
ITB Berlin 2020 will not take place. Due to the rapid spread of the new coronavirus
(COVID-19) the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Economics
have stated their opinion that ITB Berlin be cancelled. This evening at 1827 hrs, the
responsible health authority of the district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in Berlin
imposed significantly tighter restrictions on holding the event. Among its requirements
the authority stipulated that each participant would need to prove to Messe Berlin that
they were not from a designated risk area or had not been in contact with a person or
persons from a risk area. It is not possible for Messe Berlin to satisfy these
requirements overall.
Messe Berlin had for weeks made it known that a decision on holding or cancelling
large-scale events would only be taken based on the recommendations or instructions
of the relevant specialist authorities. Only they possess the necessary information and
specialist knowledge in order to draw the right conclusions.
Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH, said: ”With more than 10,000
exhibitors from over 180 countries ITB Berlin is extremely important for the world’s
tourism industry. 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.”
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Berlin Wolf-Dieter Wolf said: ”Not once
in the 54-year history of the event have ITB Berlin and Messe Berlin experienced a
similar situation. We would like to thank all exhibitors and partners from all over the
world who over the past few days and weeks have stood by ITB Berlin. We look
forward to continuing the trusted relationship with our partners in the market.“
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