NEWS 5 FROM ‘66TO‘16 50 glorious years of ITB – stepping back in time Taleb Rifai Secretary-General, UNWTO David Scowsill CEO & President, World Travel and Tourism Council Alain Dupeyras Head of Tourism, OECD This year is the 50 th anniversary of ITBBerlin, marking a genuine success story “made in Berlin“. Each of this year’s editions of ITBBerlinNews looks back at one of the highlights… State of the Industry Thought leadership at the world’s leading travel and tourism event PART TWO GROWTH AND NEW CONCEPTS IN THE SEVENTIES With international travel and tourism markets again demonstrating strong growth in 2015, the stage is set at ITBBerlin 2016 for kindling new market dynamics for the coming year – and beyond. ITBBerlin 1978 Opening ceremony of the 12t h ITB According to UNWTO figures, international tourist arrivals grew by 4% in 2015 to reach nearly 1.2 billion worldwide. This means 50 million more people travelling to an international destination as compared to 2014. The robust performance of the sector is contributing to economic growth and job creation in many parts of the world. UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai told ITBBerlinNews that his organisation is continuing to forecast growth for the coming year: “Overall we can say demand remains strong, though with mixed results across individual destinations due to unusually strong exchange rate fluctuations, the drop in oil prices and other commodities which increased disposable income in importing countries but weakened demand in exporters, as well as increased safety and security concerns.” Indeed, the travel and tourism sector is currently being challenged by a variety of external influences, of which currently, according to World Travel and Tourism Council CEO and President, David Scowsill, the most dominant are the threat of terrorism and the Zika virus. With the Zika virus, Mr Scowsill explains that it is important for the sector to continue to monitor the medical developments. “The World Health Organisation does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions, which reflects the advice that we are giving to travel and tourism companies. It is critical for governments, tourism bodies and companies to communicate clearly on the situation at all times, particularly with the potential concerns for pregnant women.” The “terrorism threat” is tempered by the WTTC President, as he points out, “Many attacks are perpetrated by ‘home grown’ terrorists, so the solution is not as simple as removing visa waiver programmes and other mechanisms. The answer to terrorism lies in strengthening security and ensuring safety in each country, encouraging intelligence sharing and increasing the electronic processing of visas away from the current manual mechanisms in many countries.” Meanwhile, Alain Dupeyras, head of Tourism, OECD is attending ITBBerlin, where he will be offering policy advice during the ITB Destination Days on how to shape the sharing economy. He insists that greater action needs to be taken in order to further improve the health of the industry: “Changing global market trends and travel behaviours require active, innovative and integrated policy responses to ensure that tourism remains a competitive sector and continues to deliver economically and sustainably in the years to come. This is especially true for highly developed tourism economies if they are to compete in the changing global marketplace.” The Seventies were a period of intense growth for the international travel fair. In 1974, the display area already exceeded 20,000 square metres. In 1977 more than 500 companies exhibited their products and services to 7,000 trade visitors from over 100 countries. Large international tourism associations were also represented. In 1975 the Pacific Asia Travel Association launched the PATA Days. Featuring a two-day congress in 1976 and the launch of the Tourism Experts Forum (TEF) in 1978, the ITB reflected international trends. For the first time, the Association of German Travel Journalists (VDRJ) presented its annual award in recognition of significant contributions to the world of tourism. ITBBerlin had already become an event that attracted major media attention. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 9 th March 2016
