10 NEWS BROUGHT TO YOU BY ITBBerlin sees major push for Visit Malaysia 2020 Visit Malaysia 2020 hopes to welcome a targeted 30 million international visitors to the country in 2020. “This is a reasonable forecast,” Datuk Musa Yusof, General Director of Tourism Malaysia said at an ITBBerlin press conference. for a continuation of the airline’s programme in Q3 2019. Condor will continue linking Kuala Lumpur with Frankfurt with two weekly services. In Berlin this week Malaysia is preparing for the launch of Visit Malaysia 2020 and reaffirming the commitment of Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Airports Bhd (MAHB) to bring in more airlines to improve connectivity from Europe. According to Malaysia Tourism General Director Datuk Musa Yusof, Malaysia has been attending ITBBerlin for 47 years and “we have grown with the fair. As ITBBerlin2019 partner country, our delegation is the biggest to date with 166 participants.” Western Europe remains an important market, especially as the market grew by 6.8% last year, generating 900,000 tourist arrivals. “From Germany, we recorded a growth of 17.4%, one of the best performances from Western Europe. The creation of a non-stop scheduled flight from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur with Condor contributed to that performance,” Yusof said. “The success of the route was better than expected, with Condor’s load factor reaching on average 90%,” chairman of Tourism Malaysia, Datuk Ahmad Shah Hussein Tambakau said. ITBBerlin saw the signing of a further partnership of Tourism Malaysia and MAHB with Condor With Visit Malaysia 2020 set to kick off next year, Yusof detailed the government’s expectations: “We are targeting 30 million tourists and €21.6bn in tourist revenues – a reasonable projection,” he said, adding: “The country wants to emphasise to Europe its ecotourism and cultural activities. But above all, we want to promote authenticity as tourists today want to experience rather than just doing a simple circuit. We will also continue to promote, for example, home stays, which enable visitors to experience local life” Hall 26a / Stand 117 Datuk Ahmad Shah Hussein Tambakau Chairman, Tourism Malaysia ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 8 th March 2019 www.itb-berlin-news.com
BROUGHT TO YOU BY NEWS 11 Mongolia.travel platform launches at ITBBerlin Bernadette Romulo-Puyat State Secretary for Tourism, Philippines A revolutionary interactive planning tool, Mongolia.travel had its world premiere unveiling in Berlin with Mongolia Minister of Environment and Tourism Namsrai Tserenbat in attendance. While Mongolia generates strong images for most travellers with iconic names such as Chingis Khan or the Gobi Desert, few tourists have a clear conception of the far flung nation. “It is time now to highlight Mongolia’s extraordinary diversity to a larger public,” explained Namsrai Tserenbat during the official presentation of its newest online portal, Mongolia.travel. The concept behind the Mongolia platform is to produce visitor journeys by anticipating and leveraging the desires of the platform’s visitors. Thematic travel, first time travellers, itineraries and regional journeys are among some Namsrai Tserenbat Minister of Environment and Tourism, Mongolia of the possibilities offered by the Mongolia platform. Each story highlighted through Mongolia.travel will link to subcontent chapters, providing potential travellers a fully interactive tool to design, create and shape their own itineraries. Interactive content is available through a dynamic landing page which will direct web visitors through a “journey” based on their status, needs and interests. Particular emphasis has been given to the first-time traveller who represents the largest tourist segment for Mongolia. “With Mongolia.travel, our country is embracing the needs of all travellers curious to discover Mongolia. We believe that our platform will be a tool to drive tourism growth,” added Tserenbat Hall 26c / Stand 316 The Philippines’ new tourism chief proposes sustainable fun The Philippines State Secretary for Tourism, Bernadette Romulo- Puyat, used her first visit to ITBBerlin to say that the country still wants tourists to have fun in the country but also to respect and protect the amazing natural and cultural resources of the archipelago. “Our campaign ‘It is more fun in the Philippines’ is being renewed; but we have added a new dimension on sustainability. We want to tell to both locals and tourists that, by respecting our environment and our natural resources, it will always be more fun in the Philippines, “ she stressed. Romulo-Puyat’s commitment towards the protection of the environment is already considerable. For example, she supported the six-month closure of Boracay, an iconic seaside destination. “The result is amazing with locals and tourists enjoying the island’s recovered pristine sand. Even turtles are back after having vanished for many years,” she explained. The State Secretary then indicated that more destinations in the country will now follow the Boracay example. Manila Bay is the first one and will be followed by Panglao in Bohol, El Nido in Palawan and then Siargao, Coron and Baguio City. The new Philippines tourism campaign also emphasised the importance of gastronomy to the country’s tourism promotion efforts. Previously lacking a strong image, local chefs and Jollibee, a local fastfood chain, are now joining hands with tourism authorities Hall 26a / Stand 101, 123, 126 ITC BACKS RESPONSIBLE TOURISM IN GAMBIA Masks are part of initiation rituals in Gambia The International Trade Centre (ITC), a UN body that supports women and young people in responsible tourism projects, is at ITBBerlin showcasing its work in Gambia. In conjunction with the Gambia Tourism Board, ITC has been developing community-based tours and helping to train youth leaders and communities in sustainable and responsible tourism methods. Much of the work is centred on the River Gambia, where hundreds of young people are learning valuable skills including tour-guiding. One aim of the project is to help tackle the region’s chronic unemployment problem and reverse the drift of young people from rural areas to cities by providing them with work centred on local communities and traditions. Omar Jammeh, a coordinator for the Janjanbureh Youth Empowerment Project, told an ITB press conference that, among other benefits, the programme was encouraging young people to take a lead in tourism projects. The tours form part of ambitious plans for the Ninki Nanka trail, a chain of key sites and activities along the river. Lucy McCombes, the ITC’s international consultant for tourism development along the trail, said the idea was to tap the potential of the river in a responsible and sustainable way. “We are aiming at adventure travellers, educational groups and special interest groups like birdwatchers and cultural tourists,” she explained. “We are going to be developing various packages with various tour operators, develop our branding and looking for business partners who share our commitment to using tourism as a vehicle for economic development” Hall 21a / Stand 107 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 8 th March 2019
