WEDNESDAY 27 TH FEBRUARY 2019 PREVIEW EDITION NEWS RESPONSIBLE TOURISM TRADE TALK EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW David Ruetz Head of ITBBerlin “The show is the ideal place for productive networking” Read page 7 Dr Monika Griefahn Former German Federal Minister, Senior Advisor Sustainability, Costa Group “The plastic problem is the result of a manner of production not suitable for the earth.” Read page 15 Christina Verhaelen Contracting Manager, Clevertours “I always keep my eyes peeled for new ideas and trends as our business is a fast one.” Read page 20 Rebeka Kumer Bizjak Head of Representative Office, Germany, Slovenian Tourist Board “…we would like to engage our target audiences in a more emotional and experiential manner.” Read page 23 Hall 5.2b / Stands 205, 205a Hall 17 Stand 109 Content, contacts & commerce ITBBerlin2019 mirrors the entire tourism industry value chain The 53 rd edition of ITBBerlin is just around the corner, and it will be bigger, more digital and even more international than ever before. “Once again, the outstanding number of bookings received by ITBBerlin shows that in these times especially, when talk is about geopolitical crises, climate change and overtourism, the international travel industry is focusing on strong participation and personal exchanges at the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show”, said David Ruetz, head of ITBBerlin. “As well as regular exhibitors, we have secured the participation of many new companies this year. We have created more floor space in order to satisfy demand.” With sustainability being a major underlying theme, luxury and “authentic experiences” are also joining the fore, with the notable participation this year of Eliza Reid - First Lady of Iceland, United Nations Special Ambassador for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals, addressing the topic of luxury travel at ITB Convention. Eliza Reid, First Lady of Iceland, United Nations Special Ambassador for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals. Read our exclusive interview – page 22 DESTINATION SPOTLIGHT EUROPE & OCEANIA In this edition, we spotlight the old continent and its antipodes with spotlights covering the latest developments in travel and tourism, along with news from key exhibitors at ITBBerlin. International arrivals in Europe (+6%) continued to show robust growth in 2018, after an already remarkable 9% growth in 2017. Arrivals surpassed the 700 million mark, accounting for more than half of worldwide arrivals (51%). Meanwhile, 2018 saw 3% growth in tourist arrivals to Oceania, according to the UNWTO annual barometer, following on from 6% growth the previous year. Europe feature – from p35, Oceania feature – from p40. Plovdiv, Bulgaria
