I SPECIAL FEATURE I CITY
I SPECIAL FEATURE I CITY BREAKS IADVERTORIALWhat happens inVegas, only happens in VegasThere are more reasons than ever to visit Las Vegas.Whether you are a first-time visitor, or if you consider LasVegas a second home, you will be amazed by the incredibledevelopments rapidly taking shape. With more thanUSbn of investment planned or under way, Las Vegas isunmatched in its ability to create experiences that astound,delight and can only happen in Vegas.Las Vegas is known as theEntertainment Capital of the Worldfor good reason. Cirque du Soleilcurrently has seven shows thatperform up and down the Strip,and on any given night you can seeAerosmith, Lady Gaga, or GwenStefani take the stage. This year, LasVegas welcomes new residenciesfrom Sting, The Jonas Brothersand Kelly Clarkson. Entertainmentvenues will see its next big evolutionwhen the MSG Sphere, the massive17,000-seat circular venue, will debutgame-changing, state-of-the-artaudio and visual technology in 2021.Las Vegas is quickly evolving as theleading destination for sports. Inautumn 2020, the NFL’s Las VegasRaiders franchise will embark ontheir inaugural season in the cityat the new 65,000-seat AllegiantStadium. The destination haslong been associated with highprofilesporting events, includingchampionship boxing and UFCmatches and NASCAR, and thereis no better place for sports fans tojoin in the excitement of cheeringon their favourite player or team.Over the last few years, Las Vegasbecame home to the NHL’s VegasGolden Knights, the United SoccerLeague’s Las Vegas Lights FC, theWNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and MinorLeague Baseball’s Aviators.Las Vegas is considered the gatewayto national parks in the west. Byhelicopter, foot, boat or car, thereare several options to experiencethe natural landscapes surroundingthe Las Vegas valley, including GrandCanyon National Park, Red RockCanyon National Conservation Area,Lake Mead National Recreation Areaand Valley of Fire State Park.No trip to Vegas is complete without atrip Downtown. Later this year, Circawill open its doors. As the first resortDowntown built from the ground upin more than 30 years, it will featurea three-story state of the art (world'slargest) sportsbook. The overhead“Viva Vision” canopy at Fremont StreetExperience just made its debut inDecember after receiving a millionupgrade and now features 3D effectsand more than 16 million pixels.Las Vegas isn’t just for the leisure visitor.In 2019, 6.6 million travellers camefor a meeting or convention. Overall,the destination encompasses nearly12 million square feet (over a millionsq m) of meeting space and is hometo three of North America’s 10 largestconvention venues. The Las VegasConvention Center (LVCC) is currentlyundergoing a large-scale expansionthat will add 1.4 million square feet(130,000 sq m) to the campus and willfeature an underground high-speedtransportation system designed byElon Musk’s The Boring Company. Theexpansion and underground systemwill be complete in December 20203 KEY POINTSCONNECTIVITYWith direct, non-stop connectivityfrom Europe on British Airways,Virgin, Eurowings, Condor, Edelweissand KLM, it’s never been moreconvenient to visit Vegas.HUGE LVCCEXPANSION+ 130,000 sq mfloor space.ELON MUSK’SUNDERGROUNDTRANSPORTATION SYSTEMAutonomous vehicles will transportconvention attendees December2020.26 • ITB BERLIN NEWS • THURSDAY 19 TH MARCH 2020www.itb-berlin-news.com
I SPECIAL FEATURE I CITY BREAKS IADVERTORIALSalzburgFestival markscentenaryCitySpotlightDUBROVNIKHistory is alive in every part of this city- it represents a perfectblend between the past and the present. Dubrovnik is a city for allseasons. Its rich history, geographic location, mild climate, traditionalhospitality and excellence in tourism make Dubrovnik a recognisedhigh-quality product on the international tourism market. Dubrovnikis also the city of festivals. And the city has been a popular filminglocation in recent years, where The Game of Thrones, the Bollywoodfilm the Fan, Star Wars, and Robin Hood were filmed.KEYATTRACTIONSCity Walls – The mostrecognisable feature and themain attraction which definesthe history of Dubrovnikare its intact city walls withsix fortresses that offer anunforgettable view over the city,the island of Lokrum and theopen sea.The Old City – a place forpedestrians – on the UNESCOworld cultural heritage list since1979.Panoramic view of Dubrovnikby cable car - the ride offersbreath taking views of the oldcity of Dubrovnik, coastal sightswith islands and magnificentsunsets.KEY EVENTS10 JULY –25 AUGUST 202071 th Dubrovnik Summer FestivalThis festival, held since 1950,is the largest and mostrepresentative culturalmanifestation in Dubrovnik.19 -25 OCTOBER 2020Good Food Festival 2020The 7 th Good Food Festivalorganised by the DubrovnikTourist Board bringspresentations of local culinaryspecialties, tastings of regionalwines, workshops and specialgastronomic events.DEC. 2020 – JANUARY 2021Dubrovnik Winter FestivalThe Dubrovnik Winter Festivalfeatures magical lighting,highlighting Dubrovnik’s timelessbeauty with special events,entertainment programmes andcolourful cuisine with a touch oftradition.TRANSPORTDubrovnik airport is growing inimportance. Major Europeancities are connected withDubrovnik directly, and viaZagreb as well. Approximate airdistance from European capitalsis one to two hours.During the summer months,Dubrovnik is connected with60 European destinations andduring winter months with sevenof themFamous as the birthplace of Mozart, Salzburg has hostedan annual summer festival of music and the performingarts since 1920 - which makes 2020 an opportunity tocelebrate Salzburg Festival's 100th birthday.With a state exhibition entitled"Great World Theatre" at theAustrian city's main museumrunning from the spring, variousfestivities and events will culminatein an ambitious programme of 222performances in 44 days at 15different venues.Founded in 696, Salzburg is thefourth-largest city in Austria,located on the site of the formerRoman settlement of Iuvavum. Thecity’s historic centre is renownedfor its Baroque architecture andis one of the best-preserved citycentres north of the Alps, with27 churches. It was listed asa UNESCO World Heritage Site in1996.“The entire city is a stage” is howthe founders of the SalzburgFestival – Max Reinhardt, Hugo vonHofmannsthal and Richard Strauss– formulated their intentions acentury ago. Since then, it hasbecome one of the most importantfestivals for the performing artsworldwide. August 2020's operatichighlights will include Mozart’s'-"Don Giovanni" and "The MagicFlute", Strauss’s "Electra" andMussorgsky’s "Boris Godunov"while theatrically "Jedermann"will once again be the focus ofattention – including JedermannDay on 22 August 2020, as atribute to the first performanceon that day in 1920. Musically, theconcert programme comprises 91events with a thematic focus onLudwig van Beethoven, who wouldhave celebrated his 250th birthdayin 2020. Star performers willinclude divas Anna Netrebko andCecilia Bartoli, conductors MarissJansons and Teodor Currentzis aswell as renowned singers IldarAbdrazakov and Plácido Domingo.A total of over 240,000 tickets willbe available for purchase onlinefrom the end of MarchEvening mood at the Siemens Festival Nights at KapitelplatzITB BERLIN NEWS • THURSDAY 19 TH MARCH 2020 • 27
