The 44th edition of Bit – Borsa Internazionale del Turismo (International Tourist Exchange), organised by Fiera Milano at the Allianz MiCo, ended to great acclaim. This year’s exhibition attracted record numbers and met with unanimous praise from the public and over 1,100 exhibitors from 66 countries. They were joined by hundreds of high-profile buyers from all over the world, carefully selected by Fiera Milano, who took part in 8,585 one-to-one meetings (+14% compared to 2023).  

There were also a host of important innovations this year. They included the partnership with Welcome Travel Group, which brought its extensive agent network to the event together with its prestigious partners and owners Alpitour World and Costa Crociere; and the collaboration with Federterme-Confindustria, which led to a dedicated Thermalia area within the event for the first time.

Attendance from both visitors and professional operators saw double-digit growth. The latter came from 107 countries, consolidating Bit Milano's role as a key sector event for keeping informed, networking and professional development, and its position as the leading global marketplace for Italian tourism offerings. There was a wide and diverse range of foreign visitors: the top countries included Switzerland, the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Egypt, China, the United Arab Emirates and India.

They underlined the event’s increasingly international nature, with cosmopolitan, knowledgeable and business-oriented attendees. Its success was made possible by the unique exhibition concept and dual format (B2B and B2C), proving the event’s ability to adapt to the times and market requirements while understanding the needs of professionals and increasingly demanding and curious travellers.

Personalisation, authenticity, digitalisation and year-round tourism emerged as the main demands from travellers, who also displayed a strong awareness of environmental and social sustainability issues.

The exhibition was enhanced further by the involvement of high-profile experts, institutions and universities in the Bringing Innovation into Travel panel of meetings, devised with the support of Business International, Fiera Milano's knowledge unit, as well as the many events organised by exhibitors. Key discussions, as well as training, took place on current topics such as the future of tour operating, overtourism, food and wine, fuel, pricing, digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

The media response was also exceptional and showed growth on the previous edition, both from social networks – with hundreds of posts and stories dedicated to the dynamic world of Bit – and from traditional media, such as press, radio and television, with numerous correspondents covering the event and analysing tourism in all its forms.