6 NEWS
6 NEWS ITB Opens in ITB Berlin News – Your Official Information Source at ITB Berlin ITB Berlin News is the official international magazine of the world’s leading travel trade show, covering all its myriad aspects. Our aim is to give you, the professional visitor to this event, a concise and synthetic tool to assist you in your visit and to guide you in your decision making process. of Robust Gr World press delivered positive message at opening press conference From left to right: Dr Christian Göke, Hon. Dr Mari Elka Pangestu, Dr Michael Frenzel, Jürgen Büchy, Márcio Favilla CONTENT NEWS ................................................. p.07 itb berlin convention................... p.19 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS..................... p.20 REGION: ASIA..................................... p.27 SPECIAL FEATURES: TRANSPORT .................................... p.37 travEl technologies ................ p.41 TRADE NEWS...................................... p.43 Responsible Tourism...................... p.44 Where to go in berlin.................... p.45 At the opening press conference of the 47 th ITB Berlin, growing tourism figures on a global scale, and a positive outlook for 2013 set the stage for an exceptional show. The opening press conference featured Hon. Dr Mari Elka Pangestu, Indonesia’s Minister for Tourism & Creative Economy, Dr Christian Göke, COO of Messe Berlin, Dr Michael Frenzel, President of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW), Jürgen Büchy, President of the German Travel Association (DRV) and Marcio Favilla, Executive Director of Competitiveness, External Relations and Partnerships, UNWTO. “We seek to reflect the richness and diversity of the travel industry as well as its dynamism, while staying close to new developments, and as up to date as possible”, said Dr Göke. “Consequently, demand for exhibition space is the highest ever, (…) not only is ITB Berlin fully booked, we also have the highest ever number of two-tier stands, and a total of 10,086 exhibitors… and not only is ITB Berlin fully booked, we also have the highest ever number of two-tier stands, and a total of 10,086 exhibitors.” Dr Frenzel announced that Germany had, the first time, passed 400 million overnight stays in 2012, and, in another first, there were, according to UNWTO, 1 billion tourists worldwide. ”We are expecting that global figure to rise to around 1.6 billion by 2020, and it’s clear that the desire to travel remains unabated,” he commented. “We are optimistic in forecasting 1-2% growth in German travel in 2013, but we remain prudent because we have no control over currency fluctuations. And I also would like to point to the problem of emission trading which leads to competitive distortion ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013 www.itb-berlin-news.com
NEWS 7 Environment owth of the global market, and aviation taxes which are putting more pressure on the very thin profit margins that airlines currently generate.” Hon. Dr Mari Elka Pangestu Tour operators and travel agencies achieved new sales records in 2012 Mr Büchy painted a very upbeat picture of the German market: “Despite adverse conditions such as economic difficulties, taxation on air transport and higher fuel prices, German travel agencies continued to register growth last year, showing the dynamic of our industry. In financial year 2011/12, tour operators’ sales rose by 5.5 percent to a new all-time high of Euro 24.4 billion. This was an even stronger increase than predicted in the association’s projections from the end of November 2012. The highest sales growth rates was achieved on mediumhaul destinations, especially Mediterranean destinations, up by 8.5%.” According to Mr Favilla, Europe continued to be the most visited region in the world. Tourist numbers were up by 3%; a very positive result in the view of the economic situation in the region, and particularly following the strong growth of 2011 (+6%). Indonesia aims to be known beyond Bali The Indonesian Minister, Dr Pangestu indicated that her government was extremely honoured and proud to be part of the world’s largest travel show, ITB Berlin. “We hope that visitors to the fair will be amazed by the wealth of attractions that we offer. Our nature and culture are legacies that are visible and accessible to anyone visiting our country. This is reflected also in our textiles, in our gastronomy or in our dances. All are part of our way of life. We think that visitors will get a glimpse of this during ITB Berlin. We in fact designed our pavilion in the shape of a Phinisi, a traditional boat still used by Bugis sailors in South Sulawesi”, she highlighted. “Come to Indonesia, we welcome you with our heart. This is why we smile a lot as all Indonesians will do everything they can to please their guests”, she added. [Article by Luc Citrinot and Gary Smith] (eds: see also interview with the minister – p. 20) ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2013
