Timis County, along with strategic partners from the west of the country, participates from January 15-18 at Ferien-Messe Wien, the most important international tourism fair with public access in Austria. The presence at this landmark event takes place at the initiative of Timis County Council and takes place in an atypical context, marked by the absence of an official national stand of Romania at this year’s edition, a situation that has prompted the mobilization of local administrations and organizations to ensure the representation of the region.
In the absence of centralized governmental representation, several tourism promotion entities have decided to collaborate in order to maintain the international visibility of western Romania. Thus, along with the Visit Timis Association, the event is attended by the organizations HORETIM, Arad County Council, Visit Oradea and Visit Sibiu. The main focus of the promotion of Timis County is the candidacy of Banat for the title of European Gastronomic Region 2028, a strategic project aimed at strengthening the culinary identity and positioning the region as a top tourist destination.
The President of Timis County Council, Alfred Simonis, said that the participation is aimed at attracting tourists and partnerships, emphasizing that although Romania does not have a national stand, the joint effort of local administrations demonstrates the ability to work as a unit. The agenda of the Visit Timis stand includes a business breakfast for tourism specialists and the international press, where gastronomy will be used as a promotional tool.
The Banat Candidature project is led by the County Council of Timis and implemented by Visit Timis, within a consortium that includes IGCAT, HORETIM, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” of Timisoara, Produs în Banat, GAL Colinele Recaș, My Banat Association, Degustăria and the Resource Center for Ethical & Solidarity Initiatives (CRIES). The Vienna fair, hosted by the Messe Wien exhibition center, marks the start of the regional tourism season and is expected to attract over 70,000 visitors, offering networking opportunities and B2B meetings.