With less than four weeks to go until the first ever City Fair, over 80 destinations from 23 different European countries and 130 buyers are attending what promises to be a very busy and productive workshop. This may reflect recent research by European Cities Marketing (ECM), who are partners of the event, which shows that city tourism is growing, and fuelling a recovery in European tourism overall.
Dieter Hardt-Stremayr, President of ECM, stressed this point. “City Tourism didn´t only bounce back in 2010, in 2011 it is even stronger. The first signs in the current year are very promising and considerable growth seems to be on the way. If you want to be on the winning side again, you would bet on city tourism this year.”
The event at the Hilton Metropole, London on the 20th June will see a full day of pre-arranged appointments between city tourist boards and their suppliers, and contractors with direct purchasing responsibility.
City Fair will in fact begin on the Sunday evening with a reception at Kensington Palace. This is open to all delegates and special invitees, and is kindly sponsored by BBC World News.
“European cities come in many shapes and sizes and that is reflected in this workshop”, said Tom Jenkins, Executive Director of ETOA. “Not only are cities a bedrock of European tourism, they are also a gateway to the regions that lie beyond and it is everyone’s interest that this sector prospers.”
