MILAN (Reuters) - The organizers of the Geneva International Motor Show said on Thursday that they would not organize the event next year due to "industry-wide issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic".
The organisers said in a statement that direct and indirect issues linked to the pandemic left them "with no alternative".
They included both persisting travel restrictions for exhibitors, visitors, and journalists, as well as an ongoing global semiconductor crisis, which is leaving car manufacturers with new priorities, they said.
The decision comes after the show's 2019 and 2020 editions were also canceled following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The president of Comité permanent du Salon international de l'automobile, Maurice Turrettini, said that despite all efforts, organisers had to face reality.
"The pandemic situation is not under control and presents itself as a big threat for a large indoor event," he said.
Turrettini added, however, that he saw the decision as a postponement, rather than a cancellation.
"I am confident that the Geneva International Motor Show will come back stronger than ever in 2023," he said.