ITB Berlin 2020 cancelled over coronavirus concerns
The fair was scheduled to be held from March 4th to 8th
Maldives\' stall at last year\'s ITB fair
The 2020 ITB Berlin travel and trade show has been cancelled due to concerns over the fast-spreading novel coronavirus.
Organizers of the ITB fair- Messe Berlin- stated that the show was cancelled as a safety precaution against the coronavirus. The travel fair was called off at a time when all preparations for the event had been finalized with over 10,000 exhibitors from 180 countries set to participate.
As the tourism industry makes the biggest contribution to the country's economy, the Maldives' has regularly attended the travel and trade show to promote the tourism sector.
The fair - scheduled to be held from March 4th to 8th- was cancelled under the instruction of Germany's Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Economics. Prior to the cancellation, Germany's health authority had also urged the organizers to impose stricter safety controls such as restricting the entry of visitors traveling from high-risk areas or have been in contact with anyone from a high-risk area.
Organizers decided to annul the fair instead stating that such restrictions would be virtually impossible to pull off effectively at such a large-scale event attended by thousands of people from across the globe.
This is the second trade fair to be cancelled over coronavirus fears; the Geneva International Motor Show was called off after the Swiss government banned all large events.
