Summary of the TT Warsaw 2011

The nineteenth International Travel Show TT Warsaw 2011 attracted more than 22,000 visitors to the MT Polska Exhibition and Congress Centre at ul. Marsa 56C in Warsaw on 22-24 September. Of those, 12,000 were representatives of the Polish and international tourist industry. For three days, the fair was accompanied by numerous conferences, training sessions and workshops conducted by experts. This year admission was free on Saturday, and on that day nearly 10,000 people – a larger number than on any other day – came to visit the event. They could also enjoy various attractions, competitions, tastings, artistic performances and meetings with travellers. The fair’s 650 exhibitors presented tourist offers from 62 countries

“This year’s TT Warsaw was a real tourist feast. Industry representatives from all over the world came to Warsaw to make international business contacts, and they found ideal conditions for this. The exhibitors presented the tourist assets of their countries in exceptionally colourful and varied ways, which both industry and individual visitors found of great interest. TT Warsaw was also a great occasion for Polish cities and regions to present their attractions to the world’s tourist industry, which is of particular significance during Poland’s European Union presidency and ahead of the upcoming EURO 2012 football championship. Interest in our country was very high, and I am convinced that it will bring measurable benefits,” said Urszula Potęga, president of the board of MT Targi, the organiser of TT Warsaw.

The whole world met at TT Warsaw

TT Warsaw 2011 visitors could examine tourist offerings from various parts of the world. From India they could within a moment move to beautiful Japan, get to know the charms of Dominican beaches or the desert attractions of Egypt. Due to the approaching winter season, many visitors were interested in European resorts and skiing destinations.  During TT Warsaw, 62 countries presented their tourist offers, 36 of those at dedicated national stands. These were: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Greece, Georgia, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lithuania, Latvia, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Romania, Slovakia, Spain,  Thailand and Tunisia.

Morocco was this year’s TT Warsaw partner country. Its stand was very popular among visitors. “The decision to become TT Warsaw’s partner country was a good one. This was a very successful fair. We had many good meetings and created excellent plans for the future with out tour operator partners. TT Warsaw was also a great occasion to present the diversity of Morocco’s offerings for Polish tourists,” Fouad Hajoui, director of the Moroccan National Tourist Bureau, summed up the fair.

TT Warsaw was also an occasion to get to know many distant and exotic corners of the world, such as those of South Africa. At the South African stand visitors could discuss the possibilities of participating in extreme sports, visiting gold and diamond mines, or the country’s beautiful national parks. “This year we’ve had more exhibitors coming especially from South Africa…. They are glad to come because they see there is a potential here, that you can find clients, that this is a place where Poles look for contacts, especially for exotic destinations like South Africa,” said Janek Królak of the South African embassy.

Polish regions and cities presented themselves very colourfully this year, inviting visitors to explore them and informing them of various possibilities for spending free time there. “There is visible interest in Warsaw’s stand from persons from very exotic countries, which makes us glad and is very inspiring for us. Warsaw’s 70-metre stand, located in the centre of the pavilion, attracted attention. In particular, we tried to encourage everyone visiting the fair to remain in Warsaw until Sunday. In other words, we are promoting weekend tourism and large cultural events,” said Barbara Tekieli, director of the Warsaw Tourism Bureau.

The fair attracted bed-and-breakfasts, sanatoriums, hotels, and wellness & spa centres. Carriers, tour operators, business travel organisers and insurers presented comprehensive offers. Many travel offers were presented at promotional prices prepared especially for TT Warsaw 2011.

Tourist industry education

During TT Warsaw 2011 representatives of the travel industry had the opportunity to take part in training sessions and sector conferences prepared by experts. Participants learned about incentive travel, Internet advertising, effective sales techniques, and new trends in tourism, such as questing. The fair saw the premiere of the report “The Meeting and Event Industry in Poland in 2010”, prepared by the Poland Convention Bureau and the Polish Tourism Office. In turn, the Polish Chamber of Tourism prepared expert tables at which representatives of organisations of importance to the industry took turns answering questions. These included the Tourism Department of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the Culture, Promotion and Tourism Department at the Mazowieckie Province Marshal’s Office, the national and Warsaw boards of ZAIKS (the Polish Authors Association), Polish Tourism Information Centres in foreign countries and insurance companies. Also, during TT Warsaw visitors could take part in workshops organised by Japan and the Dominican Republic, numerous news conferences, as well as presentations of new products and solutions in the tourist industry.

Visits with attractions

During the fair visitors could get acquainted with the cultures and flavours of many countries. Presentations included performances by the Teoilhuicatl Indian Mexicas group, the descendants of Aztecs from central Mexico, Japanese No theatre, Slovakia’s Grimmy group with its dance show entitled World Dance Show, as well as the song-and-dance group Śląsk. Visitors could experience Nepalese national dances and hear a jazz concert by Morocco’s Chalaban band. They could also see a performance of Capoeira by the Ficag group.

Many exhibitors’ stands featured attractions, competitions and tastings. Visitors could try on Japanese kimonos, get their names calligraphed in Arabic at the Moroccan stand, or to sample Slovak wines or Hungarian cakes. There were also accents related to next year’s EURO 2012 football championships. The Polish Tourism Office’s stand in particular referred to this event, showing videos promoting Poland and the Host Cities, as well as competitions with tourism and sports themes. Many people were interested in meetings with travellers organised by MT Targi and National Geographic Polska under the motto “Through the world cheaply”. TT Warsaw hosted Poland’s leading sailor Marta Sziłajtis-Obiegło, “cult” travelers Asia and Edi Pyrek, Łódź native and traveller Jarosław Fischbach, as well as local celebrity reporter Piotr Kraśko.

Prizes for the best

The winners of a competition for the best stand at TT Warsaw, “Homo Turisticus”, were announced at the fair. The grand prize went to the Tourism Office of the Embassy of Egypt. Second place was awarded to the Tourist Authority of Thailand, and third went to Austria.info. The jury also awarded mentions to China Town Travel, the Świętokrzyskie Province Regional Tourism Office, CT Poland, the Silesian Regional Tourism Office, the “Land of Loess Canyons” Local Tourism Office, and the Górski hotel and restaurant complex. The winners of the “My Dream Vacation” competition organised in collaboration with former first lady Jolanta Kwaśniewska’s “Communication Without Barriers” Foundation were announced during the gala opening of TT Warsaw 2011.  The jury had an extremely hard task: to select the best artwork from among the large number of submissions. Six children won trips to Egypt, Cyprus and Slovakia funded by exhibitors. The junior artists were also given in-kind prizes, such as cameras, sports gear and backpacks. The winners of the first three places in the Polish EU presidency knowledge competition for visitors received weekend stays in Nałęczów, Kraków and at an agro-tourism farm.

Illustrious guests and patrons

More than 300 VIPs also took part in the 19th TT Warsaw show. Among them were ambassadors and representatives of Polish state authorities, industry organisations and leading state institutions. The show received honorary patronage from the Minister of Sports and Tourism, Adam Giersz, and the Mayor of the City of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz Waltz. The fair’s professional partners were the Polish Tourism Office and the Polish Chamber of Tourism. TT Warsaw 2011 was also organised in collaboration with the Mazowieckie Province Marshal’s Office and the Warsaw Convention Bureau.

Anniversary edition: TT Warsaw 2012

The next edition of TT Warsaw will take place 27-29 September 2012. This will be an anniversary event, celebrating 20 years of TT Warsaw, and will feature many special attractions. “Though we just finished this year’s show, we are working on another exceptional edition of TT Warsaw, to which I would already like to invite everyone,” said MT Targi’s Urszula Potęga.

To download the summary of TT Warsaw 2011 click HERE