'Israel' excluded from Italian tourism fair after local pressure

'Israel' has been excluded from the upcoming TTG Travel Experience 2025, a major tourism trade fair, after local Italian officials successfully lobbied the organizers to bar the nation's participation due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

The Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), which organizes the event scheduled for October 8-10 at the Rimini Expo Centre, confirmed the exclusion.

The decision follows a joint statement by Rimini Mayor Jamil Sadegholvaad and the president of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Michele De Pascale, who argued that it was "not ethically and morally acceptable" to promote as vacation destinations "places of war, terror, and death."

The 'Israeli' Tourism Board expressed its "dismay and regret" over the decision. According to a statement from the 'Israeli' Tourism Ministry, the IEG informed them that the conditions for their participation "no longer applied." The ministry described the exclusion as a "painful decision" that was "unjustified" and that would "exacerbate tensions."

The incident marks the second time in recent months that 'Israel' has been excluded from a major Italian trade fair. In August, 'Israel' was also barred from the Fiera del Levante in Bari. That decision came after the mayor of Bari, Vito Leccese, made a similar appeal to organizers, citing concerns over the situation in Gaza.

The exclusion from the TTG Travel Experience, which is the leading Italian event for promoting global tourism, comes as similar protests continue to erupt across Europe.

In September, dockworkers in Ravenna blocked a shipment of what they said were "explosives" bound for 'Israel', and a group of artists had previously shut down the 'Israeli' pavilion at the Venice Biennale until a ceasefire was reached.