In December 2025, the European Travel Commission (ETC) hosted Eastern Europe Connect, an online B2B matchmaking event connecting tourism SMEs from Eastern Europe with travel operators and agents from the United States.
The initiative provided a platform for companies from Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia to strengthen their international partnerships and explore new business opportunities in the US market. Participants were able to showcase their products and services, enhance their visibility in an important long-haul market, and build lasting business relationships.
The programme combined preassigned online meetings with insight and presentation sessions, offering participants the chance to meet directly with US-based travel buyers and gain first-hand knowledge of key market trends, including US outbound travel to Europe, the current state of European tourism, the EU Tourism Transition Pathway, and the upcoming ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System). Eastern European national tourism boards also shared destination presentations, giving SMEs valuable guidance and inspiration for market engagement.
Eastern Europe Connect was organised with the technical support of ETOA-Celestina and presented by ETC under an ad-hoc grant from the European Commission.
