Tourism Seasonality Summit To Lead The Way In Revolutionising Europe’s Tourism Future

The highly anticipated Tourism Seasonality Summit returns in 2026 for its third edition, taking place in Rimini, Italy, on 17-18 May. Industry leaders will gather to address the challenges and opportunities posed by tourism’s fluctuating seasonality in Europe and beyond.

Travel and tourism is a rapidly growing industry having contributed more than 10% of the world’s economy in 2024, reaching $10.9 trillion, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). This number is set to continually rise with a significant impact on Europe’s GDP.

As consumer demand grows, there are increasing pressures from local communities, government officials, and travellers themselves. There is a prominent need for Europe’s tourism future to include a more balanced, year-round flow of visitors, providing stable income for local businesses and authentic cultural changes.

The Tourism Seasonality Summit, held in partnership between Routes and Low Season Traveller, has established itself as the world’s leading forum where industry leaders come together to tackle the challenge of seasonality and its many effects on global tourism flows. Uniting experts from the travel, leisure, destination, technology, and hospitality sectors, the event will see leaders share and develop strategies for responsible growth by reshaping the seasonality curve.

Topics that will be examined include:

• How destinations can effectively manage peak season overcrowding and its impact on local quality of life and visitor experience.
• How collaborative strategies between airlines, airports, and tourism authorities can accelerate the recovery of long-haul travel to and from Europe.
• How technology, big data, and AI are transforming travel patterns and supporting low-season tourism across Europe.
• Innovative product development and targeted marketing strategies that can effectively stimulate and sustain demand for European tourism during off-peak and shoulder seasons.

Steven Small, director of Routes, said: “With Europeans concentrating over one-third of tourism activity in just two summer months, addressing seasonality has become critical. While rising visitor numbers create challenges, they also present opportunities for innovation. The Tourism Seasonality Summit will deliver actionable strategies to manage overtourism and transform the industry for a sustainable future.”

Small added: “With Routes Europe 2026 taking place between 18-20 May, this is a fantastic opportunity for both the route development community and wider stakeholders impacted by seasonality to drive positive change.”

Ged Brown, CEO & Founder of Low Season Traveller, said “Establishing new partnerships and sharing best practice is critical for the industry to build a more sustainable future. Driven by the hugely positive feedback and demand from our previous editions of the event in Seville and Bahrain, the summit will be expanded to take place over two days in 2026 with more interactive elements and even more opportunities to hear from Europe’s travel and tourism leaders.”

Brown added: “Rimini’s forward-thinking vision, and efforts to highlight the wider offering of its destination, are perfectly aligned with the mission of the Tourism Seasonality Summit.”

The Tourism Seasonality Summit will take place on 17-18 May, 2026, at the Palacongressi Rimini in Italy.