Medical Cannabis Tourism on the Rise in Europe: ICBC Berlin 2025 Spotlights Emerging Trends
Cannabis travel is medical—and Europe’s most powerful cannabis business conference, ICBC Berlin, proved why this evolution is both inevitable and strategic.
As global cannabis leaders gathered in Germany’s capital to shape the industry’s future, one theme stood out above all others: medical cannabis. Medical cannabis, sustainable growth, and international market development including the rise of a new era of medical cannabis tourism. From patient access to doctor training, pricing to policy and international trade, the path forward is clear—and it runs through medicine. Certain destinations, those that embrace this evolution, will enjoy unique growth opportunities that can uplift public health and community vitality.
Germany: Ground Zero for Medical Cannabis in Europe
Germany is quickly emerging as Europe’s medical cannabis epicenter, influencing not just its own domestic landscape but also the legislative and economic direction of the entire EU. With its focus on patient access, education, affordability, and regulated supply chains, Germany is defining the model that others are poised to follow.
Top legal expert Peter Homberg of gunnercooke drove this point home during his keynote address at ICBC Berlin, outlining the three core goals of Germany’s cannabis policy modernization:
- Protect children
- Boost public health outcomes
- Hinder the unregulated market
These goals are more than theory—they’re interconnected strategies. Public safety and health improvements are direct outcomes of dismantling the illicit market, and that’s only possible by offering legal, affordable, and accessible cannabis options. In fact, Germany’s legal medical cannabis market now offers lower prices than the illicit market, proving regulation can win when it provides value and safety.
Germany is quickly emerging as Europe’s medical cannabis epicenter.
Medical Cannabis Travel: A Growing Global Opportunity
As cannabis laws remain fragmented across states, provinces, countries and continents, travel becomes a lifeline for patients seeking consistent, quality care. Whether crossing city lines or national borders, patients need safe, legal access—and destinations that offer it have a new advantage: becoming trusted hubs for access to medical cannabis information and care.
This is where cannabis tourism steps into the mainstream. Medical cannabis travel is a strategic infrastructure layer, blending economic opportunity, public health, economic impact, and destination branding.
From MSOs to MCOS: The Rise of Global Cannabis Operators
One shift I witnessed in the conversation at ICBC Berlin was to MCOS (multi-country operators). As brands expand across borders, they must navigate regulatory landscapes that vary by country. Germany, as a major importer of medical cannabis flower, is already influencing global trade routes.
For brands and investors, success requires more than compliance—it demands collaboration with sectors like travel, tourism, and healthcare. That’s where the next wave of cannabis expansion will flourish.
The Travel Industry: Cannabis’ Most Underrated Ally
Tourism boards, destination marketers, and hospitality leaders already understand experience, trust, and storytelling. These assets are gold in the cannabis world. Cannabis brands that align with the global travel industry and destinations that align cannabis integration with regional development goals will win—especially as patients seek safe access, immersive healing experiences, and cultural connection.
Medical cannabis travel is a strategic infrastructure layer, blending economic opportunity, public health, economic impact, and destination branding.
The Experience Economy: Where Medicine Meets Wellness
At ICBC Berlin there was the growing convergence between medical cannabis and the experience economy, a framework different from the cannabis commodities, products and services. Europe, especially Germany, is at the beginning of offering curated experiences for medical cannabis patients and doctors—medical cannabis experiences that combine access to medicine with immersive education, training, and/or healing.
When it comes to leisure cannabis travel growth in Europe, the buzz word is well-being. Cannabis beverages, culinary pairings, non-inhalation spa treatments—these are the pathways to the next era of normalization. Wellness is the North Star, and brands that innovate around low-dose, sensory-driven products will lead the future and welcome a new audience.
The First Touch Matters: Travel as Patient Onboarding
Perhaps the most powerful insight of all: tourism can be the first point of contact for medical cannabis patients. Travel invites curiosity and openness—an ideal moment for safe, dignified onboarding into cannabis therapy.
Destinations offering hospitable healthcare experiences—bundling education, lodging, and wellness—will not only win loyalty but also gain access to critical visitor data that can shape product development, marketing, and policy.
Case Studies: Legacy Lessons from Amsterdam and Colombia
ICBC Berlin also reminded attendees of powerful legacy models:
- Amsterdam’s Bulldog: The world’s most recognized cannabis hospitality brand, proving that cannabis tourism can become a global legacy business.
- Colombia’s Folgers Coffee Strategy: A masterclass in how agriculture, identity, and tourism can combine to create national value.
Cannabis regions like California’s Emerald Triangle or Morocco’s Rif Mountains can follow similar blueprints, leveraging place-of-origin stories and tourism to build lasting equity.
Amsterdam’s Bulldog: The world’s most recognized cannabis hospitality brand, proving that cannabis tourism can become a global legacy business.
Key Takeaways for the European Cannabis Travel Economy
- Medical Is the Entry Point: The foundation of European cannabis growth lies in serving patients first.
- Travel Is Strategic Infrastructure: Safe cannabis access equals movement—movement equals tourism.
- Experience Drives Loyalty: Immersive cannabis travel products will shape brand differentiation.
- The First Touch Is Crucial: Tourism offers a prime gateway to patient education and onboarding.
- Hospitable Healthcare Is the Future: Bundle lodging, wellness, and culture into the care experience.
- Data Is Power: Visitor behavior insights can unlock new markets and growth strategies.
- Integration Over Isolation: Align cannabis with tourism and development strategies for lasting impact.
Conclusion: Borderless Growth for Bold Brands
ICBC Berlin 2025 made one thing abundantly clear: Cannabis travel is no longer a side conversation—it’s an integral part of the European market’s next phase of growth. Medical cannabis tourism sits at the intersection of public health, economic diversification, and patient empowerment.
For cannabis brands, destinations, and operators willing to invest in integration, innovation, and hospitality, the future isn’t just medical—it’s borderless, experiential, and transformational.