Bulgaria will be represented at a 429 sq m kiosk at the largest tourist exhibition in the world – ITB Berlin – which officially opens on March 11. The focus of the Bulgarian participation will be concentrated on eco, rural and adventure tourism.

More than 187 countries will be participating this year, with more than 11 000 exhibitions in total. Kosovo, the world's youngest country, will also feature. Apart from Kosovo, this year's edition will also mark the return of other countries who have been absent for years, such as Gabon, Malawi, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Bahrain.

The primary sponsor of the 2009 edition of ITB Berlin will be the Ruhr industrial region of Germany, which succeeds Liverpool as the European Capital for 2009. This is the 43rd edition of the event. It will continue thought to March 15. Organisers are expecting more than 160 000 visitors.

Destinations, tour operators, booking systems, carriers, hotels and all other suppliers who want to boost the potential pool of their customers flock to the event every year. ITB Berlin's organisers claim to offer ample advertisement for every business that participates in the event -  "an excellent opportunity to meet business partners and to do business. For all other visitors ITB Berlin is a wonderful possibility to discover the whole world within a few hours," as quoted on ITB Berlin's official website.

The website continues: "The globalisation of our economy is increasing. Next to leisure travel, business travel has become an important and profitable pillar of the travel industry. ITB Berlin is the perfect place to learn about new trends, concepts and possibilities for co-operation – and to deepen existing business relations".