Travel trade show ITB Berlin has canceled its March show
amidst the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Event organizer Messe Berlin
said in a release that authorities had imposed restrictions on the event that
were not possible to satisfy. Among those requirements was a stipulation that
each ITB participant prove to Messe Berlin they weren’t from a “designated risk
area” nor had they been in contact with a person from a risk area.
“With more than 10,000 exhibitors from over 180 countries
ITB Berlin is extremely important for the world’s tourism industry,” Messe
Berlin CEO Christian Goke said in a statement. “We take our responsibility for
the health and safety of our visitors, exhibitors and employees very seriously.
It is with a heavy heart that we must now come to terms with the cancellation
of ITB Berlin 2020.”
The event has never experienced a similar situation in its
54-year history, Messe Berlin said.
The show was originally planned to take place from March
4-8. It was expected to draw 160,000 visitors, 5,000 journalists and some 500
travel bloggers.