January is traditionally one of the busiest months in the tourism industry’s business calendar, a time when several major international networking events and trade shows take place, featuring pre-scheduled B2B meetings between tour operators, travel agents, media, MICE organisers, and destination representatives.
In January 2026, representatives of the Latvian tourism industry, with the support of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA), participated in several important events, paying special attention to the MATKA Travel Fair (MATKA) in Helsinki, FITUR in Madrid, Travel Trade Days 2026 in Utrecht and TravelMatch in Oslo – all opportunities for Latvia to promote its international image.
History of trade fairs, networking events
One of the most notable early forums for tourism exchange in Europe was the ITB Berlin – Internationale Tourismusbörse, launched in 1966 and designed as a platform for international industry contacts. The first event organised around this concept was attended by only nine exhibitors from five countries, but it quickly became a place for international trade and networking. Over time, this exchange evolved from a classic exhibition and stand format to a modern networking event model with pre-booked, short bilateral meetings, and structured and thoughtful event management.
How does contact exchange work today?
Contact exchanges in the tourism industry are B2B events where meetings are organised as short, fixed-duration individualised conversations booked in advance using a meeting planning platform. This format significantly reduces the randomness factor inherent in a traditional exhibition and increases the practical return on negotiations – participants meet the buyers they are interested in, and each meeting has a clear objective.
The effectiveness of these exchanges is usually determined by three factors. Firstly, the format saves time because dozens of targeted conversations with decision-makers can be organised in one or two days. Secondly, meetings allow participants to assess market signals quickly, compare the needs of partners, price ranges, demand and competitive background, as well as immediately refine their offers. The negotiations also pave the way to next steps, determining whether an offer is implemented, a sales campaign is planned, a media visit or test group is organised, or whether a service needs to be adapted to another segment.
Nordic contact exchange
The main event in January for the Nordic tourism market is the week-long MATKA Travel Fair 2026 in Helsinki, where, in addition to an extensive exhibition, the exchange format is particularly valuable for professionals. Latvia’s target audience traditionally values short-haul flights, transparent logistics, security and high-quality content – from nature experiences to weekend breaks. That is why participation in the Matka Business Forum 2026 and Matka Workshop Day is essential, providing opportunities to benefit from pre-planned meetings and focused discussions about products, prices, groups and sales mechanisms.
MATKA Travel Fair 2026 organisers emphasise the international scale of the event. The largest tourism industry event in Northern Europe, it attracts travellers and industry professionals from almost 70 countries. More than 900 exhibitors participated in the 2026 event, held in two large halls and featuring five stages and zones, almost 200 booth managers, and more than 160 presentations and performances. In 2026, MATKA attracted approximately 56,000 attendees, including approx. 15,500 tourism industry professionals. The scale enables participants to meet leading representatives of the Finnish and Northern European tourism market, who often tailor their annual planning specifically to this event.
In the context of MATKA Travel Fair 2026, how Latvia positions itself is also particularly important, as potential Nordic partners make decisions cautiously and in the long term. Nevertheless, Latvia’s ambitions at this exhibition are illustrated by the recognition received by Finland in 2024 as a popular gastronomic destination, which highlights the outcome of long-term work in market positioning. The dynamic event calendar helps Latvia work with both inbound tourism in general and specific niches where the Nordic market is particularly active: coastal and nature recreation, active tourism, cultural events and gastronomy. It is also an opportunity to reach those who are not familiar with Latvia.
The ambitious FITUR in Madrid
At the beginning of 2026, Latvia participated in one of the world’s most important tourism industry exhibitions – the Feria Internacional de Turismo (FITUR), which is traditionally held in the Spanish capital of Madrid. If MATKA traditionally strengthens Latvia’s connection with the Nordic market, the wider international January event is FITUR.
Participation in the ambitious Feria Internacional de Turismo exhibition is a targeted instrument in strengthening Latvia’s international recognition, establishing new contacts and promoting the growth of tourism exports. The goal is to acquire and develop at least 100 new business contacts and reach approximately 200,000 potential travellers, creating the basis for new partnerships and joint projects in international markets. The 2026 exhibition was officially opened by the King and Queen of Spain, further underlining the event’s status and focus on the tourism industry as an economic driver.
This year, FITUR was held for the 46th time and once again confirmed its status as an international industry platform. More than 10,000 companies from 161 countries participated in the exhibition (111 of which had official representation), while total attendance exceeded 255,000, including around 155,000 professionals on exhibition days and around 100,000 weekend visitors. According to FITUR organisers, the economic contribution of the exhibition to Madrid is around 505 million euros, which illuminates the impact of the event on the city’s business environment.
The Latvian stand at FITUR includes airBaltic, Balticvision, Baltic Travel Group, Enter Gauja National Park, EXIT RĪGA, Vidzeme.com and VisitKurzeme, who jointly present Latvia’s destinations, services and accessibility to an international audience. During the exhibition, the Latvian Ambassador to Spain, Jānis Zlamets, also visited the Latvian stand, emphasising the importance of tourism exports and interest in Latvia’s offerings.
Smaller scale, but just as important
Alongside the two main events, targeted meetings were also held in other markets in early January. From 7 to 8 January, the Dutch city of Utrecht hosted Travel Trade Days 2026, where Latvian representatives made contacts in Dutch and Belgian markets within the framework of the LIAA joint stand. LIAA indicates that around 7,000 professionals visited the event over the two days, and participants had access to an online networking tool for pre-planning meetings, which allows them to structure their engagement even before the event.
Also in January, TravelMatch Norway 2026 took place in the Norwegian capital of Oslo – the fifteenth edition of the event, which features a significant focus on pre-booked meetings. The organisers of TravelMatch Norway assert that it is the largest B2B event in Norway dedicated to foreign travel, a forum for many meetings between industry professionals, most of them planned in advance. The Latvian representation, led by LIAA, met and established cooperation with Norwegian partners. The event was attended by 85 Norwegian tour operators, travel planners and media representatives. At the end of the event, Latvia was recognised as the Destination of the Year for Norwegian travellers.
Participation in the MATKA Travel Fair 2026 and Feria Internacional de Turismo in January provides the Latvian tourism industry with an intensive, targeted B2B strategy in two priority directions – within the Nordics and across the wider international market. A consistent presence at these events engenders recognition, a solid market position and trust among partners, while laser-focused meetings in the Netherlands and Norway expand the circle of contacts and open doors to new collaborations. LIAA continues to support the export capacity of the Latvian tourism industry by providing platforms where planned meetings lead to practical, measurable cooperation results, a process of turning contacts into contracts through systematic communication, offer specification and joint marketing activities to achieve greater tourism flows.
