At Bit 2026, sustainability shifts from a niche sector to a cross-cutting key to travel — from content to mobility — generating value along the entire journey. At Bit 2026, sustainability shifts from a niche sector to a cross-cutting key to travel — from content to mobility — generating value along the entire journey.
The Bit 2026 – Borsa Internazionale del Turismo has just wrapped up, presented by Fiera Milano at the Rho exhibition centre. The 46th edition put forward a new approach to travel and the tourism industry, placing people first — even before destinations and products.
"At a time of evolution in which travel is increasingly about experience, identity and relationships," commented Emanuele Guido, Head of home, fashion and leisure exhibitions at Fiera Milano, speaking at the event's opening, "with more than 1,000 exhibitors — over 39 per cent of them international, from 54 countries — the new Bit concept combines the business dimension with content, relationships and a strategic vision that puts people at the centre. Today the role of a trade fair goes beyond the meeting of supply and demand: it becomes a shared space in which all players interact to create value across the entire supply chain. With this goal in mind, Bit 2026 positions itself as a living platform, capable of reading the changes driving tourism towards something more authentic, sustainable and future-oriented."
From this shift in perspective emerged the figure of the travel makers: a cross-cutting community bringing together operators, destinations, professionals, storytellers, content creators and conscious travellers, all united by the desire to design, narrate and experience travel as an authentic and meaningful journey. In the open-exchange space of Bit, the boundaries between those who offer, those who communicate and those who travel have become increasingly fluid.
At Bit, market signals and new behaviours are anticipated and shared; the geopolitical, technological, social and cultural factors shaping the evolution of tourism are transformed into content and relationships. It is expected that, in the tourism of the future, reputation will increasingly become a competitive factor. According to the Anholt Nation Brands Index, there is a correlation of over 60 per cent between a country's image and the revenues generated from trade, tourism and foreign direct investment. In this context, Italy consistently ranks among the strongest nations globally: in the 2025 rankings it stands fourth in the world, with an overall score that is growing and a continuous presence in the top ten for 17 years.
Another key trend concerns the role of storytelling as a strategic lever for destinations and brands. To tell the story of a place today means building visions, values and relationships, going beyond promotional communication. Another strategic axis is the relationship between territorial development and major events, sport, active tourism and slow tourism as long-term processes.
The data also shows how tourism is evolving towards increasingly hybrid and flexible models. According to the EY Observatory, 44 per cent of travellers are potentially interested in combining holiday and work in the future, a figure that rises to 81 per cent among business travellers. Italy is among the most dynamic countries, with 49 per cent of respondents interested in these formats, while Gen Z emerges as the generation most oriented towards these models (74 per cent). A structural shift also confirmed by the regulatory context: more than 50 countries have introduced digital nomad visas, and Italy activated its own visa in 2024.
From an observation of trends, a growing attention emerges to travel as an experience of discovery, one that weaves together exploration, science and environmental responsibility. At a moment when tourism is being called upon to redefine its impact on territories and communities in a positive way, Bit 2026 launched a debate on new models of responsible travel.
The event valorised sustainability not as a sector-specific theme, but as a cross-cutting key running through content, mobility, flow governance and the traveller's experience. Sustainability was approached as a prerequisite for future tourism development models. In talks, panels and workshops, travel was framed as a conscious experience capable of generating value along the entire journey: from the choice of means of transport to the relationship with places, from flow management to the quality of time spent.
Among the topics addressed: bleisure — the new balance between work and holiday — a different way of travelling that integrates productivity and personal wellbeing. Attention was also paid to travel as regeneration and care, and to walking as a form of travel that is not only slow but also responsible, and to the mountains as a slow and sustainable choice.
Mobility was understood as a strategic lever for a more accessible, balanced and territory-conscious form of tourism. In an integrated vision of travel as a complete experience, mobility is no longer merely a means of getting from A to B, but an opportunity to generate value, knowledge and beauty along the way.
Cycling routes, horse trails and tourist railways are the key drivers for reconnecting villages and inland areas to major travel flows, without compromising their identity and resources. Connections between trains, buses, ferries and micromobility represent an opportunity to build integrated, marketable experiences, through single tickets, digital services and on-board content. Finally, there was a rethinking of the role of airports, ports and stations, not merely as access points, but as genuine cultural gateways to travel — the first point of contact with destinations and an opportunity to showcase them responsibly, avoiding overcrowding and excessive consumption of those destinations.
The 47th edition of Bit will be held from 9 to 11 February 2027. In the meantime, we at Lifegate are gathering all the news, curiosities and in-depth features on tourism and mobility in the new Itineraria newsletter, edited by Lifegate's editor-in-chief Roberto Sposini. Sign up with just one click!