organisations-operators

The Gulf state is exhibiting at ITB Berlin for the first time. Saudi Arabia wants to lure more tourists to the country with new hotels, restaurants and attractions at historical sites such as Diriyah and Alula. Increasing hotel capacity and flight routes and easing visa requirements are part of a strategy for the future entitled Vision 2030 which envisions an economic transition towards greater diversity and sustainability. The Gulf state is represented at ITB Berlin for the first time and over the coming days will provide information on new tourism projects on its stand in Hall 3.2.
Saudi Arabia attracts almost two million pilgrims annually with Mecca and Medina, holy sites in Islam. Beyond that however, the country wanted to profit more from tourism, said Hazim Al Hazmi of the Saudi Tourism Authority speaking at the press conference of ITB Berlin at the Palais am Funkturm. The country is currently investing heavily in tourism as part of Vision 2030. As a strategy for the future it wants to reduce oil dependence by strengthening other sectors.
At its press conference on Media Monday at ITB Berlin, Saudi Arabia presented some of its tourist highlights. In the desert city of Diriyah, marketed under the slogan ’The City of Earth’, the district of Al Bujairi with its winding streets awaits visitors who take a short half-hour drive from King Khalid International Airport or travel 15 minutes from Riyadh’s city centre. The history of the former Saudi capital is documented in museums. According to Abdulrahman Aljefri of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, there are plans to significantly expand bed capacity around this historical site and build 38 hotels. Expanding the Bujairi Terrace resort to include 21 luxury and mega-luxury restaurants is seen as a gigantic project.
Fascinating rock formations await visitors to Alula. According to Julia Stubenböck of the Royal Commission for Alula Germany, there are plans to increase bed capacity here too to 5,000 rooms in 2030. Visitors can look forward to numerous adventure activities or relaxing – from volcanic tours to wellness applications at Saudi Arabia’s first Banyan Tree Resort.
According to Abdullah Al-Zahrani of Red Sea Global, beach holidays in Saudi Arabia are an option too. Currently hotels, apartments and leisure facilities enabling sustainable tourism are being built on the Gulf state’s west coast, where travellers can dive down with colourful marine life in the Red Sea and enjoy sports and leisure activities.ADVERTISEMENT

Older
The United Nations Establishes Global Tourism Resilience Day

Newer
Manchester City players and Etihad Airways make dreams come true for young female players More

The United Nations has voted to create a Global Tourism Resilience Day, which will be marked each year on February 17.The day will be used to promote a sustainable and resilient travel industry, with a focus on the potential for the sector to drive economic growth, social development and financial inclusion, in addition to environmental benefits.
The UN voted on Monday, February 6 to adopt resolution 70.1 drafted by the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council in collaboration with the Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre.
It was backed by countries including the Bahamas, Belize, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Georgia, Greece, Guyana, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Malta, Namibia, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Zambia.
More than 30 private sector associations including the USTA, IATA, the WTTC, Travalyst, the Business Travel Association, LATA, PATA, ETOA, ITB Berlin, Travel Foundation, Travel Declares a Climate Emergency, the GBTA, USAID Developing Sustainable Travel in Bosnia Herzegovina and the Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers also endorsed the proposal.
Jamaican tourism minister Edmund Bartlett (pictured), who made the case to the UN and is also co-chair of the Resilience Council and the GTRCMC, said: “The day will remind countries and businesses in travel and tourism to focus on how you respond to crises, how you recover quickly, and how you will grow. That is what resilience is all about.”ADVERTISEMENTResilience Council spokesperson Laurie Myers added: “Every year leading up to February 17 we will run events and campaigns to remind both the public and private sectors to focus on preparedness, sustainability, recovery and resilience with the outstanding examples being honoured establishing best practice and in the process saving lives.”
Minister Bartlett will hold a Talk and Toast event at ITB to share the enormous importance of this day going forward and hand out certificates of appreciation and acknowledgment to invited organizations present at ITB. March 9 at 5:20pm in Hall 3 1.b.

Older
NEW CHALLENGES FOR LGBTQ+ TOURISM

Newer
SAUDI ARABIA – A LUXURY DESTINATION More

New crises and the uncertainty they create are encouraging populism, and “then we minorities are the first to be attacked.“ That was the sad fact that stood out in Tuesday’s keynote speech by Peter Jordan on ’LGBTQ+ Tourism and Resilience’.Jordan, founder of the consultancy Gen C Traveller, was confident the community could master this challenge: “It has been through a lot these last few years.“
Rika Jean-François, CSR commissioner for ITB Berlin, opened the panel discussion noting that the pandemic in particular had further increased the threat for minorities and that it helped hate and conservatism thrive again. Jordan was insistent that even in times of increasing demand for sustainability travel had to remain a basic need because it was indispensable among other things for educating oneself and one’s personal orientation. The LGBTQ+ community had to “establish its own resilience“ while also identifying with measures to fight climate change, since this impacted everybody regardless of sexual orientation. It was possible this increasingly urgent situation held the key to successful inclusion.
Barbara Poma of the onePulse Foundation from Orlando, who has dedicated herself to the fight against hatred, invited everybody to travel to Florida to help the local inclusion efforts which are under threat from many sides. Benedikt Brandmeier, director of Tourism, Events and Hospitality, explained the efforts the Bavarian capital is taking in order to treat tourists not simply as cash-dispensing hobby photographers, but to make them feel part of everyday local activities, thus giving them a taste of the city’s way of life. He admitted this was sometimes difficult to reconcile with the LGBTQ+ community’s desire for safe spaces, however such efforts had proved successful at specific carnival events.
Rachel Ferguson of Visit Philadelphia made similar comments. Many visitors belonged to more than one marginalised minority, as a person of colour or in the role of a mother for example. The solution, with inclusion as its goal, had to be to afford all groups respect so they could realise their potential with dignity as free persons. Alex Belopolsky of the Munich Proud at Work Foundation appealed not to simply accept decisions contradicting LGBTQ+ values, such as that of UNWTO to make the Uzbek city of Samarkand the World Tourism Capital, because homosexuality was punishable with a jail sentence in Uzbekistan.
Thomas Bömkes, the LGBTQ+ tourism adviser to ITB Berlin, announced Karl Krause and Daan Coljin as winners of the Pioneer Award for innovative achievements for the community. They had travelled around the world as a male couple with their travel blog, had recently published a book and had contributed decisively to spreading a positive LGBTQ+ aura.ADVERTISEMENT

Older
NEW DESTINATIONS AND MORE FLIGHTS

Newer
The United Nations Establishes Global Tourism Resilience Day More

Initiative announced to address the workforce deficit in the travel and tourism industry. Jamaican Minister Bartlett to discuss global workforce issues in tourism at ITB, Berlin
A newly formed Tourism Employment Expansion Mandate (TEEM) project, which is a cross sector collaborative effort to understand the workforce deficit in the travel industry, has released new global research that indicates the situation is more critical than ever.
The project put in place by the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council (RC) under the leadership of Minister Edmund Bartlett of Jamaica to monitor emerging trends and promote resilience, has shared their preliminary research with some alarming findings. While the tourism sector has fueled the global economy of up to 10.6%, it is a vulnerable sector that has felt the impact of the global pandemic with a loss of more than 62 million workers according to the World Economic Forum.
Working on behalf of TEEM to ensure a broad cross section are organizations such as EEA, GTTP, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, A World for Travel, Medov Logistics, JMG, EMG, FINN Partners, LATA, USAID Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia Herzegovina and others. The research was conducted globally across travel and tourism industry. The key findings include:
Alarming deficit figures – 68 percent of respondents said they are currently understaffed. Whilst the deficit of the workforce has been widely discussed – there’s been no data to understand how widely the issue is being felt across the industry. The resource shortage remains critical in food preparation, technology, AI, sales and reservations.ADVERTISEMENTDeficit due to the industry’s image – 88 percent of the global travel and tourism industry recognize the deficit in the workforce and attribute that to a reputational challenge, leading to a lack of talent in the industry. The same amount would welcome and support an initiative to understand talent sentiment.
Younger demographic harder to attract – 62 percent said the 25–45-year-olds are the most difficult talent to attract to travel and tourism. Talent is choosing to pursue jobs in technology and pharmaceuticals rather than the travel industry.
No action to address the issue – 80 percent of respondents said they leave jobs open longer than in previous years and 82 percent leave jobs open rather than pushing through other means. This indicates that the travel and tourism industry is taking a wait and see approach rather than taking action to address the issue.
The research was initially presented at the Global Tourism Resilience Conference in Kingston, Jamaica in celebration of February 17th being declared Global Tourism Resilience Day by the United Nations. A day which is focused on driving global resilience within the travel industry. This is the first phase of the planned research being driven by Arvensis Search for TEEM. The next step will look at understanding the talent sentiment and identifying reasons for attrition and migration to other industries.
TEEM was represented on two panels to discuss the human capital crisis identified by the research, and steps that can be taken to address it. Both Anne Lotter, Executive Director of GTTP and Christian Delom, Secretary General of the A World for Travel stressed that engaging the future talent pipeline with an interactive and exciting curricula and retaining staff by adapting the business model to align with students’ expectations were some of the suggestions made by the panel. The panel, agreed that education is key, offering a professional training programme which balances skills and training to ensure future employees do not transfer out of the sector. Ibrahim Osta, USAID Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chief of Party also presented models of best practice in human capital development for the tourism sector from various countries including Jordan, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He presented a four-pronged approach for the Industry that includes expanding the demand for tourism jobs through employer brand awareness campaigns, upgrading vocational training for youth, improving higher education institutions’ curricula and implementing industry-based training to upskill existing workers, all elements of the TEEM plans going forward.
Minister Bartlett, the Resilience Council’s CoChair said: “Resilience is not a destination…it’s a journey. We all must be on this journey together in collaboration with each other to ensure that economic parameters and the social conditions are improved, while climate and the environment are addressed. Resilience means we prepare for crises rather than react to them. Let us not have gone through this pandemic without having learned the lessons. Across the world there are examples that we can replicate while we improve our own responses, we lift those who have not the capacity. We build capacity and we share best practices, new technologies and social philosophies that ensure local supply chains are maximized as workers are embraced and thrive within the sector.”
The Minister will further discuss the work of Project TEEM and resilience of the industry on 8 March 2023 at ITB, Berlin. Minister Bartlett will be joining the ‘New Narratives for Work’ panel session moderated by established tourism author Harald Pechlaner for Destination Resilience, Routeledge, 2018. The Future Work Track session will be on the Blue Stage, Hall 7-1b from 10:30-12:00. For more information on Project TEEM or to be involved, write to [email protected]

Older
Emirates focuses on 2023 theme of embracing equity this International Women’s Day

Newer
Casa de Campo launches Thirdhome partnership More

From left to right: Julia Simpson, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Governing Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey; Dirk Hoffmann, Managing Director of Messe Berlin; Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Dr. Robert Habeck, and Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili
With the exhibition grounds almost fully booked and high demand from the Middle East, the cruise industry and travel technology sector, following the break due to the pandemic and taking as its slogan ’Open for Change’, the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show ITB Berlin is back from 7 to 9 March 2023 with international exhibitors in high numbers as a hybrid in-person event in the display halls in Berlin. In total, around 5,500 exhibiting companies from 161 countries are taking part in this year’s ITB Berlin. Additionally represented companies are no longer being counted as of this year.
The high number of registrations for the Buyers Circle also reflects the desire for face-to-face talks. This year, ITB Berlin was for the first time able to approve 1,300 handpicked buyers – nearly a third more than before the pandemic. “Particularly in times of war, geopolitical crises and climate change, the focus of the international travel industry is on strong participation and personal dialogue at the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show, which will cater exclusively for trade visitors and run for three days as a B2B event. Prior to the pandemic our customers and partners had already requested this move – accordingly there was a positive industry response to this decision. From 1 to 3 December Messe Berlin will welcome the general public to the Berlin Travel Festival at the leisure exhibition BOAT & FUN BERLIN“, said Dirk Hoffmann, managing director of Messe Berlin.
* Additionally represented companies are no longer being counted as exhibitors as of 2023. They include companies represented only with products on an exhibitor’s stand, but without staff.
Taking as its slogan ’Infinite Hospitality’, Georgia is the Official Host Country of ITB Berlin 2023 and is presenting its wide-ranging tourism attractions with comprehensive displays in the large multi-purpose hall hub27, in Hall 4.1, at the south entrance and with many activities and events throughout the exhibition grounds. Georgia is also organising the festive opening gala on 6 March in the CityCube Berlin and will be taking invited guests on an impressive tour of the cultural and ethnic diversity of this country in the Caucasus. On the eve of the trade show, high-profile figures from politics and the industry set the stage for the guests at the opening event of this year’s ITB Berlin. They include Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Dr. Robert Habeck, Governing Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey, President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Julia Simpson, and Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili.
The industry’s leading thinktank is also making a live comebackThis year at the ITB Berlin Convention, the leading thinktank for the industry, events will take place under the heading ’Mastering Transformation’. At 200 sessions, 400 leading speakers will respond to the issues that concern the tourism industry both now and going forward, and on how to shape the transition to a sustainable and successful future. Taking part in 18 theme tracks on a total of four convention stages in Halls 7.1a, 7.1b, 6.1 and 3.1, experts will be sharing their knowledge on the latest tasks and challenges facing the tourism industry. They include TUI CEO Sebastian Ebel, Caroline Bremner, Senior Industry Manager at Euromonitor International, CEO Keith Tan of the Singapore Tourism Board, UNWTO Director Dr. Dirk Glaeßer, Charuta Fadnis, SVP, Research & Product Strategy at Phocuswright, Fernverkehr Marketing CMO, Deutsche Bahn, Stefanie Berk, President of the ifo Institute Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Clemens Fuest, and General Manager Airbnb DACH Kathrin Anselm. Selected sessions will be streamed on the supporting event platform ITBxplore and via the ITB app.ADVERTISEMENTITB Berlin 2023 features numerous innovationsIn January of this year, Deborah Rothe (31) became Exhibition Director and took over the project management of ITB Berlin, replacing David Ruetz (54) who as Head of ITB Berlin had been in charge of the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show since 2002. In future, as Senior Vice President, he will be Head of Travel & Logistics at Messe Berlin. This year, ITB Media Monday is making its debut on 6 March and will kick off with the opening press conference. This will be followed by press conferences and presentations by selected exhibitors, including the European Travel Commission (ETC), the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Saudi Tourism Authority.
Networking, making appointments, searching for exhibitors and products and livestreamed events: that is what the new online platform at ITBxplore and the ITB app are about. They will be supporting the live event in a virtual space. Covering a total display area of 10,000 square metres, the new multi-purpose hall hub27 is the new “destination hotspot’ at ITB Berlin, where exhibitors have been relocated due to restoration work on the halls around the Radio Tower. They include the host country Georgia as well as Austria, Switzerland and the German National Tourism Board (DZT).
This is the first time during the event that customers at ITB Berlin will be able to make use of the new state-of-the-art hybrid studio in Hall 5.3 to hold their own press conferences and product presentations, among them Georgia, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Maldives. The new Business+ Lounge in Hall 7.2a and the Business Satellites in Hall 20, hub27 and 6.2b are for the first time available to all participants, who can book hourly table slots in advance or directly via itb.com. Travelport is the official sponsor of the ITB Business Satellite in Hall 6.2.b. Rounding off networking events will be the ITB Speed Networking Event on Wednesday, 8 March, the ITB Convention Café in Hall 7.1b and events on the networking area in Hall 3.1. This year, ticket sales are taking place online only. Those wishing to attend ITB Berlin digitally can purchase a “fully digital ticket“. The new ITB Lighthouse Stage in Hall 4.1 will feature informative keynote speeches and presentations on adventure travel, careers and responsible tourism topics. This year, together with the CBS International Business School and co:compass, the trade show is celebrating the return of the Best Exhibitor Award. Trained CBS students will assess all the trade show stands at ITB Berlin. Judging will take place in 11 categories according to a scientifically developed criteria list, and the winners will be honoured at an awards ceremony on the evening of 9 March, the last day of the event. A new feature this year is the Street Food Market in Hall 7.2c, where visitors can take a culinary tour and fully enjoy international cuisine.
New: The ITB Innovation Radar gives industry pioneers a platformIn 2023, the new ITB Innovation Radar will for the first time present a selection of exhibitors’ new products. In the run-up to the event, ITB Berlin invited exhibitors to submit innovations that will have a long-term effect on tomorrow’s travel industry. The results are 11 selected innovations that place the spotlight on software solutions, innovative products and groundbreaking concepts. For travel specialists for example, Lato is the ideal tool for creating and swapping travel products and services. TRZMO gives travellers a sense of freedom by providing uninterrupted international roaming. RightFlight Robotics developed by RightRez is a flight booking engine that makes it easier to sell flights and at the same time offers lower fares and costs. Mobility Budget by FREE NOW for Business is a service for companies who want to offer their workers flexibility outside the workplace. VR Payment Experience developed by Worldline has created a simultaneous multi-factor authentification method for payments in the virtual world. better.energy is an existing energy management solution by Betterspace. GreenSquareConcept is the name of an ambitious sustainability concept by the Dorint Hotel Group. Holipay is a payment method for booking holidays. GauVendi is an AI-driven hotel marketing system that separates the actual rooms from the products offered to customers. GPM by Tamara Leisure Experiences is a comprehensive project management tool for the hotel industry. TripOptimizer by Nezasa makes it possible to optimise complex multiple flight and return fare bookings. For more information on the Innovation Radar 2023 click here.
International participation in ITB Berlin 2023 extremely highThe HOME OF LUXURY by ITB segment is also making its debut at the World’s Largest Travel Trade show. It offers luxury tourism buyers a unique environment in the historic Marshall Haus on the exhibition grounds and features networking events and meetings in impressive surroundings, along with panel discussions and lectures at the ITB Berlin Convention. Among the luxury tourism exhibitors present are Severin*s Resort & Spa (Sylt) and the polar expedition company Quark Expeditions (Seattle, Washington State).
The Travel Technology and Mobility segments are back with exhibitors in large numbers. All the Travel Technology halls are fully booked. International airlines, cruise liners and tour operators are represented with their products in Hall 25. As in previous years, Arab countries from North Africa and the Middle East are strongly represented, with Egypt, Morocco, Qatar and Oman located in Hall 4.2, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and newcomer Saudi Arabia in Hall 3.2b. Demand from southern European countries is high too. As at the last events, the Nordic and Baltic countries as well as Ireland are strongly represented in Hall 20. The UK also has a large stand again. International representations in the Career (ITB Career Center), Adventure / Responsible Tourism and Youth Travel segments are featured in Hall 4.1. Hall 6.2 is where the Culture Lounge, a large display area for cultural tourism organisers, can be found. Visitors can also expect Central and South American countries and the Caribbean to be represented in large numbers in Halls 22 and 23. In Halls 5.2a and 5.2b the focus is on India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, New Zealand, Australia and Tahiti. The Meet The Pacific stand is new and features the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu. The Benelux countries, VisitLuxembourg, the Dutch Tourism Board and Visit Brussels are represented in Hall 6.2b. In the Asia Hall (26a/b), the destinations awaiting visitors are Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Japan, Tokyo, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia. China is represented by the provinces Zhejiang and Huangshan. This year, Hall 21 is devoted entirely to sub-Saharan countries, including South Africa, Madagascar, Namibia, Mauritius, Réunion, the Seychelles, Botswana, Ghana, The Gambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zanzibar and Zambia. The German marketplace is making its debut in Hall 6.2. Exhibitors there include the Semperoper Dresden, Ferienpark Weissenhäuser Strand, Hirmer Hospitality, Flughafen Hamburg GmbH, Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH, Wirtschaftsförderung & Technologietransfer GmbH, Stöcker Flughafen GmbH & Co. KG, ProAir-Charter-Transport GmbH, Phoenix des Lumières, ZEIT Verlagsgruppe and TÜV Rheinland.
Condor, Lebanon and Bhutan are back again after a break. Visitors can also look forward to newcomers at ITB Berlin. Thus, Airbnb is appearing for the first time, as is Home2Go. United Airlines also has its own stand in 2023. Out of the cruise companies present, MSC Cruises and its subsidiary Explora Journeys are represented with their own stand. Among hotel chains the Hyatt Inclusive Collection also has its own stand. In addition to the newcomers and regulars attending some exhibitors are also moving, including the African countries Ethiopia, Rwanda and Senegal, which are now located in Hall 22. Israel can be found in Hall 3.1. This year, the Medical Pavilion is located in the dedicated Medical Hall (26c), which also features many exhibitors from Turkey. The LGBTQ+ Pavilion has relocated to Hall 4.1. Exhibitors there include Visit Malta which is presenting this year’s Europride.

Older
EUROPEAN LONG-HAUL TOURISM IS RECOVERING

Newer
Ao Dai Festival 2023 – vibrant Ho Chi Minh City welcomes international tourists More

How can Europe become attractive again for overseas visitors? Speaking at a press conference at ITB Berlin, the president of the European Travel Commission (ETC) explained how, under the label of Visit Europe, the EU is marketing itself to visitors from the USA, Asia and South America as a safe destination that has much to offer.The European Tourism Association (ETOA) and Tourism Economics believe the market will have recovered by 2024, but that obtaining visas will still be a challenge.
Overseas visitors were decisive for a recovery of the European tourism market. Visitors often travelled for weeks at a time and booked a large number of overnights. They also spent an above-average amount of money at their destinations. As such they were extremely important for a full recovery and future growth of the European tourism market, said David Goodger, director of Tourism Economics. While domestic tourism and tourism in neighbouring countries had almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels, there were currently fewer overseas visitors than in 2019.
According to the tourism expert, the latest surveys showed many people in overseas countries wanting to travel again. At the same time high inflation and recession were causing uncertainty. Currently, the number of travellers from the USA had already regained pre-pandemic levels. David Goodger believes that Brazil, India and Australia will recover in 2023. In 2023, people travelling from China and Japan will increase again, and numbers will have significantly recovered by 2024.
As overseas travellers often regard Europe as a single destination the European Travel Commission (ETC) is marketing its member countries under a common label, Visit Europe. ETC president Luis Araujo unveiled a new members’ campaign that presents Europe as a safe travel destination that has a lot to offer to nature lovers, culturally interested visitors and families.
Despite the optimism, which Tom Jenkins, CEO of the European Tourism Association (ETOA) shared, particularly with regard to the USA, he also saw obstacles to growth in the long-haul tourism market. Thus, in Europe issuing visas continued to be a national prerogative and could take weeks in some cases. Nor had long-haul flights and hotel capacity regained pre-pandemic levels. In that respect however he saw Europe as being on course.ADVERTISEMENT

Older
EVERY HOTEL OWNER CAN TAKE PART

Newer
ITB Berlin – International travel industry focuses on strong participation and personal dialogue More