Berlin,
18 February 2019 The outlook is exceptionally good for ITB Berlin as final
preparations are under way for the 53rd edition which will take place from 6 to
10 March 2019. Some 10,000 companies and organizations from over 180 countries will
be represented in the biggest marketplace of the international travel industry.
This years official partner country Malaysia, which is organizing the opening
event on the eve of ITB Berlin 2019, is putting on a spectacular display of
performances typical for this region. During the show, trade visitors and the
public can find out about the many products and services of this southeast
Asian country. Now occupying a stand that has grown by around 100 square
metres, co-exhibitor numbers have more than doubled compared with last year.
"Once
again, the outstanding number of bookings received by ITB Berlin shows that in
these times especially, when talk is about geopolitical crises, climate change
and overtourism, the international travel industry is focusing on strong participation
and personal exchanges at the Worlds Leading Travel Trade Show", said David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin. "As well as regular
exhibitors we have secured the participation of many new companies this year.
We have created more floor space in order to satisfy demand. With the ITB
Berlin Convention relocating to the multi-purpose congress and trade fair venue
CityCube Berlin (CCB), we have been able to devote an exclusive area and 20 per
cent more space to the rapidly expanding Travel Technology segment. All six
Travel Technology halls were booked up back in December. "
Asia,
India and Arab countries are expanding onto the market
India,
Asia and Arab countries, whose tourism industries are all expanding, will again
be represented in large numbers at ITB Berlin. The presence of many new
exhibitors reflects the markets extremely dynamic growth. Among those
exhibiting for the first time are Karma Group, which markets exclusive 5-star
hotels and retreats, and the international tour operator Global DMC Network by
JTB Group from Japan. The displays of Arab countries reflect their growth on
the worlds tourism markets. This year is the first time that the Saudi General
Investment Authority is taking part in ITB Berlin. Dubai is participating in
larger numbers than last year. The countrys main attraction is Expo 2020
Dubai, which will be represented with its own stand. Oman, the official
partner country of ITB Berlin 2020, is occupying a larger display area, proof
of the growing economic importance of tourism in the sultanate. Fujairah, the
last country to join the Emirates and an emerging tourism destination, will
also be represented on a larger stand.
Hall
5.2b, which features India, was booked up at an early stage. A number of
exhibitors have enlarged their stands, including the states of Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu. A substantial number of up-and-coming enterprises have announced
their attendance, including Kesari Tours, Trans Indus Destination Management,
Visit Incredible India Tours, the luxury wellness resort Atmantan and the Uday
Samuadra Ayurveda & Yoga Resort. TourEast, an initiative which promotes
sustainable cultural tourism destinations in rural Bengal and Goa, is
presenting its projects at the Sustainable Travel Pavilion for the first time.
Australia,
Africa and South America highlight their continuous growth
Australia
is highlighting its growth prospects in the tourism market with a larger
display area. Among African countries, Egypt with its focus on grand Egyptian
museums and Namibia will be attracting attention with larger stands. One
important piece of information for visitors to the Africa: Swaziland will be
represented as the Kingdom of Eswatini. South American countries are picking up
where they left off last year all exhibitors have confirmed they will be back
at the show. Many first-time exhibitors from the Caribbean, including from
Curacao, Barbados, Belize and El Salvador, are also taking part. Grenada, the
Caribbean island which was an exhibitor at ITB Berlin back in 2015, is
celebrating its return. Peru and Ecuador have marginally increased their
displays, and Venezuela has even doubled the size of its stand.
Europe:
newcomers, many regular exhibitors and three anniversaries
A
large number of new exhibitors as well as larger stands in the European halls
mean that bookings there have remained stable. Newcomers include St. Helena,
where Napoleon was exiled, the EU Initiative European Capitals of Smart
Tourism, Turismo de Setúbal and Mystic Cruises from Portugal. Portugals
booming tourism industry will be hosting impressive displays. Over 100
exhibitors, the majority of them under the umbrella of Turismo de Portugal,
will be presenting their products on a 10 per cent larger display area.
Luxembourg and the Balearics are also occupying larger stands. Majorca in
particular is important for the German market. Now on a stand measuring over
500 square metres, the Russian representation is larger than ever before. Norway,
Bulgaria, Slovakia and Switzerland all have reasons to celebrate all four
destinations are celebrating 50 years at ITB Berlin.
New organisers and new hotels
An
impressive number of tour operators are new to the show. They include Alltours,
the travel website Urlaubsguru, the Swiss luxury cruise operator Scenic Luxury
Cruises & Tours, the Antarctic tour specialist Albatros Exhibition, the
online portal Kurzurlaub.de, and the software developer Durak und Reinhardt
GmbH. Now on two stands, Booking.com is occupying a much larger area. The
Indian luxury hotel group Roseate Hotels & Resorts are a main exhibitor. As
a newcomer in the hotel segment, the leading Asian luxury hotel group
Shangri-La has announced its participation with three hotels. Loop@ITB, a hotspot for buyers and hoteliers in
the luxury segment, has firmly established itself.
International
demand in the Medical Tourism and Cultural, Youth & Adventure Travel
segments
The Medical Tourism segment has reported an increase
in international companies too. Newcomers include Viaggiare Sorridere from
Albania, A-A Stomatologica from Romania, Cluster Dalmatia-Health from Croatia,
the Indian specialist in medical ayurveda applications CGH Earth, Dormio-Med
Dorota Kowalczyk, and the online portal MKT Plus from Poland. Also taking part
for the first time is the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA).
The European Spas Association (ESPA) and the Health Tourism Industry Conference
(HTI), the medical partners of ITB Berlin, are among the regular exhibitors at
the show. Once again, the HTI will be hosting the ITB Medical Night.
With
almost 40 exhibitors the Youth Travel Center is almost booked up. Italy,
represented by Tuscany, and the newly established Federal Association for
School Trips are represented here for the first time. The Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism segment
has reported an increase in exhibitor numbers too. Newcomers include a combined
stand with nine Madagascan tourism organisations featuring the slogan
Madagascar: Responsible Travel and Authentic Experiences, the Croatian
national parks Plitvice Lakes National Park and Park Krka, the publisher
Delius Klasing Verlag, WWF Germany, WWF Borneo, and the relief
organisation Brot für die Welt /Tourism Watch. For the past four years Cultural
Tourism has occupied its own hall at ITB Berlin. Some 70 exhibitors from 12
countries, including museums from all over Europe, festivals, joint European
large-scale projects and cultural attractions are presenting their cultural
highlights and offerings in the Culture Lounge.
Big
growth prospects: travel technology and the new TTA segment
The eTravel World is booked up. International
participation is also on the increase. In order to satisfy the space
requirements of this fast-growing segment the eTravel World was enlarged by 20
per cent. This was made possible by the ITB Berlin Convention relocating to
another venue. With more than a dozen first-time exhibitors, including
BookingSuite, Travelor, Loopon, Ratehawk, Atomize and Gastromatic, the
Hospitality Tech segment especially is reporting strong growth. The increasing
presence of payment system providers also underlines the growing importance of
travel technology. In addition to the major players Wirecard and Concardis,
big-name market leaders including Paypal, Six Payment Services and ECOMMPAY are
also taking part.
Thematically,
the new Technology, Tours & Activities (TTA) segment
spans a bridge between travel technology and adventure travel. A special 500
square-metre exhibition and meeting area is being set up where major players
and smaller startups can present their innovative products from the world of
in-destination services, including Bookingkit, Klook, Regiondo,
Fareharbor, ATTA, Evaneos and Giant Monkey. From Wednesday to Friday there will
be exhibitions on VR and AR applications and projects as well as
papers by speakers from major companies on the same subject.
MICE
and Business Travel expand ITB Berlin Convention relocates to a new venue
MICE
and Business Travel are moving closer together. On Wednesday, 6 and Thursday, 7
March 2019 the ITB MICE Forum and ITB Business Travel Forum will be sharing the
same space for half a day. The topic at the ITB MICE Forum is the Human
factor. The focus of the ITB Business Travel Forum is on smart mobility
concepts of the future. The CityCube Foyer East is offering a foretaste of
things to come in the shape of a Tesla electric car, which will be on display
there. This will then be repurposed as the studio for the brand new ITB Travel Hero Podcastwhich is due to be launched
during ITB Berlin. Visitors to the ITB MICE Hub can also take a seat in a
flight simulator.
Relocating
the ITB Berlin Convention to the multi-purpose congress and trade fair
venue CityCube has not only created more space for
events, it now means better access too. At the worlds largest tourism
convention some 400 leading figures representing tourism, politics, industry
will be discussing the latest topics at a total of 200 events. New among the
events are Deep Dive sessions at which visitors can dwell on the conventions
key topics in depth in small groups. Convention sessions and international
award presentations will also take place.
ITB
Berlin app lets visitors relax
The ITB Berlin app is a convenient and efficient tool for organizing ones visit on the move. Visitors can use it to easily find exhibitors, hall plans and events, including those at the ITB Berlin Convention, as well as to find their way around. The new beacon system means navigating around the halls is easy. What is more, MyITB with its user profile provides an excellent overview of favorite exhibitors and events. Regular updates will ensure that users always have the latest information during the show. The ITB app for iPhones, Android smartphones and tablets can be downloaded and updated free of charge and is available in German and English.
Please login to Comment