2024 ITB BERLIN NEWS - PREVIEW Edition

I EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
I
“Our mission is to bring together the global
travel, tourism, and hospitality industry”
ITB Berlin News spoke with ITB Berlin Director Deborah Rothe in
an exclusive interview ahead of this year's show
Deborah Rothe gave a preview of some of this year's show
highlights and outlined the priority of sustainability and
working together within the industry in order to meet the
challenges of tomorrow.
Following last year's successful
comeback, what expectations do
you have for this year's edition in
terms of attendance and scale?
We were delighted with the
spectacular comeback as a live event
in 2023, so naturally we aim to build on
its success this year. All stakeholders
are expressing significant optimism:
associations report a strong desire to
travel despite economic challenges
and difficult overall circumstances,
which is also reflected in the current
booking status. This year, our 27
exhibition halls, along with the Home
of Luxury in the Marshall Haus, and
the new venue for all Buyers Circle
members, the Palais am Funkturm,
are already over 90 percent booked
ahead of the show. We anticipate a
total of more than 5,500 exhibitors
from no fewer than 168 countries. The
diversity of exhibitors underscores
the global significance of ITB Berlin
and we are highly confident in our
expected visitor numbers as the
current figures look excellent: we
anticipate similar numbers to 2023,
and perhaps even surpassing them!
What are some of the key highlights
visitors can look forward to at this
year’s show?
This year, we are unveiling five
renovated halls, allowing for a
seamless “ITB Berlin tour experience”.
This enhancement has enabled
us to better consolidate areas and
regions. For instance, all Germanspeaking
countries can now be
found in the multifunctional hub27.
The Buyers Circle has a new home
in the Palais am Funkturm, and the
Culture Lounge will be located in
Hall 8.2, which also houses the new
ITB MICE Hub, providing a space for
MICE industry providers independent
of their destinations at ITB Berlin.
ITBxplore and the ITB App assist in
navigating and preparing visitors
for their experience at ITB Berlin.
We're excited about improvements
in scheduling, such as viewing
availabilities and enhanced visibility
for Buyers Circle members through
tagging. Speed Networking is back
this year, as are the well-received
Street Food Market, ITB MICE Night
and ITB Chinese Night. ITB Business
Satellites will replace the Business+
Lounges and brand new Meeting
Cubes offer room bookings for
hourly rental in the CityCube Berlin
with additional catering options also
available.
Oman is this year’s Official ITB
Berlin Host Country. Can you share
some insights into what unique
experiences Oman will be offering
to visitors?
Visitors can look forward to over 5,000
years of history, five UNESCO World
Heritage Sites, and numerous cultural
landmarks as part of the Sultanate
of Oman's showcase. In Hall 2.2,
visitors can explore a stand covering
800 sqm, with an additional stand in
Hall 4.1 focusing on Adventure Travel.
The host country has doubled its
exhibition space compared to the
previous edition, offering a diverse
IN THE FACE OF
CHALLENGES AND
CRISES, WE FIRMLY
BELIEVE THAT
OUR INDUSTRY
CAN ONLY
OVERCOME THEM
COLLECTIVELY.
programme of events and highlights,
and also actively participating in the
ITB Berlin Convention. Oman is also
sponsoring our popular Blogger Base
and hosting the traditional opening
ceremony on the eve of the show.
The country is even bringing the
Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra,
comprised exclusively of Omanis, a
unique feature in the Arab world.
This year’s ITB Berlin Convention
motto is “Pioneer the Transition in
Travel & Tourism. Together”. Why
is it so important to highlight how
technology is transforming the
industry?
While the focus in 2023 was on
"Transformation," this year, the
ITB Berlin Convention is centered
around "Transition" - how discussed
measures and strategies can actually
be implemented. The industry is
facing multiple challenges, including
digital transformation. Therefore,
two major themes will be artificial
intelligence and Web 3.0. In every
challenge lies an opportunity.
AI is undoubtedly a tremendous
opportunity to significantly optimise
processes and preserve human
resources in times of staff and talent
shortages. Artificial intelligence will
be a key focus and even have its own
track in the ITB Berlin Convention
programme.
Do you have a message you would
like to share with the industry?
Several months ago, we launched
our new #ITBTOGETHER campaign,
which we are promoting across all
communication channels. With it, we
aim to emphasise the importance
of a strong sense of togetherness
in overcoming current challenges,
such as meeting the requirements
of sustainability and adapting to
digitalisation. In the face of challenges
and crises, we firmly believe that our
industry can only overcome them
collectively. Our mission is to bring
together the global travel, tourism,
and hospitality industry at various
locations around the world. And as
we organise shows not only in Berlin
but also in Singapore, Shanghai,
and Mumbai, we definitely live the
campaign motto far beyond the
borders of Berlin
ITB BERLIN NEWS • WEDNESDAY 28 TH FEBRUARY 2024 15