ITB Berlin 2020 cancelled

The German authorities have announced the cancellation of ITB Berlin, scheduled from March 4-8 in Berlin, Germany. The decision was taken in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak all around the world. As on Friday, 22 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country according to the German government’s health authority. Considered as one of the largest tourism fairs in the world, 100,000 visitors from across the globe were expected to attend the event. Paragraph 9.1 of the agreement between Messe Berlin (ITB) and exhibitors says if the event is cancelled due to higher force (authority) and in case neither Messe Berlin or the exhibitor has caused, exhibitors will not have to pay their stand fees.

Making the announcement, Dr Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH, said: “With more than 10,000 exhibitors from over 180 countries, ITB Berlin is of outstanding importance for the global tourism industry. We take our responsibility for the health and safety of our guests, exhibitors and employees very seriously. It is with a heavy heart that we look forward to the cancellation of ITB Berlin 2020, which has now become necessary”.

The Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Berlin Wolf-Dieter Wolf explained, “In their now 54-year history ITB Berlin and Messe Berlin have never before experienced a comparable situation. We would like to thank all exhibitors and partners around the world who have supported ITB Berlin in the past days and weeks, and look forward to continuing our trusting cooperation with our partners in the market”.