ITB Berlin News - Day 1
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WEDNESDAY<br />
6 th MARCH<br />
2013<br />
DAY1<br />
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<br />
regioNAl spotlight: asia<br />
Special Feature: TRAVEL TECHNOLOGIES<br />
TRADE NEWS<br />
Hon. Hisham Zaazou<br />
Minister of Tourism, Egypt<br />
“Egypt has started its<br />
transformation into<br />
becoming a stable<br />
and democratic<br />
country” Read page 23<br />
Hon. Dato’ Sri Dr Ng<br />
Yen Yen<br />
Minister of Tourism, Malaysia<br />
“We are already<br />
the second-largest<br />
destination in Asia<br />
after China, and 9 th<br />
largest in the world”<br />
Read page 35<br />
Manfred Osthues<br />
Co-founder and managing<br />
partner, Protel<br />
“We are highly motivated<br />
to guide our clients<br />
throughout the entire<br />
guest journey”<br />
Read page 41<br />
David Ruetz<br />
Head of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
“The services of the<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> Buyers’ Circle<br />
save buyers’ time and<br />
significantly increase<br />
their efficiency”<br />
Read page 43<br />
Hall 9<br />
Stand<br />
202<br />
Hall 2.1<br />
Stand<br />
225<br />
Hall 9<br />
Stand<br />
123<br />
$6.5 Trillion and<br />
260 Million Jobs<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> 2013 brings together the world of travel<br />
and tourism<br />
The WTTC’s estimate that the economic<br />
impacts of travel and tourism will<br />
contribute some $6.5 trillion to the<br />
global economy and generate 260<br />
million jobs – or 1 in 12 of all jobs on<br />
the planet – is now widely recognised<br />
as a key reference. Indeed, the G20<br />
world leaders for the first time, in 2012<br />
recognised the importance of Travel &<br />
Tourism as a driver of jobs, growth and<br />
economic recovery.<br />
This year, at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>, the<br />
announcement of the presence at the<br />
opening ceremony of Chancellor Angela<br />
Merkel and Indonesia’s President Susilo<br />
Bambang Yudhoyono confirm the critical<br />
nature of this sector and the subsequent<br />
importance of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> as a guiding<br />
light for the industry. As partner country<br />
of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> this year, Indonesia is in<br />
many ways leading the field in terms of<br />
innovative marketing.<br />
(see interview – Hon. Dr Mari Elka Pangestu,<br />
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy,<br />
Republic of Indonesia – p.20)<br />
Hon. Dr Mari Elka Pangestu<br />
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia<br />
Destination Spotlight: ASIA<br />
Asia continues to be the<br />
driving force in global tourism.<br />
According to the latest <strong>ITB</strong><br />
World Travel Trends Report,<br />
last year the number of<br />
outbound trips from Asia rose<br />
by seven per cent, due in part<br />
to rising wages. By the same<br />
token, inbound travel is also<br />
flourishing. In this edition, we<br />
give a close-up on “all things<br />
Asia” in our daily regional<br />
spotlight.<br />
Section begins page 27<br />
India
NEWS<br />
5<br />
Making Messe <strong>Berlin</strong> Unstoppable<br />
Raimond Hosch – CEO of Messe <strong>Berlin</strong> – to pass his position over to Dr Christian<br />
Göke (current COO) this summer<br />
For years, Messe <strong>Berlin</strong> CEO Raimund Hosch has poured his heart and soul into making the organisation the success it is…<br />
This will be his last year in this role. Mr Hosch’s memories of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> in particular go back a long way. But how, today,<br />
would he best describe how this show has evolved during his time at Messe <strong>Berlin</strong>?<br />
The focus of this show<br />
is on a dual concept, to<br />
provide a marketplace for<br />
both consumers and the<br />
trade. We have continued to<br />
evolve <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> and launch<br />
new initiatives for industry<br />
buyers. That is why the trade<br />
fair always attracts well<br />
over a hundred thousand<br />
visitors to the German<br />
capital and is rightfully<br />
considered an international<br />
meeting place, with<br />
three-quarters of over<br />
10,000 exhibitors from<br />
foreign countries. After<br />
four decades, <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
still continues to set the<br />
standard for the global<br />
travel industry. Close to 40%<br />
of trade visitors come from<br />
abroad to do business and<br />
to check on the latest market<br />
developments at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>.<br />
What are your hopes for<br />
the show’s future?<br />
My hope is that <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
will continue to be not<br />
only a place for successful<br />
business but also for<br />
experiencing different<br />
cultures and intercultural<br />
exchange. Furthermore,<br />
it is a place of peaceful<br />
interaction among all the<br />
countries and cultures of<br />
the world. <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> is<br />
most certainly the travel<br />
industry’s driving force<br />
and gives an important<br />
impetus to a market that is<br />
growing all the time. Messe<br />
<strong>Berlin</strong> will ensure this trade<br />
fair remains the place for<br />
the industry to meet by<br />
continuing to adapt it to<br />
the needs of both industry<br />
buyers and consumers.<br />
[Interview by Richard Barnes]<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
is most<br />
certainly<br />
the travel<br />
industry’s<br />
driving<br />
force and<br />
gives an<br />
important<br />
impetus to a<br />
market that<br />
is growing<br />
all the time.<br />
Raimund Hosch<br />
Messe <strong>Berlin</strong> CEO<br />
Do you have any<br />
particularly fond<br />
memories of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
that you can look back on?<br />
I well remember the first<br />
partner country of <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Berlin</strong>, which was Cuba.<br />
During the opening<br />
ceremony more than 150<br />
dancers of the Tropical Ballet<br />
from Havana presented a<br />
fantastic show that deeply<br />
impressed me. What was<br />
also quite impressive<br />
was their 10 tons of stage<br />
equipment. It is always a<br />
pleasure to experience the<br />
entire spectrum of the travel<br />
industry here in <strong>Berlin</strong> and<br />
to get a taste of the many<br />
different cultures that<br />
represent the destinations.<br />
A success story ‘till now<br />
– but also for tomorrow<br />
In June 2013, after 14<br />
years of service in this role,<br />
Raimund Hosch will step<br />
down as CEO of Messe <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
and enter into well- deserved<br />
retirement.<br />
During this period turnover<br />
increased from 85 million<br />
euros (1999) to 247 million<br />
euros in 2012.<br />
Among his most remarkable<br />
achievements before<br />
departing, Raimund Hosch<br />
notably succeeded in<br />
overseeing the completion<br />
of ExpoCenter Airport <strong>Berlin</strong>,<br />
which has already hosted the<br />
ILA, Europe’s leading event<br />
for the aerospace industry in<br />
September 2012 and the new<br />
PANORAMA <strong>Berlin</strong> fashion<br />
show in January 2013. He<br />
also oversaw the completion<br />
of the south entrance and<br />
service areas in 2003 and the<br />
start of construction of the<br />
CityCube <strong>Berlin</strong>, a new multipurpose<br />
hall.<br />
Alongside Mr Hosch,<br />
Dr Christian Göke has<br />
accompanied the operative<br />
management and business<br />
activities of Messe <strong>Berlin</strong>.<br />
Dr Göke is without doubt<br />
the perfect person for this<br />
new role, in a business in<br />
which personal commitment<br />
matters so much.<br />
Good luck, Dr Göke, and a<br />
happy retirement, Mr Hosch!<br />
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<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
6 NEWS<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> Opens in<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />
– Your Official<br />
Information Source<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> <strong>News</strong> is the official international magazine of the<br />
world’s leading travel trade show, covering all its myriad<br />
aspects. Our aim is to give you, the professional visitor to<br />
this event, a concise and synthetic tool to assist you in your<br />
visit and to guide you in your decision making process.<br />
of Robust Gr<br />
World press delivered positive message<br />
at opening press conference<br />
From left to right:<br />
Dr Christian Göke,<br />
Hon. Dr Mari Elka Pangestu,<br />
Dr Michael Frenzel,<br />
Jürgen Büchy,<br />
Márcio Favilla<br />
CONTENT<br />
NEWS ................................................. p.07<br />
itb berlin convention................... p.19<br />
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS..................... p.20<br />
REGION: ASIA..................................... p.27<br />
SPECIAL FEATURES:<br />
TRANSPORT .................................... p.37<br />
travEl technologies ................ p.41<br />
TRADE NEWS...................................... p.43<br />
Responsible Tourism...................... p.44<br />
Where to go in berlin.................... p.45<br />
At the opening press conference of the 47 th <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>, growing tourism<br />
figures on a global scale, and a positive outlook for 2013 set the stage<br />
for an exceptional show.<br />
The opening press<br />
conference featured<br />
Hon. Dr Mari Elka<br />
Pangestu, Indonesia’s<br />
Minister for Tourism &<br />
Creative Economy, Dr<br />
Christian Göke, COO of<br />
Messe <strong>Berlin</strong>, Dr Michael<br />
Frenzel, President of the<br />
Federal Association of the<br />
German Tourism Industry<br />
(BTW), Jürgen Büchy,<br />
President of the German<br />
Travel Association (DRV)<br />
and Marcio Favilla,<br />
Executive Director<br />
of Competitiveness,<br />
External Relations and<br />
Partnerships, UNWTO.<br />
“We seek to reflect the<br />
richness and diversity<br />
of the travel industry as<br />
well as its dynamism,<br />
while staying close to new<br />
developments, and as up<br />
to date as possible”, said<br />
Dr Göke. “Consequently,<br />
demand for exhibition<br />
space is the highest ever,<br />
(…) not only is <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Berlin</strong> fully booked,<br />
we also have the<br />
highest ever number<br />
of two-tier stands,<br />
and a total of 10,086<br />
exhibitors…<br />
and not only is <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
fully booked, we also have<br />
the highest ever number of<br />
two-tier stands, and a total<br />
of 10,086 exhibitors.”<br />
Dr Frenzel announced<br />
that Germany had, the<br />
first time, passed 400<br />
million overnight stays in<br />
2012, and, in another first,<br />
there were, according<br />
to UNWTO, 1 billion<br />
tourists worldwide. ”We<br />
are expecting that global<br />
figure to rise to around<br />
1.6 billion by 2020, and<br />
it’s clear that the desire to<br />
travel remains unabated,”<br />
he commented. “We are<br />
optimistic in forecasting<br />
1-2% growth in German<br />
travel in 2013, but we<br />
remain prudent because<br />
we have no control over<br />
currency fluctuations. And<br />
I also would like to point<br />
to the problem of emission<br />
trading which leads to<br />
competitive distortion<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013<br />
www.itb-berlin-news.com
NEWS<br />
7<br />
Environment<br />
owth<br />
of the global market, and<br />
aviation taxes which are<br />
putting more pressure on the<br />
very thin profit margins that<br />
airlines currently generate.”<br />
Hon. Dr Mari Elka Pangestu<br />
Tour operators<br />
and travel<br />
agencies<br />
achieved new<br />
sales records<br />
in 2012<br />
Mr Büchy painted a very<br />
upbeat picture of the<br />
German market: “Despite<br />
adverse conditions such<br />
as economic difficulties,<br />
taxation on air transport and<br />
higher fuel prices, German<br />
travel agencies continued<br />
to register growth last year,<br />
showing the dynamic of our<br />
industry. In financial year<br />
2011/12, tour operators’<br />
sales rose by 5.5 percent to<br />
a new all-time high of Euro<br />
24.4 billion. This was an<br />
even stronger increase than<br />
predicted in the association’s<br />
projections from the end<br />
of November 2012. The<br />
highest sales growth rates<br />
was achieved on mediumhaul<br />
destinations, especially<br />
Mediterranean destinations,<br />
up by 8.5%.”<br />
According to Mr Favilla,<br />
Europe continued to be<br />
the most visited region<br />
in the world. Tourist<br />
numbers were up by 3%;<br />
a very positive result in<br />
the view of the economic<br />
situation in the region,<br />
and particularly following<br />
the strong growth of 2011<br />
(+6%).<br />
Indonesia aims<br />
to be known<br />
beyond Bali<br />
The Indonesian Minister,<br />
Dr Pangestu indicated<br />
that her government was<br />
extremely honoured and<br />
proud to be part of the<br />
world’s largest travel<br />
show, <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>. “We hope<br />
that visitors to the fair will<br />
be amazed by the wealth<br />
of attractions that we offer.<br />
Our nature and culture are<br />
legacies that are visible<br />
and accessible to anyone<br />
visiting our country. This is<br />
reflected also in our textiles,<br />
in our gastronomy or in our<br />
dances. All are part of our<br />
way of life. We think that<br />
visitors will get a glimpse of<br />
this during <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>. We<br />
in fact designed our pavilion<br />
in the shape of a Phinisi, a<br />
traditional boat still used<br />
by Bugis sailors in South<br />
Sulawesi”, she highlighted.<br />
“Come to Indonesia, we<br />
welcome you with our<br />
heart. This is why we smile a<br />
lot as all Indonesians will do<br />
everything they can to please<br />
their guests”, she added.<br />
[Article by Luc Citrinot and Gary Smith]<br />
(eds: see also interview<br />
with the minister – p. 20)<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
NEWS<br />
9<br />
Moving Fast in<br />
a Changing World<br />
GTA looks for ways to increase “footprint or range of<br />
accommodation, services and experiences” at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
With a wealth of experience, privileged relationships and on the ground expertise, GTA is a true leader<br />
in the fully independent travel (FIT) industry. Rolf Schafroth, Chief Executive of Kuoni Global Travel<br />
Services and GTA gives <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> <strong>News</strong> an exclusive insight into what his organisation is highlighting<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> 2013.<br />
Rolf Schafroth<br />
Chief Executive of Kuoni Global<br />
Travel Services and of GTA<br />
Rolf Schafroth is Chief Executive of Kuoni<br />
Global Travel Services and of GTA, their<br />
fully independent travel (FIT) business.<br />
With a degree in Business Economics,<br />
Rolf was a management consultant<br />
for Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) and<br />
Deloitte & Touche. He joined Kuoni as<br />
Head of Financial Controlling and was<br />
quickly named Head of Finance & IT for<br />
Kuoni’s Incoming Strategic Business Unit.<br />
In 2003 he assumed overall responsibility<br />
for Incoming Europe, the Kuoni Group’s<br />
biggest incoming unit, and in 2006 was<br />
named CEO of Destination Management.<br />
In 2007 he was appointed to the<br />
Group Executive Board as Head of the<br />
Strategic Business Division Destination<br />
Management.<br />
Hall 9<br />
Stand 202<br />
We will highlight<br />
our booking sites<br />
– particularly our<br />
European retail<br />
brand, TravelCube<br />
and GTA for<br />
wholesale – which<br />
connect travel<br />
wholesalers, high<br />
street and online<br />
travel agents, tour<br />
operators and<br />
consolidators to<br />
a vast portfolio<br />
of travel options.<br />
We have hotels<br />
and other<br />
accommodation<br />
options, city<br />
tours and transfer<br />
services, unique<br />
experiences,<br />
attraction tickets<br />
and restaurants in<br />
more than 190 destinations<br />
– practically every part<br />
of the world. Increasing<br />
interest in sub-saharan<br />
Africa saw us add 170 hotels<br />
this year on that continent,<br />
while our partnership with<br />
Santika Hotels throughout<br />
the islands of Indonesia<br />
means our travel agents<br />
will benefit from increasing<br />
economic and visitor<br />
interest in this part of the<br />
world.<br />
What are the key tourism<br />
trends at the moment<br />
among your customers?<br />
Value for money is as<br />
important for travel<br />
businesses as it is for<br />
consumers. Hotels and<br />
other suppliers choose<br />
us because we have<br />
an established and farreaching<br />
network of offices<br />
and personnel. There’s less<br />
risk and more to gain by<br />
working with us to market<br />
their properties and<br />
services to a truly global<br />
audience of potential<br />
travellers. They can reach<br />
emerging markets that<br />
don’t yet warrant sales<br />
representatives of their<br />
own. And of course, it’s<br />
incredibly cost effective.<br />
Many hoteliers want to be<br />
sure that they are winning<br />
business through different<br />
channels and different<br />
markets so they can plan in<br />
the face of adverse market<br />
forces. GTA helps them do<br />
that.<br />
For our clients, and<br />
particularly in Europe, they<br />
are seeking to maximise<br />
profitability in the face of<br />
uncertainty. They want<br />
partnerships that offer a<br />
mix of competitive pricing<br />
that they can pass on to<br />
consumers.<br />
They want systems that<br />
are fast and easy to use,<br />
so they can get things<br />
done and move on to<br />
the next job. They want<br />
accommodation and<br />
experiences in destinations<br />
their customers want to<br />
visit. They want to call<br />
on support when they<br />
need it, from people who<br />
understand their business<br />
and their market.<br />
How do you differentiate<br />
GTA’s offering?<br />
GTA has been powering<br />
global travel for nearly<br />
four decades. Our reliable<br />
technology is the bedrock<br />
of our business, connecting<br />
the world’s travel sellers<br />
with unrivalled content<br />
at the best possible<br />
prices. Our integration<br />
with Kuoni has enhanced<br />
our global influence,<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> (…)<br />
It’s also a good time to<br />
take the temperature<br />
of the market ahead<br />
of the summer season<br />
which – coupled with a<br />
thorough understanding<br />
of destinations and the<br />
insightful application of<br />
local expertise – helps<br />
us secure year-round<br />
business for our partners.<br />
What do you aim to<br />
achieve at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> and<br />
how important is the show<br />
for you?<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> is another chance for<br />
us to meet many of our<br />
clients and suppliers in<br />
person and our stand (Hall<br />
9, Stand 202) is always<br />
buzzing.<br />
It’s also a good time to<br />
take the temperature of<br />
the market ahead of the<br />
summer season: not just<br />
Europe’s, but for other<br />
parts of the world too as<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> attracts exhibitors and<br />
delegates from around the<br />
globe.<br />
[Interview by Richard Barnes]<br />
German<br />
Travel<br />
Industry<br />
Club<br />
Honours<br />
Announced<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Berlin</strong><br />
At one of the most<br />
prestigious travel award<br />
ceremonies on the global<br />
calendar, the German<br />
Travel Industry Club<br />
honoured both national<br />
and international travel<br />
professionals at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Berlin</strong> on Tuesday. Kurt<br />
Ritter was recognised for<br />
decades of services to the<br />
global travel industry with<br />
the Lifetime Achievement<br />
Award. One of the longest<br />
serving executives in the<br />
international hospitality<br />
industry, Ritter was<br />
President and CEO of<br />
the Rezidor Hotel Group<br />
between 1989 and 2012,<br />
and helped Rezidor<br />
become one of the world’s<br />
fastest growing hotel<br />
companies. Meanwhile,<br />
Roger Willemsen, a travel<br />
journalist, television<br />
presenter and producer,<br />
was crowned Tourism<br />
Ambassador for 2013 for<br />
creating “bridges between<br />
cultures and thus inspiring<br />
people to travel.”<br />
This year, the German<br />
Travel Industry Club not<br />
only awarded quality work<br />
by outstanding travel<br />
industry professionals,<br />
but also acknowledged<br />
travel businesses that<br />
promote social and<br />
corporate responsibility.<br />
Johannes Zurnieden,<br />
founder of Phoenix Travel<br />
in Germany, was inducted<br />
into the Travel Hall of<br />
Fame for enshrining<br />
the importance of<br />
philanthropy in Phoenix’s<br />
corporate philosophy long<br />
before the term Corporate<br />
Social Responsibility (CSR)<br />
was invented. For almost<br />
40 years, Phoenix Travel<br />
has been involved in<br />
charitable projects such as<br />
Bread for the World, and<br />
for significant financial<br />
contributions to natural<br />
disaster relief efforts.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
NEWS<br />
11<br />
Not to be missed<br />
Press Conferences on 6 th March<br />
Time Speakers Location<br />
10:00 am - 11:00 am Tunisia ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Hall 9<br />
11:00 am - 01:00 pm ADAC (automobile association) travel monitor 2013 Funkturm Lounge<br />
11:00 am - 12:00 am Thuringia Hall 11.2, Booth 103<br />
11:00 am - 12:30 pm VIR: Online Summit 2013 ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Hall 4/5<br />
11:00 am - 11:45 am Health and beauty trends 2013, beauty24, Health and beauty hotels & resorts and GfK Press Conference Room, Hall 5.3<br />
11:00 am - 12:00 pm ”The price is right: Will the rate parity disppear?“ Panel discussion 2013 Greenline Hotels and SRH universities ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, ICC-Lounge<br />
11:30 am - 13:00 pm Swissotel Hotels & Resorts ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Salon 19<br />
12:00 pm - 13:00 pm Incredible India ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Hall 8<br />
12:00 pm Qatar Airways ICC roof garden<br />
12:00 pm - 13:30 pm Croatian Tourist Board ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Hall 10<br />
15:00 pm - 18:00 pm Kazakstan welcomes the world: EXPO 2017 in Astana and the opportunities for developing tourism ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Salon 13/14<br />
15:30 pm - 16:30 pm Serbia Messegelände, Großer Stern, VIP-Room 2<br />
15:30 pm - 16:30 pm Spain ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Hall 9<br />
16:00 pm - 17:30 pm Moscow Exhibition and Convention Agency ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Salon 17/18<br />
16:00 pm - 16:45 pm Whisky & A Blether: Press Briefing with VisitScotland Press Conference Room, Hall 5.3<br />
16:00 pm - 17:00 pm Trinidad and Tobago Hall 3.1, Booth 220<br />
17:00 pm - 17:45 pm Istria and Kvarner: <strong>News</strong> and trends of the Croatia top destinations Press Conference Room, Hall 5.3<br />
13:00 pm - 17:00 pm Austria workshop - Feratel Media Technologies AG Messegelände, Großer Stern, VIP-Room 1<br />
13:00 pm - 14:00 pm Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (German Central Office of Tourism) ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Hall 7<br />
13:00 pm - 14:00 pm GfK (market research agency) ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Salon 17/18<br />
13:00 pm - 13:45 pm Norwegian Cruise Line: Award winning and innovative continued success ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Hall 7Press Conference Room, Hall 5.3<br />
14:00 pm - 15:00 pm Innovations at Accor ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Salon 15/16<br />
14:30 pm - 16:30 pm The Euregio Maas-Rhein - a cross-border region, a wealth of tourist destinations ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Salon 22<br />
15:00 pm - 17:00 pm Scandlines shipping line ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Salon 20<br />
15:00 pm - 17:00 pm Cyprus Tourist Board Funkturm Lounge<br />
15:00 pm - 19:00 pm MysteryCheck 2013 - The adventure of finding accommodation - IRS Consult ICC <strong>Berlin</strong>, Hall 4/5<br />
Readers can find the complete list of press conferences on the official <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> 2013 web site<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
14 NEWS<br />
ADVERTORIAL<br />
50 th JFK<br />
Memorial<br />
Set to<br />
Boost<br />
Visits to<br />
Dallas<br />
“The 50 th :<br />
Honoring the<br />
Memory of<br />
President John<br />
F. Kennedy”<br />
will take place<br />
November 22,<br />
2013 at Dealey<br />
Plaza in Dallas.<br />
Fun, Hands-on Experiences<br />
Michigan announces new attractions for 2013<br />
With 2013 underway, visitors to Michigan can look forward to a wide range of new and<br />
improved lodging options, dining spots, and activities this year, including milestone anniversary<br />
celebrations. Michigan has several new museums and exhibits for visitors to explore this year…<br />
Here are just some:<br />
Visit the world’s premier<br />
automotive exhibit<br />
at Driving America in The<br />
Henry Ford in Dearborn.<br />
A ground breaking<br />
collective art exhibit<br />
honouring President<br />
Barack Obama is now on<br />
display at the Charles H.<br />
Wright Museum of African<br />
American History.<br />
<br />
The Detroit Historical<br />
Museum has reopened<br />
with three new permanent<br />
exhibits: the Gallery of<br />
Innovation, the Allesee<br />
Gallery of Culture and<br />
Detroit: the Arsenal of<br />
Democracy.<br />
The Eli and Edythe Broad<br />
Art Museum, a premier<br />
venue for international<br />
contemporary art, is now<br />
open on the campus of<br />
Michigan State University.<br />
Mount Pleasant Discovery<br />
Museum<br />
www.michigan.org<br />
Detroit<br />
“The 50 th : Honoring the<br />
Memory of President John F.<br />
Kennedy” will commemorate<br />
Kennedy’s life and legacy<br />
of leadership, taking place<br />
at 12:25 p.m. on November<br />
22, 2013 at Dealey Plaza in<br />
downtown Dallas, where the<br />
President was assassinated<br />
in 1963.<br />
“This is an event to honor the<br />
remarkable life and legacy of<br />
the leadership of President<br />
John F. Kennedy,” said<br />
Mayor Rawlings, Honorary<br />
Chairman of “The 50 th ”<br />
committee.<br />
“The 50 th : Honoring the<br />
Memory of President John F.<br />
Kennedy” will be free and<br />
open to the public.<br />
Finger Lickin’ Good…<br />
Discovering the Real<br />
Thing<br />
Kansas and Oklahoma are under the spotlight<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> 2013… with a new promotion<br />
for exceptional eateries. With the modest<br />
appearance of many of these restaurants,<br />
travellers could well pass right by, never<br />
knowing the truly exceptional and mouthwatering<br />
food they are about to miss.<br />
Indeed, Americans share<br />
a love affair with comfort<br />
foods, and Kansas &<br />
Oklahoma have the history<br />
of doing it right - not so fast,<br />
but oh so good! Local momand<br />
pop joints continue to<br />
craft fried onion burgers,<br />
sassy sauces, extra crispy,<br />
finger lickin’ fried chicken,<br />
succulent fork-tender<br />
steak, slow-cooked BBQ<br />
meats, home-style fried<br />
pies, and cinnamon rolls<br />
the size of your head.<br />
You can’t go wrong by<br />
ordering house specialties<br />
at White River Fish Market<br />
in Tulsa, Cattleman’s<br />
Steakhouse in Oklahoma<br />
City, WheatFields Bakery<br />
Cafe in Lawrence, and<br />
Smokin Joes Rib Ranch<br />
in Davis. Try an onion<br />
burger at Robert’s Grill in<br />
El Reno, the cinnamon<br />
rolls at Neighbors Cafe’ in<br />
McPherson, a blue plate<br />
special at Old Sweet Shop<br />
in Wichita, or a succulent<br />
Hanks-Hamburger-Tulsa<br />
cowboy steak at Grand<br />
Central Grill in Cottonwood<br />
Falls.<br />
Kansas/Oklahoma Travel<br />
and Tourism’s websites<br />
house complete lists – in<br />
the “dining” section of<br />
www.TravelKS.com<br />
and www.TravelOK.<br />
com.<br />
JFK Memorial<br />
Quidditch Comes to<br />
Rockford<br />
Region to host first Quidditch<br />
tournament<br />
A new sport, straight out of J.K. Rowling’s<br />
Harry Potter series, is sweeping college<br />
campuses across the USA and has landed in<br />
the Rockford region.<br />
The Rockford region will<br />
host its first-ever Quidditch<br />
tournament April 26-27,<br />
2013 on the Rockford Park<br />
District soccer fields.<br />
The game was created<br />
by Middleburry College<br />
students in 2005 and<br />
quickly spread to other<br />
universities in New<br />
England and then across<br />
the United States. The sport<br />
now boasts more than<br />
1,000 teams and is played<br />
on six different continents.<br />
Some modifications<br />
have been made to<br />
accommodate the<br />
players’ lack of magical<br />
abilities. For example<br />
brooms remain grounded<br />
and the yellow snitch has<br />
traded its wings for legs.<br />
ww.gorockford.com<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013<br />
www.itb-berlin-news.com
Hall 2.1<br />
NEWS<br />
15<br />
ADVERTORIAL<br />
California<br />
Tempts<br />
Travellers in<br />
2013 with New<br />
Events and<br />
Attractions<br />
Across the State<br />
Pebble Beach - California<br />
California is beckoning<br />
visitors in 2013 with exciting<br />
new offerings, fantastic<br />
festivals and sensational<br />
sporting events in dream<br />
vacation destinations as<br />
enticing as they are diverse.<br />
Atop rugged mountains, on<br />
sparkling beaches, against<br />
sun soaked deserts, amid<br />
charming vineyards and<br />
in bustling urban escapes,<br />
travellers to California will<br />
find new hotels, attractions,<br />
museums and performing<br />
arts centres opening in<br />
2013.<br />
This year, California will<br />
play host to a series of<br />
month long festivals sure<br />
to delight wandering<br />
foodies and oenophiles, as<br />
well as travellers looking<br />
to experience the state’s<br />
pioneering efforts in<br />
sustainability.<br />
New Tom<br />
Bradley<br />
Terminal<br />
at LAX<br />
The excitement continues<br />
in Los Angeles County with<br />
major new infrastructure,<br />
arts, culture and luxury<br />
accommodations debuting<br />
in 2013. The $1.7-billion New<br />
Tom Bradley International<br />
Terminal at Los Angeles<br />
International Airport (LAX)<br />
will open the West Gates<br />
and Great Hall –featuring<br />
dining, shopping and other<br />
passenger amenities – in<br />
spring.<br />
Just a short hop to the<br />
south, Orange County has<br />
dramatic new spaces and<br />
enticing new attractions<br />
on tap for visitors in 2013.<br />
In January, the Anaheim<br />
Convention Center’s new<br />
Grand Plaza opened with<br />
more than 100,000 square<br />
feet of year-round outdoor<br />
event space featuring lush<br />
landscaping, dramatic water<br />
features, ample seating and<br />
special event lighting and<br />
infrastructure.<br />
With all these new offerings<br />
on deck, the Golden State<br />
is the place to be in 2013.<br />
For more information<br />
about Visit California<br />
and for a free California<br />
Visitor’s Guide, go to:<br />
www.VisitCalifornia.<br />
com.<br />
This<br />
year,<br />
California<br />
will play host<br />
to a series of<br />
month long<br />
festivals sure<br />
to delight<br />
wandering<br />
foodies and<br />
oenophiles<br />
Viva Florida 500: Sunshine<br />
State Quincentennial in 2013<br />
© Visit Florida<br />
Way back in 1513, while Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon found<br />
neither gold nor the legendary Fountain of Youth, his discovery of the<br />
paradise he named La Florida (land of flowers) inspired European colonists<br />
to settle there.<br />
“Viva Florida 500” will<br />
celebrate that meeting of<br />
Old and New worlds by<br />
showcasing Florida’s native<br />
heritage and 500 years of<br />
influence by peoples from<br />
Spain, France, Great Britain,<br />
Africa and the Caribbean.<br />
The paradise that Ponce<br />
named La Florida, land<br />
of flowers, today is the<br />
world’s preeminent tourist<br />
destination. Experience Viva<br />
Florida 500 by exploring this<br />
cradle of history. Throughout<br />
2013, “Viva Florida 500”<br />
will host numerous<br />
commemorations<br />
honouring Ponce de Leon’s<br />
adventures and the state’s<br />
longstanding ties with<br />
Spain. These celebrations<br />
will add great interest and<br />
excitement to any visit to<br />
the sunshine state.<br />
History Lives<br />
St. Augustine, Florida is<br />
the United States’ oldest<br />
city, colonised in 1565 – at<br />
the behest of King Phillip<br />
II of Spain – by Don Pedro<br />
Menendez de Aviles, who<br />
became the state’s first<br />
governor. The Spanish<br />
influence on St. Augustine<br />
is unmistakeable, from<br />
the massive Castillo de<br />
San Marcos that protected<br />
the city from attack to<br />
the colourful Spanish<br />
architecture and narrow<br />
streets. Go back in time<br />
at the Colonial Spanish<br />
Quarter, teeming with<br />
living-history re-enactors<br />
and working vendors<br />
practicing Old World skills.<br />
Go to visitflorida.com/<br />
viva to browse the 2013 Viva<br />
Florida events scheduled<br />
for St. Augustine -- and for<br />
Florida’s many Spanishinfluenced<br />
destinations.<br />
Royal<br />
celebrations<br />
St. Augustine authorities<br />
have invited Spain’s King<br />
Juan Carlos and Queen<br />
Sofia to dedicate the bells of<br />
the St. Augustine Cathedral<br />
Basilica in the spring of<br />
2013, with a royal reception<br />
to follow. Gov. Rick Scott<br />
St. Augustine<br />
travelled to Spain to invite<br />
the Spanish royals to a Viva<br />
Florida 500 Anniversary<br />
Gala.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
16 NEWS<br />
ADVERTORIAL<br />
Chicago’s<br />
Mayor<br />
Announces<br />
Further<br />
Investment<br />
in “Choose<br />
Chicago”<br />
Chicago<br />
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, along<br />
with the Chicago Department<br />
of Aviation and Choose<br />
Chicago, have announced<br />
that Choose Chicago will<br />
receive an extra $5 million<br />
in annual funding to foster<br />
joint marketing efforts to<br />
promote Chicago and access<br />
to the City through O’Hare<br />
and Midway Airports. This<br />
partnership will enhance<br />
both the mission of<br />
increasing airport usage<br />
and promoting the City of<br />
Chicago as an international<br />
travel destination.<br />
“The partnership announced<br />
today between the Chicago<br />
Department of Aviation and<br />
Choose Chicago is part of<br />
a multi-faceted approach<br />
working toward our goal of<br />
50 million visitors in the City<br />
of Chicago annually,” said<br />
Mayor Emanuel. “These<br />
new efforts will boost both<br />
local economic development<br />
and job creation. Increasing<br />
tourism and business travel<br />
to Chicago is a central part of<br />
my economic strategy and it<br />
will further establish the city<br />
as an international hub for<br />
the United States.”<br />
© Julienne Schaer/ NYC & Company<br />
Urban Excitement<br />
NYC and Company Launches New Brooklyn Neighborhood<br />
Toolkit for Travel Professionals<br />
As more hotels<br />
and attractions<br />
debut in Brooklyn,<br />
this new resource<br />
provides invaluable<br />
information to<br />
better promote<br />
neighborhood visits.<br />
NYC & Company, New<br />
York City’s official<br />
marketing, tourism and<br />
partnership organization,<br />
today launched a new<br />
Brooklyn tool kit designed<br />
for the international and<br />
domestic travel trade to<br />
promote and sell the City’s<br />
Since<br />
2006, hotel<br />
development in<br />
New York City<br />
has expanded<br />
more than 30<br />
percent from<br />
71,000 rooms in<br />
2006 to 93,000<br />
rooms now.<br />
most populous borough.<br />
The new “Brooklyn,<br />
Downtown and Nearby<br />
Neighborhoods” tool<br />
kit—being launched this<br />
week during <strong>ITB</strong>, the<br />
world’s leading travel<br />
trade show—will provide<br />
relevant information<br />
and showcase the area’s<br />
hotels, attractions,<br />
cultural organizations and<br />
transportation offerings.<br />
The new resource is<br />
part of an overall effort<br />
by NYC & Company to<br />
encourage more visitation<br />
to the city’s diverse<br />
neighborhoods. Travel<br />
trade partners can access<br />
detailed information on<br />
this new tool kit, including<br />
a Brooklyn video, at<br />
nycgo.com/traveltrade.<br />
“As new hotels and<br />
attractions debut in<br />
Brooklyn, NYC & Company<br />
is encouraging more<br />
visits and stays in the<br />
neighborhoods of the city’s<br />
most populous borough.<br />
Today’s launch of the<br />
new Brooklyn tool kit will<br />
provide travel professionals<br />
with the resources they need<br />
to better sell and increase<br />
bookings to this diverse<br />
and inviting borough,”<br />
said NYC & Company<br />
CEO George Fertitta.<br />
The new Brooklyn tool<br />
kit will include a new<br />
product fact sheet for the<br />
neighborhood; a consumer<br />
focused video conveying<br />
the feeling of the area;<br />
neighborhood imagery;<br />
a neighborhood map<br />
highlighting enclaves such<br />
as Downtown Brooklyn,<br />
Williamsburg, DUMBO,<br />
Brooklyn Heights, BoCoCa<br />
(Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill<br />
and Carroll Gardens), Fort<br />
Greene, Prospect Heights<br />
and Park Slope; and online<br />
content available to the<br />
tour operator community<br />
at nycgo.com/traveltrade.<br />
A variety of hotels including<br />
conference, express and<br />
boutique properties will be<br />
spotlighted as part of the<br />
new tool kit including the<br />
Aloft New York Brooklyn<br />
(176 rooms), Fairfield Inn &<br />
Suites New York Brooklyn<br />
(133 rooms), Holiday<br />
Inn Express Downtown<br />
Dumbo - Brooklyn Bridge Park<br />
Park Slope - Gorilla Coffee<br />
Brooklyn (104 rooms),<br />
Hotel Indigo Brooklyn<br />
(128 rooms), Sheraton<br />
Brooklyn New York<br />
(321 rooms), New York<br />
Marriott at the Brooklyn<br />
Bridge (665 rooms), NU<br />
Hotel (93 rooms), Holiday<br />
Inn Express Brooklyn<br />
(115 rooms), the Best<br />
Western Plus Arena (56<br />
rooms), Hotel Le Bleu<br />
(48 rooms), Condor<br />
Hotel (35 rooms) and<br />
Hotel Le Jolie (54 rooms).<br />
Since 2006, hotel<br />
development in New York<br />
City has expanded more<br />
than 30 percent from<br />
71,000 rooms in 2006<br />
to 93,000 rooms now.<br />
During this time period,<br />
approximately 72 hotels<br />
representing close to 6,200<br />
rooms have opened in the<br />
City’s boroughs beyond<br />
Manhattan, providing<br />
visitors with more<br />
experiential options than<br />
ever before. Since 2011,<br />
Brooklyn has seen the<br />
opening of 8 new hotels,<br />
with 6 more in the pipeline<br />
through 2016.<br />
© Joe Buglewicz / NYC & Company<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013<br />
www.itb-berlin-news.com
Hall 2.1<br />
NEWS<br />
17<br />
Madison<br />
Celebrates<br />
50 Years as<br />
“The Place<br />
to Meet” in<br />
Washington<br />
Blossoms & Presidents<br />
Washington DC has “spring in its step” following the<br />
Presidential inauguration in January<br />
The Nation’s Capital,<br />
Washington DC, is taking<br />
on growing importance as a<br />
tourist destination. <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
<strong>News</strong> spotlights the latest<br />
highlights.<br />
The upcoming National Cherry<br />
Blossom Festival in Washington DC<br />
(April 2013) is the USA’s greatest<br />
springtime celebration. The 2013<br />
Festival, March 20 – April 14,<br />
includes three spectacular weeks<br />
and four weekends of events<br />
featuring diverse and creative<br />
San Francisco<br />
San Francisco has always been a<br />
sweetheart for European visitors,<br />
as they feel the local ties in this<br />
extremely cosmopolitan, vibrant<br />
and colourful city. And San<br />
Francisco International Airport<br />
(SFO) offers non-stop flights to<br />
more than 31 international points<br />
on 30 international carriers. This<br />
year, there are even more reasons<br />
to visit. Here are just a few…<br />
SFJAZZ Center Opened<br />
January 21, 2013<br />
The $60 million, SFJAZZ Center,<br />
at 205 Franklin St, which opened<br />
on January 17, 2013, is the first<br />
center anywhere in the country<br />
for jazz designed and built from<br />
the ground up. The 35,000-squarefoot,<br />
transparent structure designed<br />
by Mark Cavagnero of Mark<br />
Cavagnero Associates, features a<br />
flexible, 700-seat performance hall,<br />
programming. Last year’s festival<br />
won its organisers the prize for<br />
the best event website (www.<br />
nationalcherryblossomfestival.<br />
org) among a swathe of Pinnacle<br />
awards. “Striving for the highest<br />
degree of excellence in festival and<br />
event promotions and operations in<br />
every budget level and every corner<br />
of the globe, this competition has<br />
not only raised the standards and<br />
quality of the festivals and events<br />
industry to new levels, but also<br />
shows how event producers can use<br />
innovation and creativity to achieve<br />
dedicated space for education and<br />
professional development; three<br />
rehearsal spaces; a digital music lab,<br />
and a sidewalk-level restaurant/<br />
café. For information visit www.<br />
sfjazz.org or call 415-398-5655.<br />
The Bay Lights,<br />
World’s Largest LED<br />
Sculpture, Celebrates<br />
75 th Anniversary of Bay<br />
Bridge<br />
Inspired by the 75 th anniversary<br />
of the Bay Bridge in 2011, The<br />
Bay Lights is a fine art piece<br />
designed to be installed on the<br />
western span and viewable from<br />
San Francisco and points north,<br />
but not by drivers crossing the<br />
bridge. Measuring 1.8-miles-long<br />
and 500-feet-high, the high-tech<br />
light sculpture design features<br />
25,000 individually programmable,<br />
energy-efficient LED lights mounted<br />
Whitehouse Spring<br />
a higher level of success,” said IFEA<br />
President & CEO, Steven Wood<br />
Schmader, CFEE.<br />
The US capital is putting its best<br />
foot forward with an impressive<br />
number of hotel rebuilds,<br />
including the Hay Adams, which<br />
has enclosed its rooftop terrace<br />
overlooking the Whitehouse, and<br />
a 22-million dollar rebuild for the<br />
Madison, which looked so good<br />
after the work was done that the<br />
Loews group snapped it up as its<br />
new flagship in the DC area.<br />
As If You Didn’t Already Have Enough Good Reasons to Visit…<br />
on the bridge’s vertical cables. The<br />
Bay Lights will remain on the bridge<br />
for two years.<br />
The New Exploratorium<br />
Opens April 17, 2013<br />
On April 17, 2013, the new<br />
Exploratorium, San Francisco’s<br />
internationally acclaimed museum<br />
of sciences, art and human<br />
perception, will open on Piers 15<br />
and 17, located on San Francisco’s<br />
historic northern waterfront at<br />
Embarcadero and Green streets.<br />
The new museum will feature 150<br />
new exhibits, a Bay observatory,<br />
outdoor gallery and free civic<br />
space. For information visit<br />
www.exploratorium.edu or<br />
www.press.exploratorium.edu.<br />
More info on San Francisco:<br />
www.sanfrancisco.travel<br />
Washington’s Madison Hotel<br />
has been celebrating its 50 th<br />
anniversary over the past<br />
month.<br />
In February 1963, President<br />
John F. Kennedy was on<br />
hand for the opening of<br />
the establishment. Since<br />
then, the hotel has played<br />
pivotal roles in international<br />
politics, acting as a temporary<br />
Kremlin in 1987 while<br />
Soviet leaders met with<br />
the Reagan Administration<br />
as well as a temporary<br />
Oval Office for George W.<br />
Bush, just before he took<br />
office in 2000. Beginning in<br />
2011, a revitalization plan<br />
was inspired by a desire<br />
to modernize and update<br />
the look and feel, without<br />
sacrificing Washington, D.C.<br />
as a “sense of place.”<br />
The adjacent “The Federalist”<br />
restaurant stars executive<br />
chef Tim Recher, who is<br />
putting his own mark on<br />
modern interpretations of<br />
classic American dining. From<br />
humble beginnings, Recher<br />
went on to work with some<br />
of the country’s best chefs<br />
preparing the inaugural<br />
dinner for President Barack<br />
Obama, and was recently<br />
named Chef of the Year by<br />
the Nation’s Capital Chefs<br />
Association, in recognition of<br />
embracing new approaches<br />
to incorporating artisanal<br />
and regional ingredients into<br />
his menus, and is a winner<br />
of the Presidential Medal<br />
from the American Culinary<br />
Federation.<br />
Madison Exterior<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> CONVENTION<br />
19<br />
Media Titans,<br />
Innovators and European<br />
Travel Leaders Headline<br />
at PhoCusWright@<strong>ITB</strong><br />
Travel industry research<br />
authority PhoCusWright<br />
is holding a pioneering<br />
programme for its<br />
premier European<br />
event, PhoCusWright@<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>, taking place<br />
Wednesday 6 th March 2013<br />
in conjunction with <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Berlin</strong>. Now in its eighth<br />
year, PhoCusWright@<strong>ITB</strong> is<br />
designed to help executives<br />
capitalize on the advances,<br />
strategies and innovations<br />
that are shaping the<br />
global travel, tourism and<br />
hospitality marketplace.<br />
This year’s program brings<br />
together travel startups,<br />
media powerhouses,<br />
social pioneers and several<br />
of Europe’s key travel<br />
companies to debate and<br />
define the future of travel.<br />
Confirmed speakers<br />
include executives from<br />
Accor, Google, Facebook,<br />
Airbnb, Odigeo, Hotels.com<br />
and more. PhoCusWright<br />
analysts will share<br />
insights on key European<br />
travel trends and deliver<br />
groundbreaking research<br />
on the emerging Middle<br />
East travel market and the<br />
travel payments landscape.<br />
Lively roundtable sessions<br />
will assess the state<br />
of travel startups and<br />
examine how travel’s<br />
new intermediaries are<br />
disrupting the marketplace.<br />
PhoCusWright@<strong>ITB</strong><br />
is followed by The<br />
PhoCusWright New<br />
Media Summit (7 th March<br />
2013), which draws new<br />
media professionals<br />
to <strong>Berlin</strong> each year to<br />
engage with other social<br />
media enthusiasts, share<br />
strategies and weigh in on<br />
what’s next for mobile and<br />
social.<br />
High Demand at<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> from the<br />
Middle East, Asia<br />
and South America<br />
Worldwide demand for<br />
floor space at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
is high, especially from<br />
Arab and Asian countries<br />
and South America. The<br />
Travel Technology Hall<br />
(Hall 6.1) features leading<br />
companies, eTravelWorld<br />
experts will be giving<br />
lectures and workshops<br />
debating the latest social<br />
media and mobile travel<br />
services topics, and the Gay<br />
& Lesbian Travel section in<br />
Hall 2.1 is also set to expand.<br />
Newcomers and regular<br />
exhibitors in the Mobile<br />
Travel and Social Media<br />
sections are presenting<br />
their innovations and new<br />
products in Hall 7.1c.<br />
At this year’s eTravelWorld<br />
experts are again debating<br />
industry topics including<br />
The Opportunities and<br />
Risks of the Social Web<br />
for the Travel Industry<br />
and More Efficient Travel<br />
Using eTravel, Navigation<br />
and Mobile Travel Guides.<br />
Focus on the<br />
Silk Road and<br />
the Danube<br />
region<br />
Together with UNWTO<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> will be paying<br />
special attention to the<br />
development of tourism<br />
along the Silk Road.<br />
Following its successful<br />
launch last year a second<br />
edition of the Silk Road<br />
Ministers’ Meeting takes<br />
place on 6 March 2013.<br />
Seven of the ten countries<br />
bordering the Danube<br />
are joining forces at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Berlin</strong> 2013 with the<br />
common goal of drawing<br />
visitors’ attention to this<br />
region. Austria, Bulgaria,<br />
Germany, Hungary,<br />
Moldova, Romania and<br />
Serbia are providing<br />
information on the various<br />
aspects and diversity of<br />
the region.<br />
New Travel Markets<br />
Spotlighted in<br />
Destination <strong>Day</strong>s<br />
At the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> Convention,<br />
this year’s Destination<br />
<strong>Day</strong>s, sponsored by the<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> Advisory, provide<br />
wide-ranging information<br />
and highlighting best<br />
practices. The focus is<br />
on fast-growing travel<br />
markets such as health<br />
and barrier-free tourism,<br />
sustainable tourism, gay<br />
and lesbian tourism, as well<br />
as on emerging markets<br />
in Asia, South America,<br />
Spain, Turkey, Egypt and<br />
the Danube region. The<br />
Africa Forum is discussing<br />
Kaza, a joint development<br />
venture involving five<br />
African countries, for<br />
South America, the theme<br />
is Safety in Tourism, and<br />
a Health Tourism Panel<br />
features experts who will<br />
define target audiences, and<br />
analyse the market situation<br />
as well as this segment’s<br />
future prospects.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
20 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<br />
The Many Faces of In<br />
Beyond Bali, the archipelago’s countless treasures are highlighted<br />
As many people from Europe think of Indonesia<br />
primarily for places like Bali and Jakarta, the<br />
Indonesian government plans to increase<br />
awareness of 16 destinations including Sumatra,<br />
Java, Lombok, Flores, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and<br />
Papua… We asked Hon. Dr Mari Elka Pangestu,<br />
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy to tell<br />
us more.<br />
Hon. Dr Mari Elka Pangestu<br />
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy,<br />
Republic of Indonesia<br />
Prior to her current position as Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Mari Pangestu<br />
was the Minister of Trade for Indonesia for seven years (2004-2011). As Minister of<br />
Trade she played an active role in the WTO representing her country as well as groups<br />
of developing countries such as the G33; initiated and led various Ministers of Trade<br />
meetings; provided leadership in regional cooperation, including during the year Indonesia<br />
being the Chair of ASEAN in 2011, and at APEC; and prepared and led all international<br />
trade negotiations for Indonesia. In her current portfolio, she has also been active in<br />
regional and international fora such as the ASEAN Tourism Forum, T20 (Tourism Ministers<br />
of G20 Countries), and various bilateral talks and cooperation focusing on tourism and<br />
travel facilitation. Dr Pangestu obtained her Bachelor and Master of Economics from the<br />
Australian National University and her Ph.D in Economics from the University of California<br />
Davis.<br />
We have faced, and will<br />
continue to face, the<br />
challenge of Indonesia<br />
to be known beyond Bali.<br />
Don’t get me wrong, Bali<br />
is a beautiful spot and<br />
absolutely worth visiting.<br />
We have developed 88<br />
strategic tourist areas<br />
under the National Tourism<br />
Development Plan.<br />
For the next three years, we<br />
will focus on 16 of these,<br />
including improvements in<br />
Bali, and will develop and<br />
promote existing sites with<br />
surrounding areas such as<br />
Borobudur, Jakarta, Lake<br />
Toba, Flores, Komodo and<br />
Toraja, as well as new<br />
specialized areas such as<br />
Wakatobi, Tanjung Puting,<br />
Derawan and Raja Ampat.<br />
In 2011, Indonesia<br />
experienced strong growth<br />
in tourist numbers from<br />
Europe’s key nations like<br />
the UK, Germany, France,<br />
etc. What has been the<br />
trend in 2012?<br />
Numbers are still on the<br />
rise. In the January-October<br />
2012 period, tourist arrivals<br />
in Indonesia were up when<br />
compared to the same period<br />
in 2011, despite the Euro zone<br />
crisis. For example, arrivals<br />
from the UK increased by 4<br />
percent, Germany increased<br />
by 9 percent and France<br />
increased by 5 percent.<br />
Only inbound arrivals from<br />
Holland declined, by 6.8<br />
percent.<br />
In addition to raising<br />
awareness, are you<br />
planning to build<br />
infrastructure to help<br />
bolster tourism in these<br />
regions… and in Indonesia<br />
in general?<br />
Firstly, we aim to extend<br />
international direct flights<br />
to Indonesia, with the new<br />
airport in Bali scheduled<br />
to be completed by the<br />
middle of this year and the<br />
airport in Lombok already<br />
finished. Secondly, we also<br />
compiled a cruise ship and<br />
port development plan:<br />
Benoa harbour as well as<br />
nine other ports across the<br />
country will be ready to<br />
receive large ships in 2013-<br />
2014. We hope to increase<br />
the current cruise arrivals<br />
from 118,000 to 500,000 by<br />
2016. Thirdly, we experience<br />
a strong investment growth<br />
in hotels and restaurants.<br />
From January to September<br />
2012, foreign investments<br />
tripled compared to the<br />
whole of 2011, domestic<br />
investments doubled in the<br />
same period. This last point<br />
is very important to us, as<br />
we see the MICE sector as<br />
a strong part of the national<br />
tourism strategy to enhance<br />
quality tourism.<br />
What is your main focus<br />
with your campaign<br />
“Wonderful Indonesia” and<br />
the colorful logo that goes<br />
with it?<br />
Aside from promoting our<br />
country, we want to focus<br />
on the people that live there,<br />
as they are an essential<br />
part of the experience of<br />
Indonesia. It is about the<br />
balance between Indonesia’s<br />
huge natural and cultural<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013<br />
www.itb-berlin-news.com
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<br />
21<br />
donesia<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
We have<br />
developed<br />
88 strategic<br />
tourist areas<br />
under the<br />
National<br />
Tourism<br />
Development<br />
Plan.<br />
diversity. It conveys the<br />
idea that human creativity,<br />
as expressed in Indonesia’s<br />
cultural diversity, is<br />
inspired by nature and<br />
rests on sustainable<br />
natural resources. We want<br />
to inspire the creation of<br />
a better world through<br />
human understanding of<br />
graceful ways to coexist<br />
with nature and each other.<br />
There are certainly too<br />
many aspects of Indonesia<br />
to be done justice in one<br />
interview… Would it be<br />
fair to say that “Where the<br />
heart matters” is the other<br />
key message above and<br />
beyond the diversity, and<br />
if so, why?<br />
It certainly is. Caring is<br />
the Indonesian’s way of<br />
engaging and managing,<br />
which allows them to be<br />
open and resilient. What<br />
travelers can surely expect<br />
is a wide smile from the<br />
locals. Indonesians of all<br />
stripes share an innate<br />
hospitality and fascination<br />
with visitors. Interaction<br />
with the locals always has<br />
been and always will be a<br />
highlight of travels to the<br />
world’s largest archipelago.<br />
What are the goals of your<br />
partnership with <strong>ITB</strong> and<br />
what is the key message<br />
you wish to drive home<br />
to the trade visitors and<br />
media representatives?<br />
No matter what you wish<br />
for on your holidays, no<br />
matter what you search for<br />
during your travels – you<br />
will find it in Indonesia,<br />
our country has so many<br />
different cultures and<br />
nature, from laid-back<br />
Lombok to the rice fields<br />
of Java up to the highlands<br />
of Papua. And you will be<br />
surprised because you will<br />
discover even more than<br />
that… you will find a lot<br />
more. [Interview by Richard Barnes]<br />
Hall 26 A<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<br />
23<br />
Tourism Back on Rise in Egypt<br />
Incredible history and culture lure international visitors<br />
Hon. Hisham Zaazou<br />
Minister of Tourism - Egypt<br />
Hon. Hisham Zaazou, formerly the Senior Assistant to Egypt’s<br />
Minister of Tourism, was named the new Minister of Tourism<br />
for this renowned global destination in August 2012.<br />
Zaazou came to this position after more than 30 years in<br />
the public and private sectors. Beginning in 1980 in North<br />
America with R&H Tourism Co., he expanded operations<br />
to Egypt. He then moved on to Sakkara Travel as General<br />
Manager. His interest in the role of the public sector in<br />
tourism started when he was elected as the Director<br />
General of the Egyptian Tourism Federation followed by his<br />
appointment as Assistant to the Minister of Tourism in 2008.<br />
Egypt, the 2012 Partner<br />
Country for <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>,<br />
saw a 17% increase in<br />
tourists in 2012. Hon.<br />
Hisham Zaavou, Egypt’s<br />
Minister for Tourism,<br />
explains more about<br />
the national goals...<br />
Tourism is one of Egypt’s<br />
top priorities and a vital<br />
source of foreign currency,<br />
which also creates an<br />
outstanding opportunity for<br />
job creation. This has been<br />
reflected in the fact that the<br />
tourism industry employs<br />
12.6% of the total Egyptian<br />
workforce. Approximately<br />
14.7 million tourists visited<br />
Egypt before the 25th<br />
January Revolution. We,<br />
as the Tourism ministry,<br />
are working extremely<br />
hard in order to achieve<br />
our goal of bringing 30<br />
million tourists to Egypt by<br />
the year 2020. Egypt has<br />
started its transformation<br />
into becoming a stable<br />
and democratic country,<br />
and we hope that this will<br />
play an important role in<br />
attracting tourists to our<br />
great nation. Amidst the<br />
multiple changes Egypt is<br />
weathering, the impressive<br />
variety of history and<br />
culture, plus the splendor of<br />
the myriad experiences that<br />
can only be had here, are<br />
not only preserved, but also<br />
safeguarded by the People<br />
of Egypt.<br />
After a drop from 14.5<br />
million tourists in 2010 to<br />
a little under 10 million<br />
in 2011, 2012 has seen<br />
a healthy increase in<br />
visitors. How did the year<br />
finish?<br />
Egypt will always be a major<br />
worldwide destination and<br />
the number of tourists that<br />
visited Egypt in 2012 is<br />
11.5 million, an increase<br />
of 17% in comparison<br />
to 2011. During 2012,<br />
tourists spent 138 million<br />
nights in Egypt, which is<br />
a 20.67% improvement<br />
in comparison to 2011.<br />
Furthermore, the amount of<br />
income generated through<br />
tourism increased by 13% in<br />
2012 in comparison to 2011.<br />
The ministry is doing all it<br />
can to get back on the right<br />
path and achieve figures<br />
similar to the ones in 2010<br />
- and eventually even better<br />
ones.<br />
Corresponding with <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Berlin</strong> we are seeing the<br />
reopening of the Kebbash<br />
road, connecting the Luxor<br />
and Karnak Temples.<br />
What new products are<br />
being launched?<br />
Egypt is a remarkable<br />
tourist destination offering<br />
an utterly unique and very<br />
special experience for<br />
tourists of all nationalities<br />
and cultures. The Tourism<br />
industry in Egypt – resilient as<br />
ever – continues to develop,<br />
plan and move ahead with<br />
various new and unique<br />
promotional programs and<br />
products. For instance, we<br />
have recently resumed the<br />
glorious super-long Nile<br />
cruises from Cairo to Aswan<br />
after a period of more than<br />
15 years when they did not<br />
run. The Kebbash Road,<br />
connecting Luxor Temple<br />
with Karnak Temple,<br />
will also be reopened to<br />
visitors in March 2013, after<br />
we are working<br />
extremely hard in<br />
order to achieve our<br />
goal of bringing<br />
30 million tourists to<br />
Egypt by the year 2020.<br />
restoration work has been<br />
completed. Furthermore,<br />
new measures are being<br />
taken to renovate the area<br />
around the pyramids. All<br />
tourist sites in Egypt are fully<br />
open to visitors as usual. All<br />
the new improvements and<br />
development processes<br />
that are taking place in<br />
countless places across<br />
Egypt could not have<br />
been achieved without<br />
the support of the current<br />
government and its<br />
acknowledgment of the<br />
tourism industry as one<br />
of pivotal importance.<br />
The Ministry of Tourism<br />
– once again – expresses<br />
its commitment to further<br />
develop and sustain this<br />
vital industry.<br />
How do you plan to<br />
encourage investment in<br />
the sector?<br />
I think the positive messages<br />
sent by the President and<br />
the Prime Minister to the<br />
whole world confirming<br />
their support of the tourism<br />
sector are important.<br />
Also, emphasizing that<br />
Egypt always welcomes<br />
its guests, promising them<br />
unforgettable experiences<br />
while encouraging foreign<br />
investments in all fields, is<br />
key to growing confidence<br />
for potential investors.<br />
[Interview by Richard Barnes]<br />
Hall 23 A<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<br />
25<br />
Driving a Multi-Brand Proposition<br />
Hilton Worldwide has multiple goals at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
Hilton has six iconic hotel brands and over 240 properties across the European region, strong assets to attract and retain<br />
customers. But of late, there is a lot of change in the Eurozone and ensuring responding to the needs of customers continues<br />
to be a biggest focus for the group. Philip Garnier is Hilton Worldwide’s new European head of sales. We asked him the<br />
company’s main objectives are this year at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> for tour operators and travel agents…<br />
Philippe Garnier<br />
Head of sales, Hilton Worldwide,<br />
Europe<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> provides us with an<br />
opportunity to meet many of<br />
our customers under one roof,<br />
over one week, and not only<br />
does the event give us the<br />
chance to thank them for the<br />
support they have shown our<br />
hotels, but it is also a fantastic<br />
forum in which to discuss the<br />
changing needs of the industry<br />
and how we can best ensure<br />
we’re responding to new<br />
opportunities.<br />
What are you offering<br />
potential owners and<br />
franchisees?<br />
With our rapidly expanding<br />
portfolio, <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> is a good<br />
platform to demonstrate to<br />
our partners the added value<br />
that Hilton Worldwide brings<br />
in supporting our hotels’<br />
commercial success.<br />
We are seeing some Hilton<br />
brands that have traditionally<br />
been better known in the US<br />
arriving in Europe… Why is<br />
this so?<br />
We are focused on driving<br />
our multi-brand proposition<br />
and catering to a wide range<br />
of guests with our brands, of<br />
which our upscale DoubleTree<br />
by Hilton brand and mid-<br />
include the UK, Russia, Turkey,<br />
Germany and Poland.<br />
What are Hilton’s biggest<br />
strengths in the market?<br />
With more than 4,100 meeting<br />
rooms and over 5.8 million<br />
square feet of hotel meeting<br />
space, Hilton Worldwide is<br />
recognised as a leader in<br />
the delivery of Meetings,<br />
Incentives, Conferences<br />
and Exhibitions. Our brand<br />
strength, integrity of product<br />
and experience is what<br />
attracts our customers. We<br />
also offer the most versatile<br />
spaces in a wide range of<br />
convenient locations to suit<br />
the needs of our clients, with<br />
240 venues in 30 countries<br />
across Europe, and venues<br />
that are close to city centres<br />
and international airports. For<br />
example in terms of space<br />
there are not many hotels that<br />
can offer sizes of 500+ square<br />
feet whereas we have venues<br />
that can accommodate such<br />
requests. Our hotels are also<br />
run by experienced hoteliers<br />
who understand the needs of<br />
clients, and who can effectively<br />
provide support throughout a<br />
meeting, whether it’s a small<br />
gathering or a large function.<br />
Global Hotel<br />
Leaders<br />
Celebrate<br />
One Billion<br />
International<br />
Travellers<br />
and Call for<br />
“Smart Visas”<br />
to Facilitate<br />
Travel for<br />
Next Billion<br />
Two hospitality giants<br />
- Hilton Worldwide and<br />
Marriott International<br />
– recently addressed<br />
global business and<br />
travel industry leaders<br />
at the World Economic<br />
Forum in Davos to urge<br />
governments to move<br />
quickly to adopt “Smart<br />
Visa” policies which<br />
stimulate global travel,<br />
create new jobs and spur<br />
economic development.<br />
The two companies are<br />
working together with the<br />
World Economic Forum<br />
Governors for the aviation,<br />
travel and tourism industry<br />
to promote global action<br />
toward “Smart Visa”<br />
policies regionally by 2015<br />
and globally by 2020.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> (…) is<br />
fast becoming one<br />
of the key meeting<br />
places for the MICE<br />
industry.<br />
sector Hilton Garden Inn and<br />
Hampton by Hilton hotels<br />
have seen significant growth<br />
across the region. This multibrand<br />
approach has helped<br />
us develop the strongest<br />
European pipeline in the<br />
industry, with more than<br />
125 hotels due to open in<br />
20 European countries. Key<br />
growth markets in Europe<br />
How important is <strong>ITB</strong> as part<br />
of your global marketing?<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> is extremely<br />
important to our marketing<br />
plans. The show is fast<br />
becoming one of the key<br />
meeting places for the MICE<br />
industry. It offers a unique<br />
opportunity to network<br />
with opinion-leaders, event<br />
organisers and travel decision<br />
makers as well as providing<br />
an important forum in which<br />
to discuss emerging trends in<br />
the industry.<br />
Hall 15.2<br />
DoubleTree<br />
by Hilton<br />
Welcomes its<br />
First Guests in<br />
Ireland<br />
Ireland’s first DoubleTree<br />
by Hilton hotel opened its<br />
doors last month, bringing<br />
one of Europe’s fastest<br />
growing upscale hotel<br />
brands to the Emerald<br />
Isle. A thoughtful and<br />
contemporary renovation<br />
of the Morrison hotel, in<br />
partnership with operators<br />
Martinez Hotels & Resorts,<br />
has seen the property’s<br />
138 rooms and suites<br />
completely re-designed<br />
with a brand new concept<br />
centred on music and<br />
sound.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
ASIA<br />
REGION<br />
27<br />
© India Tourism<br />
Regional Spotlight: Asia<br />
Asian Inbound Travel Shows Robust Growth<br />
Visitor arrivals at<br />
destinations in Asia<br />
increased by about 9% in<br />
2012. Following are the<br />
latest statistics, based on<br />
calculations by TBA and<br />
sourcing DMOs, Pacific<br />
Asia Travel Association<br />
and the World Tourism<br />
Organization.<br />
Overall growth of inbound<br />
travel for Asia was strong –<br />
an average of 9%. Only two<br />
destinations- Hong Kong<br />
and Macau - counted a fall,<br />
but many others showed<br />
unusually fast growth,<br />
although this is partly due<br />
to a slow 2011.<br />
Mainland China saw an<br />
increase of only 2%, but<br />
because this is the region’s<br />
largest destination, that<br />
represents an additional<br />
500,000 visitors. Thailand,<br />
with a14% share, saw<br />
a rapid increase thanks<br />
to increased traffic from<br />
Russia, which is now the<br />
country’s biggest market in<br />
Europe, overtaking longstanding<br />
markets such<br />
as Germany and the UK.<br />
Singapore features new<br />
attractions including new<br />
theatres at the Marina Bay<br />
Sands, the Marine Life<br />
Park, a cruise terminal and<br />
the Gardens By The Bay<br />
(Singapore’s 2nd botanical<br />
garden).<br />
Malaysia’s 7% share<br />
represents growth of 1%.<br />
Malaysia is hoping for a<br />
boost in 2014 as the DMO<br />
has designated it ‘Visit<br />
Malaysia Year’. Korea’s 7%<br />
share, which translates to<br />
a strong 14% increase in<br />
2012, is primarily because<br />
of good growth in the<br />
Japan outbound market.<br />
The seemingly impressive<br />
35% growth for Japan is<br />
primarily a recovery from<br />
the fall in 2011. That 35%<br />
growth took the total to<br />
just below the 2010 peak.<br />
Visitor arrivals in Asia destinations, 2012<br />
Destination Arrivals* Growth,% Share,%<br />
Bhutan 43,941 17.2 0.03<br />
Brunei 250,000 11.0 0.2<br />
Cambodia 3,584,195 24.4 2.3<br />
China 27,221,554 1.8 17.5<br />
Hong Kong 12,850,404 -1.0 8.3<br />
India 6,627,241 5.4 4.3<br />
Indonesia 8,002,035 4.6 5.1<br />
Japan 8,368,819 34.6 5.4<br />
Korea 11,135,438 13.7 7.2<br />
Laos 3,360,000 23.4 2.2<br />
Macau 4,098,640 -3.7 2.6<br />
For Indonesia although<br />
much effort goes into<br />
facilitating and promoting<br />
travel into different parts<br />
of the archipelago, most<br />
of the visitor traffic still<br />
goes into the famed everexpanding<br />
exotic island of<br />
Bali. There is now also an<br />
attempt to spread the Bali<br />
visitor business around the<br />
whole island, rather than<br />
just around Denpasar.<br />
Destination Arrivals* Growth,% Share,%<br />
Malaysia 11,254,903 1.2 7.2<br />
Maldives 957,989 2.9 0.6<br />
Myanmar 1,058,995 29.7 0.7<br />
Nepal 598,200 9.8 0.4<br />
Philippines 4,272,724 9.1 2.7<br />
Singapore 14,677,120 11.4 9.4<br />
Sri Lanka 1,005,639 17.5 0.6<br />
Taiwan 7,311,309 20.1 4.7<br />
Thailand 22,147,037 15.2 14.2<br />
Vietnam 6,583,577 9.9 4.2<br />
Asia 155,409,758 9.1 100<br />
Notes:<br />
See below for special definitions of destinations where<br />
relevant. No data for Bangladesh, Mongolia, and Pakistan.<br />
*Calculations by TBA from latest-available data. ┼<br />
Source: DMOs, Pacific Asia Travel Association, Travel<br />
Business Analyst, World Tourism Organization.<br />
Definitions:<br />
• Brunei. Air arrivals.<br />
• China. Foreigners only, no matter where resident.<br />
Excludes ethnic Chinese arrivals from Hong Kong and<br />
Macau. Categorisation according to travel document.<br />
• Hong Kong. Excludes arrivals from China and Macau.<br />
• Macau. Excludes arrivals from China and Hong Kong.<br />
• Malaysia. Excludes land arrivals from Singapore, assumed<br />
to be 55% of grand total.<br />
• Myanmar. Includes land arrivals.<br />
• Singapore. Excludes land arrivals from Malaysia.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
ASIA<br />
REGION<br />
29<br />
Beautiful China Initiative<br />
to be Launched Wednesday<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
China continues to experience strong growth in tourism, thanks to increased impetus with the<br />
Silk Road project and new promotional initiatives – such as a new branding campaign being<br />
launched on Wednesday.<br />
Li Yaying<br />
Director of FVA China<br />
According to the<br />
director of FVA<br />
China (Chinese<br />
tourism board<br />
in Germany) Li<br />
Yaying, southern<br />
provinces are<br />
growing fastest:<br />
“In Yunnan and<br />
Sichuan, the<br />
figures of tourists<br />
increased by over<br />
10% last year.<br />
Also the Silk Road<br />
becomes more<br />
and more popular<br />
due to a better<br />
infrastructure built in the<br />
last couple of years in<br />
the provinces of Xinjiang,<br />
Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia<br />
and Shaanxi. Provinces like<br />
Fujian, Anhui and Zhejiang<br />
benefit from new direct<br />
flights from Europe and<br />
also increased their tourism<br />
figures over average.”<br />
“We are very happy to<br />
introduce our new logo<br />
‘Beautiful China’,” added<br />
Mr Li. “We are planning a<br />
ceremony on Wednesday<br />
with over 200 invited guests<br />
to reveal it.”<br />
New air connections are<br />
opening in coming months.<br />
In May, Air China will fly<br />
directly from Frankfurt to<br />
Chengdu, and Finnair is<br />
establishing a new route to<br />
Xi’an.<br />
Hall 26C<br />
Stand 311<br />
Japan Fights Back and<br />
Targets New Record<br />
Japan’s tourism authority, the JNTO, is forecasting major growth in tourism again this year,<br />
targeting a new record of 10 million visitors.<br />
Hideaki<br />
Nakazawa<br />
JNTO director<br />
Since 2003, when<br />
the “Visit Japan”<br />
campaign was<br />
launched, visitor<br />
numbers have<br />
grown from 5.2<br />
million to a record<br />
8.61 million in<br />
2010. Discounting<br />
the tragic events<br />
of 2011 that<br />
wreaked havoc<br />
with tourism that<br />
year, visits in<br />
2012 were back<br />
up to 8.27 million;<br />
almost back to<br />
the record of 2010.<br />
Speaking with<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> <strong>News</strong>,<br />
JNTO director Hideaki<br />
Nakazawa says new local<br />
destinations are increasing<br />
in popularity: “As the total<br />
number of foreign visitors<br />
grow, many of them visit the<br />
‘off-the beaten track’ areas<br />
as well as the ‘Golden Route’<br />
(Nikko, Tokyo – Hiroshima).<br />
This tendency is very good<br />
for better activating the local<br />
economy.”<br />
Nakazawa-san says new<br />
air routes from Europe<br />
and other centres will play<br />
a big part in stimulating<br />
the new growth: “KLM is<br />
going to inaugurate from<br />
April a new flight between<br />
Amsterdam and Fukuoka,<br />
Kyushu Island, Japan. This<br />
will be the first air route<br />
to connect Europe directly<br />
with Fukuoka. Not only<br />
JNTO Frankfurt office but<br />
also JNTO’s London and<br />
Paris offices are going to<br />
make much of this occasion<br />
to promote Japan by holding<br />
a big campaign in 2013 in<br />
Germany, UK, Netherland<br />
and France.”<br />
Fukuoka Prefecture<br />
and Kyushu Island are<br />
participating for the first<br />
time in <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>, on the<br />
Japan Stand, to further<br />
promote the Kyushu Island<br />
in European market.<br />
Hall 26A<br />
Stand 129<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
ASIA<br />
REGION<br />
31<br />
“Thainess” – the Charm of Thai Culture<br />
The Tourism Authority of Thailand promotes unique Thai products… and sustainability<br />
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is a government agency with the objective<br />
of promoting tourism to the country on the basis of sustainable tourism, in line with<br />
maintaining the unique Thai identity and meeting international standards in order to<br />
achieve an economic, social and environmental balance. We asked Suraphon Svetasreni,<br />
Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, what key factors are influencing the<br />
success of this destination today?<br />
Suraphon<br />
Svetasreni<br />
Governor of the Tourism<br />
Authority of Thailand<br />
The marketing<br />
landscape is<br />
changing all<br />
the time, and<br />
in my point<br />
of view, any<br />
destination that<br />
can maintain<br />
sustainable<br />
development<br />
will survive<br />
and hopefully<br />
thrive. In the<br />
past, we focused<br />
on tourism<br />
development<br />
only for<br />
maximizing economic<br />
returns. In recent years, we<br />
have put more emphasis<br />
on balancing the three<br />
factors of the economy,<br />
environment and society<br />
so as to create sustainable<br />
tourism.<br />
In your role, what are<br />
your key priorities moving<br />
forward?<br />
As TAT is a marketing<br />
Number of Arrivals to Thailand<br />
by Nationality January - December 2012<br />
organisation to promote the<br />
tourism industry, then in<br />
my role, I have to promote<br />
TAT to be a marketing<br />
organization of excellence<br />
with human resources<br />
who are able to adapt<br />
their ability to changing<br />
environment conditions.<br />
We have to be able to be a<br />
good coordinator between<br />
the government agencies<br />
and private sector.<br />
In addition, we have also<br />
implemented marketing<br />
strategy tools, what I call<br />
the DISCO blueprint.<br />
D: is for Digital Marketing:<br />
TAT has been using digital<br />
marketing to promote Thai<br />
tourism for many years, and<br />
we will continue to tap into<br />
a wider pool of travellers<br />
through social networks,<br />
online games, and mobile<br />
applications.<br />
I : is Image Building:<br />
TAT will continue to<br />
reinforce the essence<br />
of the Thailand brand<br />
Chon Buri Pattaya Floating Market<br />
2012 2011 %∆<br />
Nationality Number %Share Number %Share 2012/2011<br />
China 2,789,345 12.51 1,721,247 8.95 62.05<br />
Malaysia 2,560,963 11.48 2,500,280 13.00 2.43<br />
Japan 1,371,253 6.15 1,127,893 5.87 21.58<br />
Russia 1,317,387 5.91 1,054,187 5.48 24.97<br />
Korea 1,169,131 5.24 1,006,283 5.23 16.18<br />
India 1,015,865 4.55 914,971 4.76 11.03<br />
Indonesia 448,748 2.01 370,795 1.93 21.02<br />
Source of Data: Immigration Bureau, Police Department.<br />
Thailand also has<br />
its own unique<br />
culture of “Thainess”<br />
that makes the country<br />
different from other<br />
destinations<br />
image, “Amazing Thailand:<br />
Always Amazes You”, with<br />
a focus on Authenticity,<br />
Value for Money, and<br />
Hospitality. According to<br />
the FutureBrand Country<br />
Brand Index 2012-13 (CBI),<br />
Thailand has consistently<br />
performed well for the Top<br />
list of Value for Money as<br />
well as perceived as eighth<br />
of the Top 25 tourism,<br />
tenth for Food, eleventh for<br />
Shopping, tenth for Beach,<br />
and ninth for nightlife in the<br />
world-class brand.<br />
S : is Sustainablility:<br />
Travellers are increasingly<br />
aware of the environmental<br />
impact of their own travel<br />
plans with a growing<br />
number willing to pay more<br />
for “green” options. TAT has<br />
long promoted sustainable<br />
tourism through the concept<br />
of the Seven Greens, which<br />
encourages Corporate<br />
Social Responsibility (CSR)<br />
among operators. We<br />
have collaborated with<br />
various partners to identify<br />
interesting options for ecofriendly<br />
travel; such as, the<br />
Green Hotels, the Green<br />
Islands of Ko Chang, and<br />
newer environmentallyfriendly<br />
tourism products.<br />
C: is Crystallization & Crisis<br />
Management: Through<br />
a combination of digital<br />
media tools and traditional<br />
channels, TAT is able to<br />
communicate accurate<br />
information that tourists<br />
need when a crisis situation<br />
occurs. Planning for such<br />
contingencies is becoming<br />
increasingly important<br />
in these days of constant<br />
change and unpredictable<br />
events.<br />
O : is Organizational<br />
Management: This is<br />
designed to boost internal<br />
organizational efficiency by<br />
making TAT a true learning<br />
organization in which TAT<br />
staff are presented with<br />
opportunities to undergo<br />
core competency training<br />
to further sharpen their<br />
marketing skills and<br />
individual capabilities.<br />
All in all, what differentiates<br />
Thailand as a destination?<br />
Apart from the variety of<br />
tourism resources, Thailand<br />
also has its own unique<br />
culture of “Thainess” that<br />
makes the country different<br />
from other destinations.<br />
The charm of Thainess<br />
also includes Thai food<br />
and the hospitality of the<br />
Thai people that always<br />
impresses travellers to the<br />
country. The good value<br />
for money that the country<br />
offers is also an important<br />
factor for tourists when they<br />
choose us.<br />
Hall 26 B<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
ASIA<br />
REGION<br />
33<br />
Macau Announces<br />
“Vibrant Moment”<br />
Helena de Senna<br />
Fernandes<br />
Director of Macau<br />
Government Tourist Office<br />
The Director of Macau<br />
Government Tourist Office,<br />
Helena de Senna Fernandes,<br />
reveals Macau’s expansion<br />
plans… beginning with what<br />
Macau will be highlighting<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> 2013…<br />
Besides focussing on the strength<br />
of our product mix, leveraging<br />
the number of special events that<br />
will take place in Macau, we also<br />
announced at the beginning of<br />
this year that “Vibrant Moment”<br />
will be added to the existing line<br />
up of promotional themes. This<br />
year, two major events will be<br />
emphasized at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>; the<br />
celebrations of the 25th Macau<br />
International Fireworks Display<br />
Contest in September and the<br />
60th Macau Grand Prix.<br />
Macau welcomed over 28 million<br />
visitors in 2012 and we have<br />
seen overnight guests in hotels<br />
increase with double-digit growth.<br />
Gaming resorts have further<br />
expanded their onsite attractions<br />
like shopping, entertainment<br />
and nightlife as well as culinary<br />
delights, while visitors from<br />
international markets in particular<br />
also appreciate Macau’s cultural<br />
diversity.<br />
How do you differentiate your<br />
offering?<br />
The heritage of two cultures<br />
makes Macau truly unique. This is<br />
reflected through the architecture,<br />
the sightseeing spots, the people,<br />
and probably the earliest example<br />
of fusion cuisine influenced by<br />
eastern and western cultures. And<br />
it is so easy to explore Macau as<br />
many of the cultural attractions<br />
can be reached on foot. The<br />
modern side of the city also offers<br />
various extreme sports like the<br />
Skywalk or the Bungy jump on the<br />
Macau Tower.<br />
What are the key issues to<br />
improving tourism in your<br />
country, and what is being done<br />
to address these?<br />
Macau has experienced a<br />
continuous growth in visitor<br />
numbers over the previous years<br />
and, of course, our infrastructure<br />
needs to grow in line with that.<br />
Several projects are underway,<br />
for example, a light rapid transit<br />
system which will ease traffic in<br />
the streets. The first stretch of 1.9<br />
Kilometers is presently being built<br />
on Taipa, and once completed, 21<br />
stops will connect Taipa and Cotai<br />
with the outskirts of the peninsula<br />
all the way up to the Border Gate<br />
to Mainland China.<br />
Hall 26 C<br />
Stand 312<br />
Gardening<br />
– Gangnam Style!<br />
South Korea promotes the international garden expo and (what<br />
else?) Gangnam Style – at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> 2013<br />
The global hit Gangnam Style again has the public talking about Korea. But what will the<br />
country be promoting at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> 2013? We put the question to Charm Lee, President of the<br />
Korea Tourism Organization<br />
The key products Korea is promoting<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> are our “130+” project and<br />
the International Garden Exposition<br />
2013 in Suncheonman Bay. The<br />
International Garden Expo will be<br />
hosted in Korea for the first time.<br />
We are very proud to promote<br />
Suncheon Bay, one of the world’s<br />
five inshore wetlands. Moreover we<br />
offer special traditional programmes<br />
like performances, tea ceremonies<br />
and calligraphy art to show our<br />
clients our traditional culture. We<br />
will also offer modern culture and<br />
entertainment programs like K-Pop<br />
and 3-D movies.<br />
Gangnam Style has been a big hit<br />
worldwide… has this had an effect<br />
on hotel & restaurant business<br />
and shopping in Gangnam?<br />
Gangnam is the area south of the<br />
river in Seoul. It features modern<br />
lifestyle with high buildings,<br />
modern hotels and restaurants and<br />
shopping areas. Since the big hit<br />
“Gangnam Style” many tourists<br />
want to visit places which are<br />
shown in the music video. There<br />
is a new tourist office located in<br />
Gangnam and many restaurants<br />
and shopping centers do marketing<br />
campaigns with Psy or “Gangnam<br />
Style”.<br />
The annual Formula One grand<br />
prix has attracted a lot of interest<br />
to Korea, but it seems a lot of<br />
hotel and other infrastructure is<br />
still needed in Yeongam. How is<br />
this progressing?<br />
In the beginning, it was challenging<br />
for us to offer accommodation for<br />
so many people. Many hotels have<br />
been opened recently. We still do<br />
not have that many hotels in the city<br />
of Yeongam, but there will be many<br />
new hotels and infrastructure for<br />
the next season in the area around.<br />
How are your source markets<br />
evolving?<br />
The source markets are<br />
continuously growing. In 2012<br />
more than 11 Million people visited<br />
Korea. We still have most tourists<br />
from China and Japan as well as<br />
South East Asia but the number of<br />
tourists from Europe and America<br />
are rising every year.<br />
Hall 26 A<br />
Stand 135<br />
Charm Lee<br />
President of the Korea Tourism<br />
Organization<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
ASIA<br />
REGION<br />
35<br />
Truly<br />
Asia!<br />
Malaysia is on target to double visitors and triple<br />
revenue by 2020<br />
With the ASEAN Tourism Forum planned for Malaysia in 2014, many<br />
eyes are turning to that country as an even more important key player<br />
in the region. Hon. Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen, the Malaysian Minister for<br />
Tourism, tells <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> <strong>News</strong> that the country’s 2012 visitor numbers<br />
are on target…<br />
Hon. Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen<br />
Minister of Tourism, Malaysia<br />
Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen is a Malaysian politician and the current Minister<br />
of Tourism. She is also the current Vice-President of the Malaysian Chinese<br />
Association (MCA). She was the chief of the Women’s wing of the Malaysian<br />
Chinese Association until 2008. Her appointment as minister marked a<br />
milestone as the first Malaysian Chinese woman to hold a cabinet position.<br />
In 2009, she was appointed Minister of Tourism, and under her stewardship,<br />
Malaysia has received and continues to reap accolades from the world over.<br />
Our target for 2012 was<br />
25 million visitors, and<br />
the latest results indicate<br />
we reached that. We are<br />
already the second-largest<br />
destination in Asia after<br />
China, and 9th largest in<br />
the world. By 2020 we aim<br />
to double the visitors and<br />
triple the revenue.<br />
What changes are you<br />
planning for this year?<br />
This year, a new terminal is<br />
due to open at Kuala Lumpur<br />
airport, mainly for lowcost<br />
carriers, and designed<br />
to handle 30 million<br />
passengers a year. There<br />
are also developments<br />
for airlines with a new<br />
Malaysia/Indonesia low<br />
fare airline, Malindo<br />
Airlines, due to start flying<br />
this year between the two<br />
countries, and Air France<br />
will start three weekly flights<br />
from Paris to Kuala Lumpur<br />
this April. And we are also<br />
working on plans for 2014,<br />
which we have designated<br />
Visit Malaysia Year [VMY].<br />
The theme will be ‘Malaysia<br />
– Truly Asia’. Our goal is to<br />
rally all the nation’s forces<br />
behind VMY. The prime<br />
minister himself exhorted<br />
all Malaysians to stand<br />
together and show their<br />
best in terms of hospitality<br />
and sense of welcome.<br />
The prime minister<br />
himself exhorted all<br />
Malaysians to stand<br />
together and show<br />
their best in terms of<br />
hospitality.<br />
major international event<br />
in 2014 that publicises<br />
Malaysia worldwide for the<br />
VMY. This is the first time<br />
the ATF has been held on the<br />
island of Borneo, so we are<br />
exploring all the potential of<br />
Borneo, particularly in terms<br />
of leisure and adventure.<br />
The other important change<br />
is that we have just agreed<br />
for Aseanta (Asean Tourism<br />
Association) to run the<br />
Travex trade show part of<br />
ATF.<br />
many of them being unique<br />
to the island of Borneo, in<br />
the states of Sabah and<br />
Sarawak, so I really want to<br />
show our original culture,<br />
what we call ‘asli’ in the<br />
Malay language. I also want<br />
to bring tourists to Carey<br />
Island, south of Port Klang<br />
and not too far from Kuala<br />
Lumpur. It is the home of<br />
the Mah-Meri, an aboriginal<br />
tribe which creates<br />
extraordinary sculptures.<br />
[INTERVIEW BY RICHARD BARNES]<br />
What plans do you have<br />
for the ASEAN Tourism<br />
Forum (ATF), due to be<br />
held in 2014 in Malaysia?<br />
The ATF will be the first<br />
What cultural and<br />
heritage attractions will<br />
you emphasise?<br />
Malaysia official records<br />
show 147 ethnic groups,<br />
Hall 26 A<br />
Stand 121<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
TRANSPORT<br />
SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
37<br />
Moving Your Way<br />
Adaptability And Customer Insight At The Heart of<br />
Europcar’s Revival<br />
Roland Keppler, CEO of the Europcar group tells<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> <strong>News</strong> about the brand’s repositioning<br />
and what is next for hire car operator…<br />
Korean<br />
Air<br />
Announces<br />
Expanded<br />
Routes<br />
and New<br />
Aircraft<br />
Roland Keppler<br />
Europcar group CEO<br />
Educated as an engineer, Roland Keppler,<br />
47, began his career in 1992 as controller<br />
at Preussag AG, before joining airline Hapag<br />
Lloyd in 2002, where he was appointed<br />
Finance Director of its low cost branch,<br />
Hapag Lloyd Express. He was appointed<br />
CEO in 2005. Following the merger of<br />
Hapag Lloyd and HLX to form TUIfly, and<br />
having developed the company’s digital<br />
subsidiary (TUI Interactive) and organizing<br />
the integration of TUIfly in Central Europe,<br />
Roland Keppler was named CEO of TUIfly<br />
in 2007. In 2009, he was appointed CEO<br />
of Europcar’s German subsidiary, and in<br />
February 2012 he was named group CEO.<br />
We unveiled our new brand<br />
positioning “Moving Your<br />
Way” at the end of 2012<br />
in order to demonstrate<br />
that Europcar is evolving<br />
its services, processes<br />
and communication to<br />
adapt to customers’ ever<br />
changing mobility needs.<br />
“Moving Your Way”<br />
conveys Europcar’s total<br />
commitment to the client.<br />
As part of that positioning,<br />
a new logo has been<br />
designed to symbolise<br />
mobility and act as quality<br />
stamp on all Europcar subbrands<br />
and offers. We have<br />
also developed a brand<br />
new europcar.com website<br />
which offers a more efficient<br />
booking process and many<br />
great design features.<br />
The key will be to<br />
define the right mobility<br />
offer allowing real<br />
flexibility, easy access,<br />
value for money, plus<br />
environmental<br />
friendliness and a<br />
seamless experience<br />
The car rental scene is<br />
becoming increasingly<br />
competitive, and we are<br />
seeing numerous mergers<br />
and take-overs. How do<br />
you see the next couple of<br />
years in the industry?<br />
There is increased<br />
competitive pressure on<br />
services and flexibility,<br />
as well as on prices and<br />
profit margins, plus there is<br />
market consolidation and<br />
more segmentation. The<br />
key will be to define the<br />
right mobility offer allowing<br />
real flexibility, easy access,<br />
value for money, plus<br />
environmental friendliness<br />
and a seamless experience.<br />
We have seen “Car2go”<br />
taking off in some cities in<br />
Europe as part of a joint<br />
venture with Europcar.<br />
How is this partnership<br />
evolving, and what is the<br />
future of Car2go.com?<br />
The partnership has been<br />
evolving steadily, and both<br />
companies complement<br />
each other perfectly: car2go<br />
benefits from Europcar’s<br />
know-how in the field of<br />
fleet management and<br />
logistics, as well as from<br />
the large station network,<br />
whereas Europcar benefits<br />
from Daimler’s innovative<br />
technology. After Hamburg,<br />
several car2go launches<br />
followed in Vienna (2011),<br />
as well as in Düsseldorf,<br />
<strong>Berlin</strong>, Cologne, London,<br />
and Stuttgart (2012). Up<br />
till now, more than 6,000<br />
vehicles were rented more<br />
than 5 million times by<br />
250,000 customers and we<br />
plan to launch the concept<br />
in about 40 to 50 European<br />
cities over the next few<br />
years.<br />
How are new technologies<br />
helping make Europcar<br />
more efficient?<br />
The development of digital<br />
services is a key component<br />
of our strategy and will help<br />
us to extend our position<br />
as a leading and innovative<br />
mobility player. We<br />
launched two new mobile<br />
applications for iPhone and<br />
Android that make booking<br />
a car easier than ever.<br />
Hall 9<br />
Stand 123<br />
With already more than<br />
400 flights per day to<br />
124 cities in 43 countries,<br />
Korean Air is set to<br />
expand its global network<br />
with the addition of nine<br />
next-generation aircraft<br />
to its fleet. The company<br />
will be receiving two<br />
A380’s, one A330-200,<br />
two B777’s-300ERs, two<br />
B737-900ERs, one B747-<br />
8F and one B7774.<br />
The arrival of the<br />
additional two A380s<br />
will bring the number<br />
of Korean Air’s A380s<br />
to seven. With just 407<br />
seats in total, the lowest<br />
configuration of any<br />
A380 operator so far,<br />
the carrier is the first to<br />
devote an entire deck to<br />
‘Prestige’ business class<br />
and also features an onboard<br />
Celestial Bar and<br />
Duty Free Showcase.<br />
In 2012, Korean Air<br />
launched direct services<br />
to Danang; Nairobi,<br />
Kenya; and Yangon,<br />
Myanmar and resumed<br />
services to Riyadh and<br />
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,<br />
after a 35-year hiatus.<br />
In 2013, Korean Air<br />
plans to provide a direct<br />
service to Colombo, Sri<br />
Lanka and Male, Maldives<br />
in March. The airline also<br />
plans to deploy A380<br />
aircraft on the Incheon-<br />
Atlanta route starting in<br />
August. On the Incheon-<br />
Frankfurt route it started<br />
in the beginning of<br />
February 2013.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
TRANSPORT<br />
SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
39<br />
We’re Not Resting<br />
on Our Laurels<br />
Sixt innovates interplay with new technologies to<br />
create new value for customers<br />
Malaysia<br />
Airlines<br />
Joins<br />
oneworld<br />
Regine Sixt<br />
Regine Sixt is a highly influential German<br />
entrepreneur. After her studies she started<br />
her career at Sixt, in these days a local<br />
car rental company, based in downtown<br />
Munich. Together with her husband Erich<br />
Sixt she has been determined to develop<br />
an international recognized enterprise. It<br />
is a unique success story in travel industry.<br />
Regine Sixt founded her own charity<br />
organisation, the Regine Sixt Childrens’ Aid<br />
Foundation “Drying little tears”, which is<br />
the official CSR-program of Sixt AG<br />
Named the “Woman of the Year” in last year’s World Travel Awards,<br />
Regine Sixt continues to forge forward with a company that stands<br />
out from the crowd and continues to set itself “ambitious targets”. We<br />
asked her how business is going…<br />
In more than 100<br />
countries around the<br />
world, our corporate<br />
colours of orange and<br />
black are synonymous<br />
with outstanding mobility<br />
services. We don’t,<br />
however, plan to rest on<br />
our laurels: instead, we<br />
continually set ourselves<br />
even more ambitious<br />
targets. As part of this, we<br />
are working flat out on our<br />
company’s expansion –<br />
within reason, of course –<br />
and always have our eye to<br />
establishing our company<br />
in yet more countries.<br />
Our presence on the US<br />
market is of tremendous<br />
importance. Our own<br />
rental facilities there have<br />
been a huge success, and<br />
we also started working<br />
with excellent franchise<br />
holders at the end of last<br />
year.<br />
Sixt is a very forwardlooking<br />
company in<br />
terms of technology. How<br />
did you come to be the<br />
first car rental company<br />
to be included in Apple’s<br />
Passbook?<br />
One of Sixt’s most deepseated<br />
characteristics is its<br />
dedication to innovation.<br />
This is borne out by the<br />
countless new leasing and<br />
car rental products and<br />
services we have launched<br />
over the course of the<br />
years. Due in no small part<br />
to my son Konstantin, Sixt<br />
was quick to recognise the<br />
potential represented by<br />
mobile services, and we<br />
responded by creating our<br />
own app. Today, we are<br />
present on all widely used<br />
smartphone brands, and<br />
we are constantly working<br />
to take our applications to<br />
the next level. Enabling<br />
our customers to hire cars<br />
using Apple’s Passbook<br />
was second nature to us,<br />
and we were, I might add,<br />
the world’s first car rental<br />
company to make this<br />
service available.<br />
What other technical<br />
innovations and updates<br />
can we expect to see this<br />
year?<br />
We keep tabs on how<br />
people’s understanding<br />
of mobility is constantly<br />
changing, and we adapt<br />
our products and services<br />
to keep up with new<br />
developments. With this in<br />
mind, you can be certain<br />
that we are working on<br />
making the rental process<br />
even more flexible and<br />
simpler. A good example<br />
of this is our system for<br />
using barcodes for issuing<br />
cars: we send a barcode<br />
to our customers’ phones,<br />
and this barcode gets<br />
scanned in at the rental<br />
station desk. It’s a system<br />
that does away with all<br />
other formalities. Our<br />
customers can also opt<br />
for BMW ConnectedDrive,<br />
which keeps them<br />
permanently connected to<br />
the internet while they are<br />
travelling.<br />
How is Sixt unlimited<br />
progressing?<br />
Sixt unlimited is another<br />
good example that<br />
illustrates how we<br />
understand innovative<br />
mobility. It is an integrated<br />
service offering that<br />
combines car rental and<br />
leasing, and it caters to all<br />
of the mobility needs our<br />
customers might have, no<br />
matter where they are in<br />
Europe. It’s no surprise<br />
that Sixt unlimited has<br />
been such a hit with people<br />
who have to travel a lot.<br />
We are now working on<br />
making the product even<br />
more flexible and creating<br />
an attractive range of<br />
added value features.<br />
How many members and<br />
users does DriveNow<br />
currently have? Are you<br />
thinking of expanding the<br />
service to neighbouring<br />
European countries, and<br />
across the US?<br />
An impressive number<br />
of people signed up for<br />
DriveNow in 2012, and our<br />
joint venture with BMW<br />
had 75,000 registered<br />
customers by the end of the<br />
year in Germany. Here, we<br />
are focusing on creating<br />
an even better network<br />
between different modes<br />
of transport for the benefit<br />
of our customers, and we<br />
are working hand in hand<br />
with other companies,<br />
such as public transport<br />
operators, to achieve this.<br />
DriveNow is international<br />
in scope, so from the very<br />
beginning, we planned to<br />
launch this service in other<br />
major cities in Europe and<br />
around the world.<br />
[Interview by Richard Barnes]<br />
Hall 9<br />
Stand 121<br />
On 1 st February 2013,<br />
Malaysia Airlines became<br />
part of oneworld, adding<br />
one of Asia’s leading<br />
airlines to the global<br />
airline alliance.<br />
For the airline, joining<br />
oneworld completes yet<br />
another successful phase<br />
of its business plan. By<br />
joining, Malaysia Airlines,<br />
which serves more<br />
than 60 destinations in<br />
almost 30 countries, will<br />
substantially expand the<br />
alliance’s network in one<br />
of the world’s fastest<br />
growing economic<br />
powerhouses, South East<br />
Asia. More significantly,<br />
it strengthens the<br />
alliance’s connectivity<br />
between many key<br />
business cities in Asia<br />
and other parts of the<br />
world.<br />
Meanwhile, the oneworld<br />
Visit Malaysia pass<br />
was also launched<br />
in February, offering<br />
discounts on regular<br />
published fares for<br />
Malaysian domestic<br />
flights bought in<br />
conjunction with a flight<br />
on a oneworld carrier to<br />
Malaysia.<br />
Hall 26.A<br />
Stand 121<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
40 SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
TRANSPORT<br />
Iceland - a Natural Hub<br />
Much More Than a Local Player, Icelandair Spreads its Wings<br />
Birkir Holm<br />
Guonason<br />
CEO of Icelandair<br />
Hall 18<br />
Stand 114<br />
Birkir Holm Guonason,<br />
CEO of Icelandair,<br />
reveals how the<br />
company is repositioning<br />
itself as<br />
both regional and<br />
trans-Atlantic player,<br />
and the importance of<br />
being on time...<br />
Icelandair’s business<br />
strategy is based on utilising<br />
the geographical position of<br />
Iceland on the natural flight<br />
route between northern<br />
Europe and North America<br />
to create an international<br />
hub and spoke network.<br />
Operating on three different<br />
and independent passenger<br />
markets (the North Atlantic<br />
market, the Icelandic home<br />
In its 2013 summer<br />
schedule Icelandair<br />
connects 25 European<br />
cities with 10 North<br />
American cities<br />
through the company’s<br />
hub in Iceland<br />
market and the tourist<br />
market to Iceland) gives<br />
the company a variety of<br />
options in network and<br />
revenue management. In<br />
its 2013 summer schedule,<br />
Icelandair connects 25<br />
European cities with 10<br />
North American cities<br />
through the company’s hub<br />
in Iceland.<br />
Iceland is growing in<br />
interest as a destination in<br />
itself. What are the most<br />
popular attractions?<br />
Yes, Iceland’s variety of<br />
landscapes and weather, the<br />
easy access to wilderness,<br />
glaciers, mountains,<br />
rivers and lakes as well as<br />
volcanoes and hot springs<br />
make Iceland a special<br />
place. But the cultural and<br />
historical aspects are also<br />
a draw – the vibrant music<br />
scene and the many quality<br />
restaurants are a surprise to<br />
many.<br />
What are the main new<br />
routes that have opened<br />
in the past year, and what<br />
is planned for 2013?<br />
In the past few years we<br />
have opened up Toronto,<br />
Seattle, Washington,<br />
Denver and now Anchorage<br />
in North America, and on<br />
the European side, we have<br />
new cities like Manchester,<br />
Brussels, Bergen and this<br />
year St Petersburg and<br />
Zurich. In 2013 we are also<br />
adding about 15% to last<br />
year’s capacity through<br />
increased frequency on<br />
many of our key routes.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013<br />
www.itb-berlin-news.com
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGIES<br />
SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
41<br />
How Mobile<br />
Can You Go?<br />
Manfred Osthues, cofounder<br />
and managing<br />
partner – protel –<br />
has been at the very<br />
heart of hospitality<br />
software development<br />
for many years. We<br />
asked whether he felt<br />
hotels are catering<br />
adequately for the<br />
mobile revolution…<br />
Not enough to be honest.<br />
Many hotels now offer free<br />
Wi-Fi, which is a good start,<br />
but there is much more<br />
to consider. For instance,<br />
many hotel websites and<br />
web booking engines are<br />
not “mobile”, meaning they<br />
have not been adjusted to<br />
the smaller screen size of<br />
mobile devices. It is much<br />
more pleasant for guests to<br />
enter new room bookings<br />
via a web booking engine<br />
that is optimised for<br />
smartphones. And isn’t<br />
it the comfort guests are<br />
looking for – even before<br />
arrival?<br />
What new products/<br />
upgrades are you launching<br />
this year?<br />
We are highly motivated to<br />
guide our clients throughout<br />
the entire guest journey: to<br />
provide hoteliers with tools<br />
that aid in the interaction<br />
with guests before, during<br />
and after their stay to ensure<br />
repeat visits and increase<br />
customer loyalty.<br />
Our latest innovations<br />
which will be presented<br />
at the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> include<br />
protel Messenger and protel<br />
Housekeeping mentioned<br />
above, new features of<br />
protel for iPad (mobile PMS)<br />
and a new version of protel<br />
Survey and protel Voyager.<br />
We are also very proud of our<br />
new Web Booking Engine<br />
(protel WBE 4.0), which is<br />
geared to maximize direct<br />
bookings and cut down on<br />
OTA commissions.<br />
We treat <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> as the<br />
main opportunity to present<br />
Manfred<br />
Osthues<br />
Co-founder and managing<br />
partner – Protel<br />
our latest innovations to our<br />
prospects and clients who<br />
are accustomed to finding<br />
out what’s new at protel<br />
during this time. Many, in<br />
fact, just visit our booth<br />
and ask us to present our<br />
newest releases because<br />
they know what to expect<br />
from us at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>. This<br />
year we will show the<br />
hotelier step-by-step how<br />
he can better interact with<br />
the mobile guest once he<br />
has the proper tools from<br />
protel – on-site as well as in<br />
the cloud!<br />
®<br />
Hall 8.1<br />
Stand 103<br />
Hotel Distribution<br />
Technologies<br />
The growing need to stand out… and reach your<br />
desired consumer<br />
How difficult is it for a hotel to gain recognition<br />
in today’s ever more complex market and how<br />
can a technology solutions company help? We<br />
put the question to Alex Alt, Chief Operations<br />
Officer of Sabre Hospitality Solutions, who is<br />
set to replace Felix Laboy as the company’s<br />
new President and General Manager, effective<br />
April…<br />
There are two interesting<br />
challenges when it comes<br />
to recognition. The first<br />
is the continued growth<br />
and diversity of hospitality<br />
developments in emerging<br />
markets. As competition<br />
grows, so too does the need<br />
to stand out and reach your<br />
desired consumer. The<br />
second is that of changing<br />
consumer profiles in<br />
emerging markets.<br />
These so-called ‘virgin<br />
consumers’ will engage<br />
and buy in different ways.<br />
Establishing recognition<br />
with this consumer group<br />
may necessitate new<br />
distribution strategies and<br />
brand positioning.<br />
Larger brands are<br />
increasingly adept at<br />
consumer engagement<br />
via multiple channels and<br />
CRM initiatives (e.g. the<br />
Delta /Starwood crossover<br />
rewards program) and<br />
therefore setting an<br />
important precedent.<br />
In comparison, smaller<br />
groups and independent<br />
properties find themselves<br />
challenged by a gap in<br />
knowledge, resource and<br />
tool sets. Sabre Hospitality<br />
Solutions operates as<br />
Idiso Continues Expansion in 2013<br />
Spanish hotel distribution<br />
company Idiso, who launched<br />
the Innwise hotel e-marketing<br />
service at the end of 2012,<br />
is continuing its expansion<br />
of its booking platform. The<br />
expanded platform allows<br />
for reservations in every kind<br />
of hotel, ranging from urban<br />
to holiday destinations and<br />
including both independent<br />
hotels and the big chains.<br />
The platform is accessible to<br />
end-users, tour operators, and<br />
travel agencies both on and<br />
offline. Idiso offers its clients<br />
more than 2000 hotels in 35<br />
countries through booking<br />
aggregators Amadeus, Sabre,<br />
Worldspan and Galileo,<br />
an extension to a hotels’<br />
revenue, distribution,<br />
marketing and property<br />
operations team. By<br />
understanding our hotel<br />
customer’s brand and<br />
commercial objectives,<br />
we can provide them with<br />
the same level of market<br />
visibility and distribution<br />
reach that a larger brand<br />
would typically enjoy.<br />
What are the biggest<br />
problems for hoteliers<br />
when it comes to<br />
distribution? How<br />
does Sabre Hospitality<br />
Solutions help?<br />
The biggest issues are how<br />
to attract and successfully<br />
convert website traffic<br />
into firm reservations and<br />
deciding which channels<br />
they should partner<br />
with to distribute their<br />
inventory sets in a way<br />
that supports their revenue<br />
management, CRM and<br />
content strategies<br />
Sabre Hospitality Solutions<br />
creates award-winning<br />
websites and has a proven<br />
booking engine that<br />
helps convert shoppers<br />
into bookers with usertested<br />
features like<br />
and the company is also<br />
significantly expanding its<br />
services with over half of its<br />
current offer consisting of<br />
newly introduced products.<br />
Hall 8.1<br />
Stand 104<br />
Alex ALt<br />
Chief Operations Officer of<br />
Sabre Hospitality Solutions<br />
custom booking paths,<br />
promotional pricing,<br />
comparison shopping and<br />
expanded photo galleries.<br />
In addition, we have<br />
experts that consult with<br />
our hotel managers to help<br />
them create and implement<br />
a distribution strategy that<br />
will support their goals.<br />
This combination of<br />
sophisticated technology<br />
and human touch is what<br />
differentiates us from<br />
many other providers.<br />
Hall 8.1<br />
Stand 125<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
42 SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGIES<br />
Increasing Direct Bookings<br />
Emotional Impact is key – but how is this achieved?<br />
It may seem odd but the latest innovation in website design<br />
is to have sites that produce bookings! Vincent Ramelli, CEO<br />
of WIHP gives us the latest run-down on website design &<br />
functionality in the tourism and hotel sectors…<br />
Vincent Ramelli<br />
CEO and Founder of WIHP<br />
Vincent Ramelli is the CEO and Founder<br />
of WIHP an online marketing agency that<br />
specializes in high ROI online marketing<br />
for hotels. Coming from a marketing<br />
background and having owned and run<br />
several hotels, Vincent’s global view of the<br />
hotel business combined with his marketing<br />
background has made WIHP a leader in the<br />
hotel marketing industry.<br />
Over the years,<br />
hotel websites<br />
have evolved<br />
from being a<br />
presentation<br />
of the hotel<br />
into a tool that<br />
increases direct<br />
bookings. At<br />
WIHP we have<br />
invested a lot<br />
of resources<br />
to analysing and tracking<br />
results and our designers<br />
have made huge progress<br />
in turning websites from<br />
a mere presentation page<br />
into an efficient booking<br />
tool.<br />
What are the latest<br />
innovations in helping a<br />
website stand out?<br />
In one word it would be<br />
emotional impact. However<br />
many factors affect the<br />
emotional impact, it’s not<br />
just great visuals. To make<br />
websites stand out they<br />
must also respect search<br />
engine guidelines in order<br />
to increase organic traffic,<br />
which stays relevant. The<br />
problem of over-optimising<br />
websites is finally being<br />
understood by the<br />
profession and marketers<br />
need to find the fine line<br />
between adequate and too<br />
much search optimising.<br />
Our partnerships with major<br />
search players in the market<br />
such as TripAdvisor, Sabre<br />
and Google has helped us<br />
work out how to properly<br />
make hotel websites standout<br />
while staying relevant.<br />
As a result, we have seen<br />
conversion rates increase in<br />
addition to organic traffic.<br />
What are your prime<br />
objectives at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>?<br />
Continuing the success of<br />
our Convert hotel website<br />
solution that has been an<br />
overwhelming success and<br />
helping hotels with their<br />
online advertising using<br />
our unique platform for<br />
TripAdvisor, Google and<br />
other channels. For us <strong>ITB</strong><br />
is the hub of all things travel<br />
and we’ve increased our<br />
presence here to meet the<br />
demand that continues to<br />
grow in the hotel marketing<br />
space.<br />
Hall 10.1<br />
Stand 120<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013<br />
www.itb-berlin-news.com
TRADE NEWS<br />
43<br />
Buyers’ Circle<br />
© India Tourism<br />
VIP service for top trade pros means higher<br />
efficiency at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
David Ruetz<br />
Head of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
Located in the Marshall Haus on the <strong>Berlin</strong> Exhibition<br />
Grounds, the exclusive <strong>ITB</strong> Buyers’ Circle Lounge,<br />
offers separate meeting rooms in quiet surroundings<br />
offers excellent opportunities for networking at<br />
length. We asked David Ruetz, head of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>,<br />
to tell us about the background to this service.<br />
We have for a long time<br />
watched the behaviour of<br />
our buyers at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> and<br />
noticed that some lacked<br />
adequate working space.<br />
We’re not talking about just<br />
handshakes and courtesy<br />
visits, but real working space.<br />
So we put together a package<br />
that has major advantages<br />
that otherwise would not be<br />
accessible. We did not want to<br />
copy other models, such as at<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> Asia, where we fully host the<br />
buyers. We felt that <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
needed something different.<br />
So by creating the <strong>ITB</strong> Buyers’<br />
Circle, we are offering leading<br />
buyers from the international<br />
tourism industry a suitable<br />
environment, concentrating<br />
valuable resources and thus<br />
significantly reducing their<br />
workload. Intense networking<br />
and obtaining the latest<br />
industry information are<br />
crucial to a buyer’s success.<br />
The services of the <strong>ITB</strong> Buyers’<br />
Circle save buyers’ time and<br />
significantly increase their<br />
efficiency. Members of the <strong>ITB</strong><br />
Buyers’ Circle also benefit from<br />
gaining free admission to <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Berlin</strong> and Fast Lane access to<br />
…<br />
we have a<br />
team onsite<br />
at Messe<br />
<strong>Berlin</strong> that<br />
qualifies<br />
each<br />
application<br />
personally…”<br />
the exhibition grounds as early<br />
as 9 a.m. They can also make<br />
use of the Europcar shuttle<br />
service on the grounds and<br />
will receive a trade visitor<br />
ticket to <strong>ITB</strong> Asia from 23 to 25<br />
October 2013.<br />
Who qualifies?<br />
We have an online<br />
questionnaire that tells us<br />
about the size of the company,<br />
the purchasing volume, the<br />
estimated annual turnover,<br />
and then when the application<br />
is being processed online<br />
we have a team onsite at<br />
Messe <strong>Berlin</strong> that qualifies<br />
each application personally.<br />
People are thus hand-picked,<br />
attempting to have a balance<br />
between German and non-<br />
German buyers. From<br />
Germany we have around<br />
210 buyers, and the others<br />
are international buyers from<br />
Europe, the USA, Canada,<br />
South America, Australia,<br />
Asia and Africa. Their overall<br />
spending capability is 1.5<br />
billion euros. 61 per cent of the<br />
members are tour operators,<br />
11 per cent represent the<br />
corporate travel and MICE<br />
sectors.<br />
Trade Visitors<br />
Given a VIP Welcome<br />
at India Pavilion<br />
Trade visitors to <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> will be VIP guests at<br />
India’s Happy Hour on Wednesday from 5 PM to<br />
6 PM.<br />
The “India Pavilion” at <strong>ITB</strong> this year is again<br />
abuzz with more than 100 participants from<br />
India showcasing India as an attractive tourist<br />
destination. A delegation led by the Honourable<br />
Minister for Tourism, Dr K Chiranjeevi along<br />
with Senior Officials from the Central Tourism<br />
Ministry and several State Governments will be<br />
present for several business meetings.<br />
Meanwhile, Thursday morning sees the<br />
Incredible India Business Breakfast from<br />
7:30 to 9:30 AM at the Tiergarten Hall of the<br />
InterContinental Hotel, and Thursday night, a<br />
cocktail reception is an “invite only” event.<br />
Chic Outlet Shopping<br />
Launches New<br />
Packages Offering<br />
10% Commission for<br />
the Travel Industry<br />
For travel agents and tour operators looking to<br />
satisfy the needs of clients looking to embrace<br />
the latest Shopping Tourism trend Chic Outlet<br />
Shopping has launched a range of new packages<br />
across the Collection of nine Villages across<br />
Europe.<br />
Chic Outlet Shopping is the Collection of luxury<br />
outlet Villages by Value Retail, the only company<br />
specialising exclusively in the development and<br />
operation of luxury outlet shopping villages.<br />
Currently home to more than 900 boutiques,<br />
the nine Villages offer the authentic previous<br />
seasons’ collections of leading luxury fashion<br />
and lifestyle brands with savings of up to 60%,<br />
and sometimes more, on the recommended<br />
retail price, all year round.<br />
Available for travel agents and tour operators<br />
to book at a net rate, providing commissions<br />
starting from 10% on the retail price, the<br />
packages start at €44 and include return<br />
transport on the luxury Shopping Express coach<br />
service, Gift Card, a VIP card providing an<br />
additional 10% discount in selected boutiques<br />
and lunch in the Village.<br />
More info: www.ChicOutletShopping.com<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
44 responsible tourism<br />
© The Blue Yonder – Nila Foundation<br />
No Longer a Niche<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>: Taking Responsible Tourism Seriously<br />
CSR <strong>Day</strong> at the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> Convention focuses on strategies for sustainable<br />
tourism and examples of best practices.<br />
This year’s <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
Convention will feature<br />
discussions on climate<br />
change, gender equality<br />
and the successful<br />
marketing of sustainable<br />
tourism products, with all<br />
sessions available to trade<br />
visitors free of charge.<br />
In sessions on 7 March<br />
2013, topics will include<br />
tourist encounters with<br />
local residents, conflicts<br />
over water, a vital human<br />
resource, and protecting<br />
children from sexual<br />
exploitation.<br />
“Over the past four years we<br />
have used the CSR <strong>Day</strong> at<br />
the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> Convention to<br />
place the topic of sustainable<br />
tourism centre stage”, said<br />
Dr. Martin Buck, Director<br />
of the Competence<br />
Center, Travel & Logistics,<br />
Messe <strong>Berlin</strong>. “This is our<br />
response to the growing<br />
importance of corporate<br />
social responsibility. The<br />
wide range of topics shows<br />
that CSR has long ceased to<br />
be a niche market, rather<br />
it has become an integral<br />
part of the global travel<br />
industry’s modern corporate<br />
philosophy.”<br />
The tourism think tank<br />
kicks off with Dr. Kelly<br />
S. Bricker, University of<br />
Utah, Chair of the Global<br />
Sustainable Tourism<br />
Council GSTC and Chair<br />
of The International<br />
Ecotourism Society TIES,<br />
whose keynote is entitled<br />
“Sustainable Tourism and<br />
‘Millennium Development<br />
Goals’”. This will be<br />
followed by a discussion<br />
on gender equality<br />
and women at senior<br />
management level.<br />
Another topic is the<br />
effect that strategic<br />
decisions made by female<br />
management have<br />
on tourism products.<br />
This year’s Studiosus<br />
meeting is about “holiday<br />
encounters“.<br />
The discussion round will<br />
be talking about how to<br />
balance the expectations of<br />
tourists and local residents<br />
in a socially responsible<br />
way. Among the panel<br />
members are travel blogger<br />
Johannes Klaus, Gopinath<br />
Parayil, founder of The<br />
Blue Yonder India, Peter<br />
Strub, Managing Director,<br />
Studiosus, as well as Dr.<br />
Dietlind, Laßberg, Deputy<br />
Chairman, Tourismus<br />
und Entwicklung e.V.<br />
Dr. Stroma Cole, Senior<br />
Lecturer, Geography<br />
and Environmental<br />
Management, University<br />
of the West of England,<br />
will be speaking about<br />
the potential conflict<br />
between tourists and local<br />
residents over water, a<br />
vital human resource, and<br />
its availability.<br />
The <strong>ITB</strong> Destination <strong>Day</strong>s<br />
will also be focusing on<br />
CSR topics. On 8 March<br />
2013, a keynote panel will<br />
be addressing the subject<br />
of “Barrier-free tourism<br />
for everyone: the quality<br />
and success criteria for<br />
ensuring the marketability<br />
of destinations.“<br />
Other events on the same<br />
day include Kaza, which<br />
involves five nations in<br />
southern Africa and is<br />
recognised as a beacon<br />
project furthering<br />
development cooperation.<br />
Tourism is making it<br />
possible for one of the<br />
world’s largest nature<br />
conservation projects to<br />
The wide range of topics<br />
shows that CSR has long<br />
ceased to be a niche<br />
market, rather it has<br />
become an integral part<br />
of the global travel<br />
industry’s modern<br />
corporate philosophy<br />
attain sustainability goals<br />
as well as economic and<br />
peace objectives. Ministers<br />
from Angola, Botswana,<br />
Namibia, Zambia und<br />
Zimbabwe will be reporting<br />
on this groundbreaking<br />
project.<br />
Meanwhile, the example<br />
of the Hizir Treetop<br />
Camp in Turkey, founded<br />
and managed by Ahmet<br />
Yazman of Sarikiz Gida<br />
Turizmve Danismanlik Tic.<br />
Ltd. Sti., demonstrates that<br />
luxury and sustainability<br />
can still go hand in hand.<br />
Egypt’s tourism minister,<br />
the Hon. Hisham Zaazou,<br />
will be providing an insight<br />
into the country’s Green<br />
Star initiative.<br />
The United Nations<br />
Environment Programme<br />
(UNEP) has examined<br />
ways of measuring<br />
and controlling<br />
sustainable tourism and<br />
compiled a criteria list,<br />
implementation concept<br />
and monitoring system<br />
that will be presented at<br />
the <strong>ITB</strong> Workshop on 8<br />
March 2013.<br />
More information on the<br />
CSR <strong>Day</strong> at the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
Convention can be found at<br />
www.itb-kongress.<br />
com/program.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013<br />
www.itb-berlin-news.com
45<br />
HOSPITALITY / RESTAURANTS / BARS<br />
Where<br />
to goin<br />
berlin<br />
www.wheretogoinberlin.com<br />
CLUBS / EVENTS / SHOPPING / CULTURE<br />
The Governing Mayor of <strong>Berlin</strong>, Klaus Wowereit, is delighted to once again be welcoming the global travel<br />
industry to <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong>. He told <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Berlin</strong> <strong>News</strong> what the event means to him and to the City of <strong>Berlin</strong>…<br />
‘This City is a Living Work of Art’<br />
Klaus Wowereit<br />
Governing Mayor of <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
Hall 12<br />
Stand 101<br />
First of all, I would like to extend a very warm<br />
welcome to all the exhibitors and visitors of <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Berlin</strong>. <strong>Berlin</strong> is now one of the most creative and<br />
culturally vibrant places in Europe. It is a city with<br />
a human face. A city that is much appreciated<br />
for its outward-looking and liberal atmosphere.<br />
And therefore it is a city one can love, and love<br />
living in.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> being the Tourism Show, how do you feel<br />
this event fits into <strong>Berlin</strong>, and how important<br />
it is for the city ?<br />
It is a perfect match. <strong>Berlin</strong> is a top tourist<br />
destination having tripled the number of visitors<br />
in the last two decades since the fall of the wall.<br />
And it is an ideal place for fairs, congresses and<br />
conferences. <strong>Berlin</strong> is ranked number three behind<br />
London and Paris as a tourist destination and is<br />
among the top four venues for fairs, exhibitions<br />
and congresses worldwide.<br />
The city is seeing a number of new hotel<br />
projects coming to fruition. How do you see<br />
the future of this wonderful city?<br />
With regard to the current boom in tourism,<br />
<strong>Berlin</strong>’s tourism PR experts have analyzed what<br />
exactly makes <strong>Berlin</strong> so appealing internationally.<br />
They found out that <strong>Berlin</strong> was considered an allround<br />
work of art. Many said they were fascinated<br />
above all by the city’s history, its unique cultural<br />
density, its attitude towards life, and its quality of<br />
life. That is the reason why more and more hotels<br />
are built.<br />
What cultural Highlights might visitors to <strong>ITB</strong><br />
be able to take in while thy are staying here ?<br />
The Museum of Islamic Art is presenting an<br />
exhibition on the legendary royal city of Samarra,<br />
north of Bagdad on the banks of the Tigris, which<br />
“<strong>Berlin</strong> is ranked<br />
number three<br />
behind London<br />
and Paris as a<br />
tourist destination<br />
and is among<br />
the top four<br />
venues for fairs,<br />
exhibitions<br />
and congresses<br />
worldwide.”<br />
served as the government capital of the powerful<br />
Abbasid Caliphate from 836 to 892. Equally<br />
interesting is the Nationalgalerie's collection of<br />
19 th century German sculpture, the exhibition 'In<br />
the White Light' presents the public with a last<br />
chance to view the 36 sculptures together. Last<br />
but not least, the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus<br />
Collection is presenting an extensive special<br />
exhibition on the Amarna period at the Neues<br />
Museum on <strong>Berlin</strong>'s Museum Island to mark<br />
the anniversary of the discovery of the bust of<br />
Nefertiti on 6 December 1912.<br />
www.wheretogoinberlin.com<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
46<br />
Where<br />
to goin<br />
berlin<br />
Hospitality<br />
Apartments am<br />
Brandenburger Tor<br />
Apartments am<br />
Brandenburger Tor, in central<br />
<strong>Berlin</strong>, near the Brandenburg<br />
Gate and Potsdamer Platz<br />
offer you reasonably priced<br />
accommodation in the heart<br />
of <strong>Berlin</strong>. The apartments<br />
in central <strong>Berlin</strong> are an<br />
excellent starting point for<br />
exploring and discovering the<br />
metropolis. They’re situated<br />
only a few minutes‘ walk away<br />
from many of the city’s sights<br />
and cultural offerings.<br />
Location, location, location<br />
Immediately adjacent to your<br />
apartment you will find Unter<br />
den Linden, Pariser Platz,<br />
the Holocaust memorial the<br />
government district, and many<br />
tourist attractions and cultural<br />
sites. Its central location in the<br />
City and good links to public<br />
transport (U-Bahn, S-Bahn,<br />
bus), mean you can reach all<br />
the destinations you want in<br />
the city and its surroundings,<br />
easily and quickly.<br />
Many of the apartments have<br />
a good view of the skyline<br />
of Potsdamer Platz and the<br />
Tiergarten.<br />
Apartments am<br />
Brandenburger Tor<br />
Behrenstraße 1C<br />
10117 <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
Tel: +49 30 200 75 70<br />
info@apartments-mitte.de<br />
www.apartments-mitte.de<br />
Metro: S+U Brandenburger<br />
Tor U55 S1 S2<br />
Restaurants<br />
Restaurant Good<br />
Friends<br />
Food is an essential part of<br />
Chinese culture. Meals with<br />
friends and family have been<br />
an important part of Chinese<br />
lifestyle for thousands of<br />
years, and in the Good Friends<br />
restaurant you can taste the<br />
Chinese dishes that will give<br />
you a chance to experience a<br />
unique flavour sensation.<br />
Kantstraße 30<br />
10623 <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
Tel: +49 30 313 26 59<br />
Metro: S Savignyplatz S5 S3<br />
becoming the<br />
Bars<br />
<strong>Berlin</strong>, reflecting pure lust for<br />
life. The Puro covers about<br />
1,000 square meters on 3<br />
floors, offering the perfect<br />
stage for anykind of event.<br />
Whether an exclusive party,<br />
a huge business event or an<br />
amazing dinner, everything is<br />
possible and the guest will have<br />
an unforgettable evening or<br />
night!<br />
You will have an amazing view<br />
over <strong>Berlin</strong> with the famous<br />
shopping mile Kurfürstendamm<br />
and the Gedächtniskirche. With<br />
such a unique view, you will<br />
feel "on top of the world".<br />
Tauentzienstraße 9 - 12<br />
10789 <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
Tel: +49 30 26 36 78 75<br />
Metro: U Kurfürstendamm<br />
U1 U9<br />
Riedel Boat Tours<br />
<strong>Berlin</strong>’s waterways offer the<br />
unique possibility to discover<br />
the inner city with its sights<br />
from the water. The city round<br />
trip lasts about 3 hours and<br />
covers a stretch of about<br />
23 km. Not only does this<br />
trip lead you to the historic<br />
and modern buildings of<br />
the metropolis <strong>Berlin</strong>, but<br />
also to the green riverbanks,<br />
the densely populated and<br />
industrial areas and the elevated<br />
railway. Hear interesting facts<br />
about the ancient and recent<br />
history of <strong>Berlin</strong> and enjoy<br />
listening to the peculiarities of<br />
the different districts, which<br />
are being travelled through:<br />
Mitte, Moabit, Tiergarten,<br />
Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg,<br />
Neukölln and Friedrichshain.<br />
The tour covers the river Spree<br />
and Landwehrkanal. Experience<br />
<strong>Berlin</strong>’s legendary abundance of<br />
bridges – the tour will bring you<br />
under 63 of them. It is said that<br />
there are more bridges in <strong>Berlin</strong><br />
than in Venice!<br />
Planufer 78, 10967 <strong>Berlin</strong>,<br />
www.reederei-riedel.de<br />
Tel: +49 30 67 96 14 70<br />
Metro: U1 U8<br />
Puro Sky Lounge<br />
The Puro Sky Lounge combines<br />
the culture and the luxury of<br />
Sightseeing<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013<br />
www.wheretogoinberlin.com