmental issues are increasingly topical but also difficult to present in a field such as that of tourism.
CONCLUSIONS.
It was an excellent edition and I look forward to the 2024 one, therefore, congratulations to its creator Nevio D'Arpa and his staff.
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