ITB Berlin News - Day
FRIDAY 6 th MARCH 2015 ITB QUICKFINDER INSIDE DAY 3 ITB BERLIN CONVENTION TRADE TALK BUSINESS TRAVEL REGION: MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA Caroline Bremner Head of Travel, Euromonitor International “Travel in itself is a social activity, but the social aspect permeates all the way through the supply chain. In the age of social media, consumers are the heart of business activity.” Read page 10 Tim Hentschel CEO, hotelplanner.com and meetings.com “ We’ve seen major growth in group travel bookings in both North America and Europe.” Read page 13 Paul Malcolm Head Of Sales, Hilton Worldwide “53% of our turnover is from business travel. It is our bread and butter, our mothership.” Read page 16 H.E. Mr Jacques Ulrich Andriantiana Minister of Tourism, Transport & Meteorology of Madagascar “Not only does tourism bring foreign currencies but it also contributes to the development of the entire economy.” Read page 35 Hall 22A Stand 104 Scene Stealing, Deal Sealing ITB Berlin 2015: imagination and efficiency at the service of the global industry Hall 17 Stand 108 ITB Berlin 2015 is more than ever showing both sides of the travel and tourism marketing coin. On the one side, we are more than ever seeing countries “putting on a show” (as evidenced by the extraordinary acts from Mongolia on the stage at the opening ceremony), and the amazing cultural experiences on offer at many stands. On the flip side of the coin, all this “scene stealing” has a goal. A goal of creating such an effect that it stirs new and exciting ideas among tour operators and travel agents who in turn inspire their clients, resulting in increasing business for everyone. At ITB Berlin, the transformation of these dreams into business deals is at the heart of the show. With growing numbers of major international players in the Buyers’ Circle, nothing could be more concrete. And speaking of scene stealing… The Maldives are aiming to do just that – with the announcement that they’ll be official ITB Berlin partner country in 2016. See interview p. 14 Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Republic of Maldives DESTINATION SPOTLIGHT MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA Arakao, Sahara, Niger After a slow 2013, last year brought good news for both the Middle East and Africa. According to UNWTO data, Middle East international arrivals grew by 4% - the same rate as Europe, while Africa experienced a growth of 2%, the smallest increase of any regions in the world. Prospects for the future however are bright, and African DMOs are doubling their efforts to tell the story “as it is”, and win over new source markets at ITB Berlin. See page 31 © Michael Martin
