Milan, 11 December 2024 – The festive season are always an important test for the travel industry. And, with the start of the countdown to BIT 2025, on at fieramilano – Rho from 9 to 11 February 2025, the exhibition organised by Fiera Milano, leader in Italy for innovation in tourism, the BIT Observatory has analysed the most interesting data and trends.

Italians book early and revenues are on the up

Regarding holiday travel, data from ASTOI – a partner of BIT 2025 – confirms that the trend toward early booking is growing stronger: 60% of bookings for holidays between December 18, 2024 and January 12, 2025 were made at least 90 days in advance. A factor that contributed to a 12% increase in revenue compared to 2023: the average price of the packages is around 2,400 euros per person and the average duration is 8.2 days.

Experiences, well-being and hyper-personalisation

But what does the global scenario look like, and what can we expect next year to bring? In 2023, global tourism recovered approximately 90% of its 2019 levels and in 2024 a further increase of 2% is recorded: 21% of the world's population travels, a figure that will rise to 24% in 2030 and 33% by 2040 (Source: Oxford Economics).

Of the countries that generate tourism, China, Germany, the UK and the USA stand out, these alone accounting for 45% of global flows, while the emerging markets include Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan.

When it comes to destinations, Spain, France and the USA will remain in poll position, while Italy will rank sixth in 2040. Overall, the top five destinations will reduce their share of global tourism from 30% to 20%: a sign that travellers are looking for something new and that destinations will become more diversified (Source: Oxford Economics).

A driver of economic growth that promotes cultural exchange and mutual understanding

From the meta-analysis carried out by the BIT Observatory, it emerges that the multiplier effects of tourism involve numerous productive, cultural and social sectors, promoting exchanges of experiences and "cultural osmosis" which favour the overall socio-economic growth.

In fact, tourists favour local culture, traditions and cuisine which, together with well-being and active and outdoor holidays, account for over two thirds of global demand (Source: Deloitte). The focus on experiences and the demand for increasingly personalised offers are confirmed.

The BIT Observatory also notes that to continue maintaining this sustained and sustainable growth in the coming years too, decision makers will have to pay close attention to the growing pressure on the most iconic destinations. The analysis suggests that, despite the diversification underway, the largest flows will continue to be concentrated in four main macro-regions: the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

To address these challenges, it will be essential to use the opportunities offered by technological innovation, and in particular by digitalisation, for example by facilitating the organisation and personalisation of travel, pushing towards more inclusive and hybrid modes.

BIT 2025: the event where you can get an exclusive sneak preview of tomorrow's travel

BIT 2025 responds to these themes and challenges with the continuous evolution of its exhibition format, featuring a new location at fieramilano - Rho: the areas dedicated to Leisure, Italy and World will benefit from a more streamlined layout and smoother access, especially on the day open to the public on Sunday 9 February.

In the Italy area, all the Italian holiday regions from North to South will be represented: from Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy, Veneto, to Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, from Emilia-Romagna and Marche to Sicily.

Among the foreign destinations, the grand comebacks of Visit USA, Cuba, Japan, the Dominican Republic and Vietnam stand out, but also Mediterranean destinations such as Algeria, the Canary Islands, Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia, or emerging destinations such as Central America and Uruguay.

As far as the operators in attendance go, these will include Blu Hotels, BWH Hotel Group, Mangia's Resorts and Clubs and The Social Hub in the hospitality sector and Gattinoni among the tour operators. Among the cruise operators, MSC, Grimaldi and Giver stand out, while many carriers will be present, such as ANA, Eva Airways, ITA Airways, Singapore Airlines among the airlines and Trenord among the railway operators.

This year, the spotlight will also be on the theme of digital and innovative services, with companies such as Blastness, Compass-HeyLight, Revolut and Titanka! in attendance. Finally, the partnerships with associations and networks are a key element of the exhibition. These will include ASTOI, ETOA – European Tour Operators Association Limited, FTO – Italian Federation of Organised Tourism, Federterme and WTG – Welcome Travel Group.

After the success of the first edition last year, Thermalia by Federterme is also returning to BIT 2025, a real holiday resort dedicated to spa, medical and wellness tourism which will also offer a rich programme of events: among these, meetings with institutions and experts, new lifestyle proposals, insights into new techniques.

There will also be a new hospitality area and events with a high social media potential to engage younger travellers and Gen Z in particular.

As usual, the conference programme of Bringing Innovation into Travel is also very rich. Just to give a few examples, the role of continuing education in the industry will be discussed, with a focus on the digital sphere and the customer experience, also in response to the increasing demand for qualified personnel.

The spotlight will also shine on next-generation technologies such as AI, with its impact on personalising the journey, optimising operations and improving customer interaction. Sustainability and emotion-driven tourism will also be in the foreground, the former meeting the need to spread good practices and the latter stemming from the growing awareness of travellers.

Macro-themes spanning from aviation, luxury, and travel risk management to the scouting of new destinations to prepare the tourism product of the future will also be on the agenda.

Finally, these will be a strong focus on professional opportunities with Bit4job, a recruiting day that will be held on Tuesday 11 February in pavilion 11. A packed programme of events will encourage meetings between students from tourism, hotel and related institutes, and from post-diploma university and ITS (higher technical institute) programmes with study courses dedicated to tourism, featuring the participation of professionals and companies from the travel industry.

BIT 2025 will be held at fieramilano – Rho from 9 to 11 February 2025. BIT 9 will only be open to trade operators on Monday 11 and Tuesday 11 February, and on Sunday 10 February it will also be open to the public.

For up-to-date information on the exhibition: bit.fieramilano.it, @bitmilano