I NEWS I Café chat
I NEWS I Café chat ITB Berlin NOW’s cafés are a great place to stop for a chat after witnessing some of the great content from the ITB Berlin NOW Convention. It’s all about building upon ideas. Choose a theme that is of vital interest, watch the talk at the convention, and then dig deep in a group discussion in which you really get to play an active role. For specific convention topics, the ITB Berlin “Convention Café” is the place to continue discussions. Other cafés abound where participants can discuss subjects of interest in the various forums at the show. A BUSY DAY AT THE TTA FORUM CAFÉ The forum, focusing on tours, attractions and technology, opens at 10am, with a talk on “The year of the unthinkable”, followed by another discussion on the Post Corona world – looking at the “new reality” in distribution. Other themes during the day will include exploring locally in recovery, keynotes at lunchtime on “recovery through happiness” and “what’s next in experiences”, followed by panel discussions. Nathan Dumlao / Unsplash HOME OF LUXURY CAFÉ The Home of Luxury Café is the exclusive meeting area for worldwide stakeholders of the top-end luxury travel industry. Luxurythemed sessions in the ITB Berlin convention are followed by further discussions in the café afterwards. Here you can meet, chat and exchange with relevant business contacts from the industry in a café atmosphere. SAXONY'S CULTURE CAFE Saxony is the Official Culture Destination of ITB Berlin NOW 2021. The most important meeting point for immersing in Saxony’s cultural offerings is the digital Culture Café from 9-12/3/21 with interviews, videos, music and presentations. DON'T MISS THE HAPPY HOURS AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES: THE TRAVEL TECH & STARTUP CAFÉ Every day at 5pm, it’s happy hour, powered by VIR e.V. It’s a special time to get together! CAREER CAFÉ – a daily rendez-vous: At 5:30pm, it’s all about effective networking – with YoungTIC … Check-out other cafés based on youth travel, adventure travel, responsible tourism, LGBT+ tourism and media (two different cafés), and medical tourism THE BLOGGER CAFÉ – THE COMMUNITY FOR COMMUNICATORS The Blogger Café is THE place-to-be for every accredited travel blogger at ITB Berlin NOW. Different meeting corners can be used to connect with one’s peers, exchange experiences or ask for help with blogrelated topics. There will be an inspiring and engaging live programme with, for and from bloggers. 6 ITB BERLIN NEWS • TUESDAY 9 TH MARCH 2021 www.itb-berlin-news.com
I NEWS I ADVERTORIAL François Baltus-Languedoc CEO, Martinique Tourism Authority A question of trust An ITB / Travelzoo global study has found European consumers’ trust for the travel industry has taken a hit with the Covid crisis. Martinique named the world's "top emerging destination" by TripAdvisor TripAdvisor has this year named the French Caribbean Island of Martinique as the world's “top emerging destination in 2021” in its Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards. We asked François Baltus-Languedoc, CEO of the Martinique Tourism Authority to tell us about the award, and Martinique’s presence at ITB Berlin NOW. This distinction is a real recognition, and is TripAdvisor's "highest honour". To compile its ranking for this award, the opinions of millions of users are taken into account. Martinique is the only Caribbean island on the list. What else is "new"? Last December, UNESCO officially included the traditional Yole sailboat of Martinique in its Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Our traditional Yole is much more than simply a boat. It symbolises the people of Martinique, that, united by their traditions and culture, can brave the elements. Meanwhile, on 5 January, France officially asked UNESCO to list the 15,000 hectares of volcanoes and forests of Pelee Mountain and the Pitons of northern Martinique as a World Heritage Site. With the establishment of strict health measures adapted to the current situation, all tourism professionals in Martinique are ready to welcome visitors. With a similar attendance to previous years, last December was proof that Martinique remains a very attractive destination. The Martinique Tourism Committee continues to step up its efforts to make the island the must-see destination for Europeans in winter 2021-2022 MARTINIQUE LAUNCHES THE MARTINIQUE TRAVEL SHOW VISIT BR AND CARD The Martinique Tourism Committee has announced its first ever 100% virtual show for the destination: the Martinique Travel Show. It will take place from 18 to 20 May and will bring together all professionals and players in Martinique tourism with prescribers and resellers from European and American source markets. An enriching, interactive, innovative and fun experience will be offered via a modern, high-quality platform. The exhibition will allow further training on Martinique as a tourism destination through expert conferences, also enabling participants to learn about the health measures introduced following the Covid-19. Conferences, networking, business opportunities and prizes will be on the agenda. For more information please contact : business@martiniquetravelshow.com or presse@martiniquetravelshow.com The survey took place in the form of an online questionnaire by research company OnePoll between 12 and 18 January 2021. It was completed by 8,000 people across Canada, China, France, Germany, Spain, the UK and the USA. A Travelzoo keynote presentation The Rise of Trust - A Global Study on Changing Customer Attitudes to Trust in Travel, outlining the survey results, will be presented by Christian Smart, General Manager of Travelzoo Germany on 10 March. According to the survey, European consumers are disappointed with how travel brands have handled bookings and communication during the pandemic. The study found fewer people now trust travel brands and airlines in the UK, Germany, and France than before the pandemic. The USA and China however are in stark contrast to this with many saying they trust both travel brand and airlines more now. Wednesday, 10 March 2021 10:40 - 10:55 In the UK and Germany, trust in the travel industry has suffered the most. 24% of respondents in these two countries say they trust the companies in the industry less now than before the pandemic. In contrast, there is a far greater propensity to trust travel brands in the USA and China, where confidence has increased by 47% (USA) and 49% (China). The global study asked if trustworthiness towards people or companies was the single most important trait they could have, and 83% globally agreed with this statement. For the travel industry, the trust factor opens up new opportunities as globally a large percentage of holidaymakers are willing to spend more money for services they know they can trust VISIT BR AND CARD ITB KEYNOTE The Rise of Trust - A Global Study on Changing Customer Attitudes to Trust in Travel: Exclusive ITB/Travelzoo Survey ITB Berlin NOW Convention Stage 1 ITB BERLIN NEWS • TUESDAY 9 TH MARCH 2021 7
