City Break 2009 will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, Reed Travel Exhibitions announced recently.

This will be Reed’s fourth show dedicated solely to the European city break market, and reflects the strength of a travel sector driven by low-cost carriers.

Belgrade, Athens and Helsinki have already hosted the exhibition that draws together Europe’s leading destinations, hotels, airlines and ancillary suppliers under one roof.  

Pre-scheduled buyer appointments are the key feature of City Break, with the 2008 show attracting buyers with a collective buying power in excess of £500 million. The 2009 event will be the first City Break exhibition not to be held in a capital city. Reed claimed the move reflects the strength of Europe’s secondary cities as popular tourist destinations.  

Lying at the gateway to western Sweden, Gothenburg is viewed by many as the country’s gastronomic capital and attracted over 442,000 tourist arrivals in 2007. 

“We are extremely pleased to be going to Gothenburg in 2009, thereby widening the perception of the City Break sector as applying to secondary cities, too,” commented Mark Walsh, City Break’s group event director. “As a destination, Gothenburg offers a rich culture and a maritime heritage while being the gateway to Sweden’s commanding scenery.” 

Speaking on behalf of the city, Claes Bjerkne, chief executive of Goteborg & Co, said: “We are very excited at being awarded host destination for City Break 2009, on 15-16 June.

For further information, visit www.citybreakexpo.com