Israel’s presence at the TTG Travel Experience international tourism fair in Rimini, scheduled for October 8-10, 2025, has been canceled following a decision by the organizers, under pressure from local authorities.
Rimini Mayor Jamil Sadegholvaad, a member of the Democratic Party (PD), deemed the Israeli participation “inappropriate.” In a letter co-signed with the president of the Emilia-Romagna region, Michela De Pascale, he called on Maurizio Ermeti, president of the Italian Exhibition Group, which manages the exhibition center, to “reconsider” the presence of an Israeli stand. “We do not believe it is ethically and morally acceptable today to promote places of war, terror, and death as holiday destinations,” he wrote on social media.
Shortly after, the Italian Exhibition group notified the Israel Tourism Board that “the conditions for its participation are no longer met,” citing the positions expressed by the city hall and the region.
This decision sparked immediate reactions. Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè criticized it, stating that “the vocation of tourist culture is to be a bridge for peace” and that Italy “has never discriminated against anyone.” She denounced it as political manipulation: “Tourism must not be used to stir up feelings.”
Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, also reacted strongly in a message published on X (formerly Twitter). According to him, this exclusion represents “a new ideological interference exploiting every opportunity to use the attack on Israel for electoral propaganda purposes, disregarding the serious effects of such decisions on cultural, religious, and economic relations between Italy and Israel.”
He recalled that every year, “hundreds of thousands of Italians visit Israel for work, tourism, or religion,” and that Israel also represents “a significant flow of inbound tourism and business for Italy.” The ambassador condemned “this push for isolation,” accusing its promoters of fueling anti-Semitism and “strengthening the terrorist and destabilizing strategy of Hamas and other related organizations.”
The affair is taking on a political dimension in Italy, where the divide between supporters of solidarity with the Palestinians and defenders of Israel is now reflected even in the field of tourism.
