Satisfied exhibitors and 260,000 happy exhibition guests at the world’s largest consumer show for tourism and leisure

CMT 2025 comes to a close after a successful event. For nine days, the Stuttgart Trade Fair Center revolved around all things holiday and travel, with 1570 exhibitors playing a major role in the success of the show. „The Stuttgart Holiday Exhibition has undeniably earned its reputation as the world’s biggest consumer show for tourism and leisure,” says Roland Bleinroth, President of Messe Stuttgart. „We had the pleasure of welcoming 260,000 visitors to our site, where they delighted at everything the tourism and caravaning sector had to offer. Our exhibitors were also extremely satisfied, since visitors not only looked at and compared the offerings, but also confirmed bookings, made purchases and placed orders.” New themes such as the CMT’s latest special exhibition „Selbstausbau” – a DIY campervan conversion exhibition – or the premiere of the sustainability-focused Future Tourism Congress for industry professionals, got off to a flying start.

A great reception for CMT’s featured country and cultural partner

Everyone was fascinated by this year’s featured country of India, says Bleinroth: „The stand was positively swarming with visitors, it really struck a chord.” Bimal Agarwala, President of the Ahret Travel Agency in Stuttgart, was delighted to see the high level of interest in travel to Kerala, Rajasthan or Ladakh, and was very pleased with how the exhibition went. Feedback from this year’s cultural partner was just as positive: „We had a great reception from visitors, and registered much more interest in our than in previous years,” reported Marika Fischer, Managing Director of the Chemnitz Zwickau Region Tourism Association. „People were well informed and came to us with very specific questions. Lots of them wanted to book a trip to our region and some already had.” This sentiment was echoed by Frizzi Seltmann, Marketing & Communication for the European capital of culture organisation, Kulturhauptstadt Europas Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH: „The CMT went brilliantly well. Footfall was fantastic, even on the weekdays. True to our slogan „C the Unseen”, visitors were given the chance to discover something new about Germany. We were able to present ourselves in the very best light and show visitors just how much there is to see and do in and around Chemnitz.”

Nationwide interest at a high level

The visitors to the exhibition appreciated the extensive accompanying programme, including the Holiday Cinema and stage shows, as well as the diverse offerings at the sold out event. In school grade terms, they awarded the CMT a „B”. It is therefore not surprising that 96% of surveyed visitors said they would recommend the event to their friends and family. On average, visitors stayed at the exhibition for more than five hours, allowing them to obtain information from the exhibiting companies and to look at the 1200 recreation vehicles on display. Almost one third of the exhibition guests travelled more than 100 kilometres to attend the event in Stuttgart. And 11 percent travelled from Bavaria to check out the caravaning halls and discover the latest models and trends and to get travel inspiration.

Beaming smiles in the camping and caravaning section

A holiday trend that shows no signs of fading is the motorhome or caravan: „With a huge array of vehicles to choose from, alongside lots of innovations and new products as well as competitive exhibition discounts,” the CMT sets travel shoppers’ hearts alight, explains Alexander Ege, Director of the Stuttgart Holiday Exhibitions at Messe Stuttgart. Matthias Euch, deputy chair of the German Caravaning Industry Association, confirmed this too: „The financial results are stable, registering slightly above last year’s figures. As such, CMT 2025 gave us a good start to the new year. Thanks to the amazing special offers available at the exhibition, visitors had the chance to snap up a real bargain.” Delivery problems such as those experienced during the pandemic can finally be put behind us. Motorhomes proved particularly popular, and interest in box vans also reached „an all-time high”. This is reinforced by Jochen Regenbogen, Head of Sales for the D-A-CH region at Dethleffs GmbH & Co. KG: „Interest was sky-high, we had a steady stream of visitors, sales were level with last year’s. Lots of new customers came to see us at the stand and here at the CMT we were able to give them in-depth advice. We invested a lot in the stand to make sure we could give our client base the full picture. And it was worth it. We’re thrilled with how it all turned out.” And for Manuel Sauter, Regional Director of Sales for Pössl Freizeit und Sport GmbH, there was no chance of getting bored at the exhibition: „We saw really high demand and keen interest. There were always lots of people at the stand, it made no difference whether it was the weekend or a weekday. We were able to offer in-depth advice and we are really pleased with the sales we made. Another positive is that more and more traders are using the CMT as a B2B platform. Our appearance definitely paid off.”

CMT special exhibitions in great demand

Exhibitors at the „Golf and wellness holidays” and „Cruises and ship travel” special exhibitions, which were held on the second weekend from Thursday to Sunday, were also very pleased with how the event turned out. Their verdict was unanimous: Not only was the number of visitors very high, but also the „quality” of visitor was high, i.e. their specific interest and the willingness to make bookings. During their four-day runs at the CMT, both exhibitions attracted many interested and knowledgeable visitors, as observed by Michael Marbler, President of the Baden-Württemberg Golf Association. „The exhibition really got golfers’ hearts racing; the retail stands and sales stands were well represented, our member clubs were excited to see such healthy demand and the subject areas we presented together with the German Golf Association proved hugely popular and certainly one of our highlights.” Manfred Furtner, President of Golf in Austria: „We have been coming here for 30 years, and it never fails to impress: The „Golf and wellness holidays” exhibition attracted a lot of companies that represented a fantastic range of products to add to this exhibition’s appeal. We welcomed not only existing customers and repeat guests, but also many new potential customers. The public interest was great, there were on-the-spot bookings, and excellent opportunities for us to network.” Carsten Fricke, Managing Director of eFoil Adventure, brought a splash of water sport to Stuttgart: „I was very pleasantly surprised by the demand: We were able to do so much more than simply hand out a bunch of flyers, we had lots of really good chats. I think we were able to show something new, which got people excited. Our stand definitely turned heads, lots of people stopped by to find out more. We were able to offer extensive advice and really showcase our sport – so we are really pleased we exhibited in Stuttgart.”

Successful first show for Selbstausbau

The first-ever Selbstausbau exhibition also went down a storm. 40 percent of the visitors travelled more than 100 kilometres to attend, indicative of the trans-regional interest in campervan conversion self-build projects. The stands, occupied by more than 40 exhibiting companies, were always surrounded by a crowd. Much to the delight of Sven Mammach, Co-President of Busbastler Academy: „We had a really good experience. We were in a top spot, both in terms of our stand’s position by the hall entrance and in terms of what we had on offer. The customer base was half those who already have a mobile home and half newbies. Besides questions on electrics, water supply and batteries, much of our discussions centred around room concepts for people with disabilities. We were able to offer useful advice and guide interested parties to the right place among the other exhibitors when appropriate. Our workshops also proved very popular, and were fully booked. Everyone was excited to finally see a spotlight being shone on self-build campervan conversions. I see enormous potential here; there is still a lot of room for this to grow.” Stefan Weiland, Managing Director and Owner of Vans und Wasser, feels the same way: „The exhibition is a great idea, because self-builders want to be able to do their own thing. Lots of customers are interested in the subject of water. I experimented a lot myself, until I ultimately turned my hobby into a job. We attracted a mixed audience, from upgrade customers to digital nomads who invest a lot of money in their vehicles. The general reception was great, people seemed to like what I had to offer and bought my products. I reckon I’ll be back next time.” Lorenz Schult, Service and Technology at Arwinger GmbH & Co. KG, considered his exhibition appearance a success: „There was great demand at Selbstausbau and a steady rate of people seeking advice. There were so many people there – and there was barely time to stop for a quick snack between visitors. We had lots of interest in our products and were able to answer lots of questions about conversion options. We had our hands full, but it was great fun.”

A meeting of minds for industry experts

The CMT has once again proven that it is more than just a show for consumers. It has long been providing a platform for industry experts too. With an extensive programme on offer for this client base, the Stuttgart Holiday Exhibition has won the hearts and minds of travel professionals. The programme explored such topics as digitalisation, careers in tourism and tourism policy. A total of approximately 34,000 visitors to the CMT were industry experts, eager to discover what was on show. One third of them travelled over 100 kilometres to be in Stuttgart and 12 percent travelled from Bavaria alone. 34 percent of the trade visitors surveyed occupy executive positions.

A flying start for the Future Tourism Congress

Proceedings got under way with the ADFC’s „RadRunde” meeting exploring cycling tourism. The Northern Black Forest Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Baden-Württemberg Tourism Academy put the spotlight on the Ministry for Economics, Employment and Tourism’s „Baden-Württemberg Tourism Day” while also presenting the topic of careers in tourism in an „unmissable event for all future talents”. On the same day, the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW) held a talk exploring tourism policy between nation and state. The umbrella organisation asked the question „what do small and medium-sized companies need from government policy?” The first ever „Future Tourism Congress” emerged a great success. The event, organised by sustainability certification organisation TourCert together with the CMT, offers insights into the latest developments and innovations from the tourism sector, and seminars, discussion panels and lectures were consistently fully booked. „It couldn’t have got off to a better start“, confirmed Guido von Vacano, Executive Vice President at Messe Stuttgart, „our vision was to create a platform that brings together the global players in the tourism sector, in order to develop the sustainable, innovative and technology-driven solutions for future challenges. And, together with Marco Giraldo, Managing Partner of TourCert, and his team, that’s precisely what we achieved.”

Running parallel to this was the coach tourism conference hosted by Gütegemeinschaft Buskomfort (GBK). Forums held by law firm Noll Hütten Dukic explored legal topics for domestic and international travel, while elsewhere on the agenda were topics such as cultural tourism, golf, camping and cruises. Meanwhile, the „Tourists & Campers” networking summit asked the question „how do I make the most of the enduring trend for camping tourism for my region?”

Cycling holidays and hiking continue to grow in popularity

The focal point of interest on the first weekend of CMT was the „Cycling and hiking holidays” outdoor exhibition. Cycling and hiking holidays are on the road to success and are becoming increasingly more popular. The exhibitors were once again able to see this first hand. They praised the knowledgeable, interested visitors who asked specific questions about current trends and undiscovered regions for hiking and cycling holidays, or enquired about the right accessories and suitable clothing.

CMT 2026 will take place in Stuttgart from 17 to 25 January.

Foto: MarianMocanu.ro

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