Summary: BIT 2026 opened at Fiera Milano from 10–12 February, relaunching the International Tourism Exchange with a people-first format, over 1,000 exhibitors from 54 countries, and a programme called Travel Makers Fest.

BIT 2026 opened in Milan on 10 February at Fiera Milano’s Rho centre, marking the 46th edition of the International Tourism Exchange and foregrounding a people-centred approach to the tourism industry.

People-first concept at the core

Italy’s Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, participated in the opening as the event sets out to treat people — rather than destinations or products alone — as the central element in shaping modern travel. The three-day trade show runs through 12 February and aims to act as a sector barometer for current trends and future directions.

Organised by Fiera Milano, the edition reframes BIT as more than a marketplace: it proposes a live forum where exhibitors, buyers and content creators meet to explore how tourism can become more authentic, sustainable and oriented to experience.

The organisers introduced the Travel Makers idea — a cross-disciplinary community that brings together operators, destinations, storytellers, content creators and travellers to treat travel as a collaborative process linking design, communication and experience.

“In a phase of evolution in which travel is increasingly about experience, identity, and relationships,” comments Emanuele Guido, Head of Home, Fashion and Leisure Exhibitions at Fiera Milano, “with more than one thousand exhibitors – over 39% of whom are international from 54 countries – the new BIT concept combines the business dimension with content, relationships, and a strategic vision that places people at the center. Today, the role of a trade show goes beyond matching supply and demand to become a shared space in which all stakeholders interact to create value across the entire supply chain. With this objective, BIT 2026 positions itself as a living platform, capable of reading the changes toward a more authentic, sustainable, and future-oriented tourism.”

Travel Makers Fest: content and connections

The event’s editorial core is the Travel Makers Fest, a programme spread across six thematic arenas offering hundreds of talks, panels and workshops. Thematic strands under the umbrella theme Building Bridges. Imagining New Ecosystems include Discovery, Backstage, (Im)Possible, This Must Be the Place, and BIT&Friends.

A BIT 2026 Think Tank, led by an international advisory board of industry experts, helped shape the edition’s agenda and highlighted issues from new travel business models and technology to generational expectations and inclusion in tourism ecosystems.

Exhibition layout and business tools

  • Six districts: Italy, World, Travel Expert, Hospitality, Transportation, and Innovation
  • Speedy Meeting: time-efficient, targeted meetings between exhibitors and operators
  • Digital Platform: extends networking and matching before and after the show
  • Incentive Program: supports a global network of selected buyers and brand ambassadors

The hosted buyer programme attracted professionals from more than 50 countries: 52% from Europe, 22% from the Americas, 16% from Asia and 10% from the Middle East and Africa. Outside of Italy, top represented markets included the United States, Brazil, China, the Czech Republic, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Scandinavian markets, Germany and Canada.

  • Buyer roles: luxury travel advisors 28%, business and corporate travel operators 23%
  • Areas of interest: hotels and hotel chains 47%, Destination Management Companies 34%
  • Product focus: food & wine tourism 54%, luxury travel 48%, cultural experiences 48%, wellness & spa 36%, city breaks 34%, incentive travel 28%
Attendees networking at BIT 2026 in Milan, showcasing booths from international exhibitors
Exhibitors and hosted buyers network at BIT 2026, where business meetings and content sessions run alongside the exhibition

Exhibitors, partners and the Olympic connection

More than a thousand exhibitors span the full tourism value chain — destinations, tour operators, hospitality groups, mobility providers and tech firms. European entries include the Azores (Portugal), Greece, Moldova, Poland, Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Switzerland; medium- and long-haul participants include Algeria, South Korea, Cuba, Egypt, Japan, Jordan, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Thailand and Tunisia, alongside the United States.

BIT 2026’s partner network features Unique Partners such as Autentico Hotels (Luxury Partner), Fiven (AI Solution Partner), Polish Tourism Organization (Destination Partner), and Sicily By Car (Rent a Car Partner). Premium partners include Bluserena, Gattinoni, HeyLight, InLombardia–Regione Lombardia, Trenitalia and Trenord. Radio partner RDS 100% Grandi Successi broadcast live from the halls, and the fair has joined Netcomm, the Italian digital commerce consortium.

BIT runs alongside the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, with speed skating at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium and women’s ice hockey at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena — positioning the fair within a busy international events calendar while Milan hosts global attention.

What this means for travellers and the industry

BIT 2026’s people-centric framing signals a shift toward experience-led tourism, stronger B2B matchmaking and greater cross-sector collaboration. For industry professionals, the event offers concentrated business opportunities and a testing ground for partnerships and tech solutions. Travellers can expect this approach to accelerate development of more personalised, sustainable and culturally driven travel products as suppliers respond to demand highlighted at the fair.