WEDNESDAY 6 TH MARCH 2019 DAY 1 EDITION ITB BERLIN CONVENTION EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS SPECIAL FEATURE: TRAVEL TECHNOLOGIES Angel Zhao Vice President, Alibaba Group Stephen Kaufer Co-Founder, President & CEO, TripAdvisor Sébastien Bazin Chairman and CEO, Accor “My speech will address the importance of travel – one area of globalisation – as a way to create a more inclusive world.” Read page 16 “While it is still early days for this new platform, initial engagement and consumer feedback has been very positive” Read page 17 “ALL - Accor Live Limitless - is a major initiative bringing to life our Augmented Hospitality ecosystem” Read page 27 Charlotte Lamp Davies Principal Consultant, A Bright Approach “The tours and activities sector is set to boom in coming years.” Read page 32 Hall 2.1 Stands 111,112 Hall 5.2b / Stands 205, 205a ITBBerlin: Unstoppable! International tourism powers into the future at the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show Hall 17 Stand 109 The 2019 edition of ITBBerlin is bigger, more digital and sustainable and even more international than ever. Climate change and overtourism are hot topics this year. The cruise market continues to expand – growing much faster than the overall market. Luxury is booming, and this is also reflected at the 2019 show. The Technology segment has been growing for some years now and exhibitors reflect this trend too – especially in the eTravel World, where ITBBerlin be welcoming many new exhibitors. Also, the Adventure Travel Hall (4.1) is a real eye-catcher for visitors. This year’s official partner country Malaysia is also organiser of the opening event on the eve of ITBBerlin2019, with a spectacular display of performances typical for the region. Now occupying a stand that has grown by around 100 square metres in Hall 26, Malaysia’s co-exhibitor numbers have more than doubled compared with last year. See our interview with the Honourable Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi, page 20. Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia DESTINATION SPOTLIGHT: With Malaysia as this year’s official ITBBerlin partner country, the World Tourism Organisation reports Asia and the Pacific recorded 6% growth in 2018, reaching 343 million international tourist arrivals. Arrivals in the region account for almost one-fourth of the worldwide total. Results were driven by ASIA South-East Asia (+7%) where most destinations posted strong growth, particularly Vietnam, which has seen a surge in international tourists in recent years from virtually all world regions. Discover all the latest news from Malaysia, along with a broad selection of Asian exhibitors – from page 49. Tea estate
