Benin at IFTM Top Resa 2025

Project Overview

From September 23 to 25, 2025, the Republic of Benin took part in IFTM Top Resa, the leading tourism trade fair in France and one of the most influential tourism exhibitions worldwide.

Benin’s participation was designed as a strategic visibility operation, centered on the conception and construction of a dedicated national pavilion embodying the country brand Benin, A World of Wonders. The objective was to position Benin as a distinctive, experiential, and culturally rich destination for international tourism professionals.

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Introduction

In a highly competitive global tourism market, international trade shows remain essential platforms for destination visibility, professional networking, and market positioning. IFTM Top Resa represents a key gateway to the French and European tourism ecosystem, bringing together tour operators, travel agencies, airlines, media, and institutional stakeholders.

Benin’s participation aimed to go beyond a conventional stand presence, offering a coherent and immersive brand experience capable of expressing the country’s identity, diversity, and tourism potential under a single, unified narrative.

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The Challenge

Standing Out on a Highly Competitive International Platform

With hundreds of destinations competing for attention, the challenge was to create a pavilion that would immediately capture interest, convey clarity of positioning, and leave a lasting impression on professionals.

The objective was to avoid fragmented messaging and instead present Benin through a harmonized narrative, aligning gastronomy, culture, heritage, and tourism assets within a single experiential framework.

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The Mission

Create an Immersive Pavilion Reflecting the Country Brand

The mission was to design and coordinate a pavilion that would fully embody Benin, A World of Wonders, translating the brand into space, experience, and interaction.

The pavilion needed to function simultaneously as a meeting point for professionals, a showcase of Benin’s tourism offer, and a cultural gateway inviting discovery, dialogue, and engagement.

Pavilion Concept and Experience

The Benin Pavilion was conceived as an immersive and welcoming space, structured around the country brand and its promise of diversity and wonder. The scenography highlighted Benin’s key tourism assets, including culture, history, nature, heritage, and contemporary creativity.

A strong emphasis was placed on Beninese gastronomy, offering visitors a sensory entry point into the destination through flavors, culinary traditions, and moments of sharing. This gastronomic dimension reinforced authenticity and emotional connection.

The experience was further enriched by cultural programming, notably the presence of the musical production The Throne of Behanzin, which brought history and artistic expression to life through live performance. This animation created a strong emotional impact and distinguished the pavilion within the exhibition.

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Communication Strategy 360

Benin’s participation was supported by a coordinated communication strategy targeting tourism professionals, media, and partners before, during, and after the event.

The pavilion served as a central activation point, facilitating meetings, content creation, and storytelling around the destination. This approach strengthened Benin’s visibility, reinforced brand coherence, and maximized engagement throughout the three days of the exhibition.

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Implementation

From Brand Vision to On-Site Execution

The project involved the full coordination of the pavilion’s conception, construction, and on-site deployment, ensuring alignment between brand identity, scenography, and visitor experience.

All elements, visual identity, messaging, animations, and hospitality, were designed to deliver a consistent and high-quality representation of Benin on the international tourism stage.

Results and Impact

Benin’s presence at IFTM Top Resa 2025 reinforced the country’s positioning as a culturally rich and experiential destination. The pavilion attracted strong interest from tourism professionals and media, facilitated strategic exchanges, and enhanced recognition of Benin, A World of Wonders as a unified country brand.

Beyond immediate visibility, the participation contributed to strengthening Benin’s long-term relationships with tourism stakeholders and expanding its footprint within the European travel market.

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A Strategic Showcase for Destination Benin

The participation of Benin at IFTM Top Resa 2025 demonstrated the power of immersive branding in destination promotion. By aligning pavilion design, cultural expression, and professional engagement under a single narrative, Benin successfully asserted its identity on one of the world’s leading tourism platforms.

This operation stands as a reference for how country branding, when translated into experience, can maximize impact, memorability, and professional engagement.