The peculiarity of business tourism is that it is usually expensive travel, which is characterized by top-class services and is affected by the seasonality factor.
Europe ranks first in the world in terms of business tourism revenues and expenditures. However, in terms of business tourism growth, it is gradually lagging behind other tourist macro-regions of the world. The main participants in business tourism among European countries are Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Belgium with its main city of Brussels, the capital of the European Union and the headquarters of NATO, where business people make business trips.
Congress and exhibition tourism as a segment of business tourism is the most dynamic in modern conditions. There is a growing interest in symposiums, conferences, meetings, and seminars that combine the interests of scientists and businessmen interested in obtaining the latest ideas and implementing them in business practice.
The major centers of congress and exhibition activity are Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Vienna, Geneva, Copenhagen, London, Madrid, Paris, Strasbourg, Washington, and Tokyo. The Davos resort (Switzerland) is popular all over the world, where annual forums on topical issues of the global economy are held.
Specialized tourism exhibitions and exchanges are worthy of attention10. More than 200 international tourism exhibitions and exchanges are organized annually in Europe alone. The most famous is the International Tourism Exchange (International Tourismus Bцrse, ITB) in Berlin. An international travel film competition is a popular event at the Berlin exchange.
A special place in business meetings is occupied by the International Tourism Exhibition and Exchange FITUR, which takes place annually in late January and early February in Madrid. This exhibition informs the tourism business about the redistribution of tourist flows and the development of new tourism centers in the new tourist season.
No less popular is the International Tourism Exchange in Milan (Italy), located in one of the largest exhibition complexes in Europe, the Fiera in Milan. Various thematic programs, new tourism product projects, new technologies in tourism, etc. are annually advertised here.
