ITB Berlin News 2019 - Day 3 Edition

BROUGHT
TO YOU BY
NEWS
7
EDITORIAL
Richard Barnes
Editor-in-Chief,
ITB Berlin News
Overtourism…
What is the solution?
DAY 3 EDITION
Friday 8 th March 2019
CONTENTS
News........................................page 9
ITB Berlin Convention...........page 14
Trade Talk..............................page 15
Exclusive interviews.............page 16
SPECIAL FEATURES
Business Travel.......................... page 21
Group travel / MICE .................. page 22
Amusement parks...................... page 24
Cultural tourism......................... page 27
REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Middle East & Africa.............page 30
SPOTLIGHT ON GERMAN REGION
Saxony...................................page 36
Where to Go in Berlin...........page 37
A study by Norstat tabled at ITB Berlin
this year for Travelzoo and ITB indicates
that 69% of people questioned believe
that protecting the environment is the
most critical issue of our time. The
survey on overtourism was a collection
and analysis of data from 8,000 people in
eight countries.
Overtourism is increasingly dampening
the destination experience of
international tourists. However, the
specific tourist groups who perceive
overtourism particularly negatively, the
avoidance strategies they apply and the
destination measures they might accept
are all largely unexplored. This latest study
sheds light on the darkness for the first
time and provides destination managers
with important decision-making aids in
dealing with one of the biggest challenges
in international tourism – both today and
in the future.
Asked to identify the phenomena they
associate with mass tourism, respondents
mentioned environmental destruction
(52%), overcrowded beaches (48%), too
many other tourists (41%) and negative
repercussions for people living locally
(37%).
The survey found that a significant
percentage of respondents were willing
to take steps to improve the situation:
they would pay more money for fewer
tourists in a destination, they’d change
their dates of travel and commit to
shopping and eating “local” if they knew
it would help.
The Travelzoo survey is the latest and
perhaps most pertinent “beacon” aiming
to lead the industry in the right direction.
Already last year when announcing data
from IPK, Rolf Freitag, the organisation’s
President, stated, “Overtourism is clearly
not good for nature, culture, locals
and tourists alike. However, global
tourism has not reached its limits. Many
destinations would be happy to see more
visitors, either throughout the year or in
the low season. So tourism does not have
a growth problem but rather a regional
and seasonal problem!”
It is clear that tourism must be a force
for good, in all senses, and that in many
places, while this is a challenge, it is not
insurmountable. ITB Berlin is shining the
light on just which direction should be
taken for a brighter future for the industry.
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ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 8 th March 2019