The strong dynamics and resilience of the tourism industry on a global scale, the high willingness of Germans to travel, despite global geopolitical and economic challenges, and their constant preference for Greece as a primary holiday destination, were reflected in the world’s largest international tourism exhibition ITB Berlin, which took place from 4 to 6 March 2025.
Positive messages for Greece – Meetings of the O. Kefalogianni
Greece once again confirmed its position as a leading tourist destination through a large GNTO pavilion that hosted Regions, tourism businesses, and industry professionals, highlighting the multidimensional nature of the Greek tourism product.
The messages received by the Minister of Tourism, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, from meetings she had within the framework of the exhibition with international industry bodies regarding Greek tourism in 2025 were positive. The Minister was accompanied by the Secretary General of the GNTO, Mr. Andreas Fiorentinos.
The positive messages confirm that Greece has a reputation, prestige and maturity as a tourist destination, Ms. Kefalogiannis, and at the same time, as he said, “we are facing with a plan and determination the major challenges related to sustainability, the extension of the tourist season and the emergence of new destinations”. Our goal is balanced development, which will enhance the quality of Greek tourism and create value for local communities and the national economy, he said.
The minister had meetings with high-ranking executives of TUI, Lufthansa, Jet2 holidays, AIDA Cruises, and DER Touristik, in which she presented the country’s strategy for sustainable tourism development.
At the same time, she spoke with the CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Julia Simpson, about the strategic goals of the Ministry of Tourism for sustainability and the extension of the tourist season throughout the year.
In the context of ITB Berlin, Ms. Kefalogiannis also met with the Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sports, Ton?i Glavina, with whom they agreed on mutual support for the candidacies for the Executive Board of the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) for the period 2026-2029, and Croatia’s support for the candidacy of Haris Theocharis for the position of Secretary General of the Organization, who participated in the meeting of the two Ministers.
German tourism: +11% pre-bookings for the summer
Besides, the German travel market is recording high demand for holidays. As the president of the German Travel Association (DRV), Norbert Fiebig, pointed out during the opening press conference of ITB Berlin, travel for Germans remains in high demand.
As the president of the DRV underlined, the prospects for the German market are positive for 2025, with a strong pre-booking trend, according to which summer bookings have already exceeded last year’s levels by 11% by the end of January.
Despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties, Germans are not willing to limit their holiday spending, looking for rich travel experiences, stressed Mr. Fiebig, who presented all the latest travel market trends.
Despite a slight decrease in the total number of German travelers in the 2023/24 season, pre-booking spending increased by 6%, raising revenues to more than 83 billion euros, 20% above pre-pandemic levels.
The market for organized travel and travel services provided by tour operators is also recording strong growth, reaching revenues of 40 billion euros, approaching, according to Mr. Fiebig, the levels of private holidays.
Albania: The hidden treasure that has developed into a tourism powerhouse
The ITB exhibition once again highlighted the resilience and innovative drive of the industry, said Messe Berlin CEO Dr. Mario Tobias added: “it has made it clear that as an industry we can only set the pace for sustainable and inclusive tourism if we work together”.
With over 5,800 exhibitors from 170 countries and an estimated 100,000 visitors, and the slogan “The World of Travel Lives Here”, the exhibition has captured the attention of the global tourism industry, starting on Monday, March 3, with a spectacular ceremony by the official host country, Albania, which showcased its cultural and tourism heritage.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama referred to the rapid growth of tourism in the country, which has recorded an 80% increase in arrivals in the last five years.
The event included an impressive audiovisual spectacle highlighting the beauty, culture and traditions of Albania. The official opening ceremony of the exhibition was held with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the country’s pavilion.
Mr. Rama described Albania as a “hidden treasure” that has evolved into a tourism powerhouse, attributing this success to the traditional hospitality of the Albanians, which he called “Albanity”, referring to the country’s strong tourism development, which brings it to the top positions together with Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Finally, he praised German tourists for their longer stay compared to other markets and their contribution to the local economy.
The first ITB exhibition in America is coming
In parallel, ITB announced its first event in the Americas, ITB Americas, which will be exclusively B2B and will take place from 10 to 12 November 2026 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
As announced by Messe Berlin, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Mexican Ambassador in Berlin and representatives of the Mexican state of Jalisco to organize ITB Americas.
ITB Americas will be the only travel exhibition that addresses the entire continent and all sectors of the travel industry, creating a hub for international dialogue.
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