Take care of the past to generate the tourism of the future.
The theme of BTM 2026 is an invitation to reflect, imagine and build a tourism that does not forget its roots but transforms them into vital energy for tomorrow. re-generate is not just a word, but a vision: a bridge between memory and innovation, tradition and sustainability, experience and future.
The metaphor of Janus bifrons becomes the symbol of this edition. One face looks to the past, with a young and aware gaze focused on preserving memories, experiences, and traditions that have shaped our identity. The other, instead, projects towards the future, ready to embrace innovation, generative intelligence, and new development models. This dual perspective is not a contradiction, but a dynamic balance: what has been becomes energy for what will be.
The verb generate encompasses multiple meanings. It calls to mind the new generations, protagonists of a tourism that becomes inclusive, digital, and sustainable; but it also evokes the idea of generative intelligence, a powerful and revolutionary tool that opens unexplored scenarios and surprising opportunities for territories and operators.
Regenerating does not mean breaking with the past, but transforming it into a vital and continuous cycle. In this vision, tourism becomes a living process, constantly evolving, capable of combining heritage enhancement with new forms of experiential, responsible, and innovative travel.
From February 25 to 27, 2026, BTM Italia (Business Tourism Management) returns to Bari, in the spaces of the Fiera del Levante, to continue this dichotomy that does not divide but creates a bridge, and transform it into an opportunity for meeting, dialogue, and shared planning. It will be a gateway – just like the one guarded by Janus – where territories, operators, and travelers meet to generate new ideas, create networks, and design the future of the sector. A place where the past becomes momentum, and the future takes shape through collaboration, training, and innovation.
