Speakers announced for the New Deal Europe Marketplace & Forum 2025

The line-up for the forum element of the New Deal Europe Marketplace and Forum in London on 25th March has just been announced and features keynote panellists from market-leading organisations. The sold-out event, covering destinations “from the Alps to the Aegean,” has attracted a record number of tourism professionals, with over 100 buyers and 80 supplier organisations registered to participate in the B2B marketplace – a 20% increase on the previous year.

The New Deal Europe Marketplace and Forum has attracted a record number of delegates.

The forum element of the event will focus on the incredible growth in tourism to the region, with a panel discussing how destinations can capitalise on this to increase revenue per tourist. The forum is hosted by the European Tourism Association (ETOA) and will be chaired by their Director of Insight, Rachel Read. It will be preceded by primary research and statistics on market trends in South East Europe and the Balkans, presented by David Edwards, ETOA’s Insight Expert.

Panellists include Menno van Ijssel, Project Manager Research, European Travel Commission, an organisation comprising the national tourism boards of Europe and, through their brand ‘Visit Europe’, a key element in marketing Europe to overseas markets.

Representing the voice of tour operators will be Claire Hanney, Managing Director, Travel Experiences, The Travel Corporation, the largest travel company in the world, whose brands include Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, and Contiki.

Viljam Kvalic, Director of Incoming from Kompas, the largest DMC in the area based in Slovenia, will represent the view from the region and examine what destinations are currently doing, and what they could do better, to attract more revenue.

Bringing a long-haul luxury market perspective will be Tim Hennigan from The Travel Collaborative, a collection of luxury concierge travel agents from the USA.

Directors of New Deal Europe, Tine Murn, left, and Robert Dee, right with Event Director, Simon Young.

Robert Dee, Co-founder and Co-Director of New Deal Europe, stated: “The forum topic is especially relevant this year in the wake of recently published statistics showing Albania achieved 11 million tourists for the first time this year, but the revenue per tourist went down. Conversely, the Government and National Tourism Board in Croatia have criticised the industry for ever-increasing prices, fearing that a limit has been reached and that the current pricing will drive tourism away. We are looking forward to a great debate and some interesting ideas and solutions coming out of the discussion.”

In addition to the forum, the event will feature presentations on selected destinations and a marketplace which will deliver over 1,500 B2B meetings, all focused on generating tourism to the region of 12 countries extending from the Adriatic to the Black Sea.

The article Speakers announced for the New Deal Europe Marketplace & Forum 2025 first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.