The third edition of the tourism promotion program 'Match Bilbao Bizkaia', driven by the Bilbao City Council, will host 42 tour operators from 14 Central and Eastern European countries from today until October 10th. The initiative aims to provide international professionals with firsthand knowledge of the region and strengthen Bilbao Bizkaia's positioning in emerging tourism markets.
Participants, hailing from countries such as Latvia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and Turkey, will engage in professional visits, networking events, and over 500 business meetings with local tourism sector companies during these five days.
Framed within the Bilbao Bizkaia Tourism Strategy 2030, the program seeks to deepen and strengthen its presence in emerging markets. Furthermore, the existing robust air connectivity between Europe and Bilbao is crucial for fostering new opportunities in tourism promotion.
This year, 37 local companies from the tourism value chain are participating, with a total of 567 business meetings anticipated. Previous editions hosted tour operators from established European markets in 2022 and from Asia in 2024.
The professionals will have the opportunity to explore emblematic sites such as the San Mamés stadium and its museum on the first day, which will include a guided tour and a networking session. On the second day, they will discover the Urdaibai region, visiting Gernika, Bermeo, and the San Juan de Gaztelugatxe viewpoint, followed by an afternoon visit to the Urkiola Natural Park.
On Thursday the 8th, the delegation will travel to Donostia to explore the city and its complementary tourist offerings. In the afternoon, they will visit one of the most unique resources on the coast near Bilbao: the Vizcaya Bridge, a World Heritage site. The final day, Friday, October 9th, will focus on a Workshop, followed by a visit to the Bilbao Villa and a guided tour of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, concluding with a meeting attended by the Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto.
The project benefits from the strategic collaboration of Turespaña and Wizz Air.
