ITB Berlin News - Day
FRIDAY 8 th MARCH 2013 DAY3 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW regioN: MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA Special Feature: GAY & LESBIAN TRAVEL TRADE NEWS Christopher L Thompson President and CEO of Brand USA “The two pillars of our value proposition are coop marketing and platform-creation.” Read page 20 Roger Kacou Côte d’Ivoire Tourism Minister “The big challenge will be to change perceptions of an area that was a war zone five years ago” Read page 33 Clark Massad IGLTA Vice President of Europe & Global Partnerships “(…) the gay and lesbian segment is now recognised as a market of its own” Read page 35 Cyril Ranque Senior Vice President Expedia Lodging Partner Services “We want to reach out to existing and future hotel partners” Read page 43 Hall 9 Stand 202 Hall 2.1 Stand 225 Hall 9 Stand 123 Trend Accelerator ITB Berlin 2013 brings together the industry’s leading players - driving the movement Here at ITB Berlin you can feel the growing acceleration behind key industry trends. Firstly, technology and the Internet continue to push travel into new territories, changing the way we work and the way our customers buy. From a special matchmaking event with bloggers to the largest range of travel technology anywhere, ITB Berlin 2013 is embracing technology like never before. Secondly, the growing interest in what were niche markets, such as adventure travel, responsible tourism or gay and lesbian travel, has propelled them into the mainstream. And finally, demand from new fastgrowing markets in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East is highlighted in our exclusive interview with Issa M. Al Mohannadi, Chairman of the Tourism Authority of Qatar, the country which currently has the world’s fastest growing economy (see interview – page 24). HE Eng. Issa M. Al Mohannadi Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority Destination Spotlight: MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA The past year has seen major changes to the dynamics of markets in the Middle East and Africa. Overall, according to the WTO, visitor growth is up 6% in Africa and 5% in the Middle East. Regional giants in Africa such as Egypt, South Africa and Morocco are recording new increases in visitor numbers, while in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates continue to lead the field. See our special feature page 26 Qatar - Doha by night © Qatar Tourism Authority
