NEWS 3 EDITORIAL Richard
NEWS 3 EDITORIAL Richard Barnes Editor-in-Chief, ITB Berlin News CONTENTS DAY 1 EDITION Wednesday 9 th March 2016 Welcome to the World’s Premium Travel Event News.............................................. page 5 Trade Talk.....................................page 17 ITB Berlin Convention................. page 19 Exclusive Interview......................page 20 SPECIAL FEATURES City Breaks................................... page 23 Travel Technologies.................... page 30 Transport..................................... page 33 SPECIAL DOSSIER: MALDIVES................................. page 39 REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT Africa & Middle East .................. page 63 WHERE TO GO IN BERLIN..... page 69 ITB BERLIN NEWS is a CLEVERDIS Publication. 65 av. Jules Cantini - Tour Méditerranée, 13006 Marseille, France • Tel: + 33 442 77 46 00 • Fax: + 33 442 77 46 01 • SARL capitalised at e155,750 • VAT FR 95413604471 • RCS Marseille 413 604 471 • info@cleverdis.com • www.cleverdis.com. During ITB Berlin: Press Center – Hall 6.3 – Room 403 • Tel: +49 (0)30 3038 81 209 • info@itb-berlin-news.com • www.itb-berlin-news.com • Publisher: Gérard Lefebvre • Managing Director: Jean-François Pieri • Publishing Director: Jean-Guy Bienfait • Project Manager: Bettina Badon • Editor-in-Chief: Richard Barnes • Editorial Coordination: Gabriele Dyburyte • Editorial team: Stuart Braun, Luc Citrinot, Neil Cole, Bob Snyder • Marketing Manager: Monia Tazamoucht • Art Director: Hélène Beunat • Design & Page Setting: Guillaume Kaercher, Guillaume Vinrich • With the participation of: Marie-Elia Cheravola, Lucie Lavina, Mélanie Lopez, Lixiang Wei >To contact them : first name.last name@itb-berlin-news.com • Cover: © Cleverdis • Printing: Möller Druck und Verlag GmbH, Ahrensfelde OT Blumberg, Germany Registration of Copyright March 2016 Information presented in this publication is purely indicative in order to illustrate subjects contained therein. No guarantee can be given as to the accuracy of data or content at time of printing and thus the latter should not be used for professional or commercial ends. While all efforts have been made as to accuracy and pertinence of content and data contained in this publication, CLEVERDIS may in no case be held responsible for the consequences, whatever their nature may be, that may result from the interpretation of this data or content, or any eventual errors therein. Any reproduction of the content of this publication, even partial, by any means whatsoever, is strictly prohibited without the prior autorisation of the publisher. Any copy, whether by photography, photography film, magnetic tape, disc or other means constitutes a forgery, liable to punishment under French law according to the legislation of 11 th March 1957 covering copyright. All brands cited in this publication are registered trade marks and/or belong to companies which are their respective proprietors. The publishers and editorial staff decline all responsibility as to opinions formulated in this publication by those interviewed or cited therein. Their opinions are entirely their own, and are included with the understanding that they contain, to our knowledge, no malicious intent. The inclusion of all texts, photographs and other documents supplied by those included in this publication imply the acceptance by their authors of their free publication therein. Documents and photographs will not be returned. It should be understood that this publication contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include assumptions relating to the timing of the recorded date. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialises or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the expectations outlined in these statements. Cleverdis assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements during the period of publication. Photo Credits and Copyright: All Rights Reserved. As the gates of ITB Berlin open for the 50th time, the importance of this event becomes increasingly evident. This show shines in particular through the exceptional thought leadership that is made available not only through the ITB Berlin Convention, but also through the countless “shows within the show”, such as CSR events, eTravel World, Youth and Adventure Travel events, Book Awards, MICE under the spotlight, speed networking for trade and bloggers… the list goes on. A mere glimpse of the convention programme is indeed daunting, especially when combined with the size of the show in general, the number of exhibitors, and the volume of organised meetings one generally has throughout the day. For a single visitor, there is definitely too much to do, and too much to take in, in one hit. ITB Berlin News attempts to play a key role in your “decision making” process, helping FREE WI-FI AT ITB BERLIN Network: ITBWifi Password: itb2016 you in one sense with ideas of what to do, where to go and who to see, and in another by completing the information you missed in a “package” that you can take home (or pass on to colleagues). Our online version is also ideal for this. This process, developed over the past 19 years by Cleverdis – publishers of ITB Berlin News – is what we term “Information Intelligence”. Our team of award winning editors do not have the aim of making a “magazine”, but of making a “decisionmaking tool”. A perfect case at hand is that of our special Maldives feature in this edition – underlining the ITB Berlin 2016 partner country’s strengths in the tourism sector. Through the structuring of the information and the presentation of the specific “USP’s” of key resorts, you are given a clear vision of the current state of play. Enjoy the read! ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 9 th March 2016
