22 SPECIAL FEATURE
22 SPECIAL FEATURE ADVERTORIAL EVENTS TOURISM President Obama & First Lady To Speak at SXSW Festival It’s 30 years young-- the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences & Festivals in Austin is a mainstay event of the newest generations by focusing on the convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Calling itself, “the premier destination for discovery,” SXSW is hip enough this year to draw for the first time a sitting President and the First Lady to an event that is a launch pad for innovative content with new media presentations, music showcases and film screenings. Divided into three parts, the festival has Music, Film and Interactive sessions. In the SXSW Interactive, President Obama will discuss civic engagement in the 21st Century before an audience of creators, early adopters and entrepreneurs that SXSW believes are defining the future of our connected lives. The President will call on the audience to apply their ideas and talents to make technology work for us when tackling big challenges like increasing participation in the political process and fighting climate change. First Lady Michelle Obama at SXSW Music will discuss the Let Girls Learn initiative for the 62 million girls around the world who are not in school today, more than half of whom are adolescent. “I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate our event’s 30 th year than to welcome both the President and First Lady to SXSW,” said SXSW Co-founder Roland Swenson. “As each new generation comes up at SXSW they look for ways they can be of service, and it’s important to reflect and support that message.” M. & M me Obama President & First Lady of the United States I CAN’T IMAGINE A BETTER WAY TO CELEBRATE OUR EVENT’S 30TH YEAR THAN TO WELCOME BOTH THE PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY TO SXSW Jefferson Starship Formula E’s Home in USA: Long Beach Based on its commitment to sustainable mobility and longrunning success hosting large scale sporting events, Long Beach in California is called “the home of Formula E in USA.” The world’s first fully-electric racing series, FIA’s (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) Formula E uses fully-electric race cars with speeds in excess of 150mph. California is the number one market for plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales with around 12% of U.S. sales occur in Southern California. The Long Beach street circuit is the longest running in the US, beginning in 1975. Formula E aids R&D around the electric vehicle, accelerating interest and promoting clean energy and sustainability. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Saturday 12 th March 2016 Live on the Vine: It’s Winterfest Winterfest – Live On the Vine is a five week, mid-winter music, wine and art festival, taking place on New York State’s Long Island, adjacent to New York City. The eastern end of Long Island, home to some of America’s most expensive real estate, is shaped with two prongs like a fork-- and this festival is held annually on the East End’s prestigious north and south “forks.” Live on the Vine (winner previously of a National Destination Marketing Award) this year expands to more than 70 concerts and wine events in 40 unique venues. Vineyard tasting rooms, boutique hotels, and historic theatres provide the stages for more than 30 emerging artists and headliners. THE CLOSING PARTY AND GRAND FINALE CONCERT WILL FEATURE CLASSIC ROCKERS JEFFERSON STARSHIP Music for every taste and in every genre includes New Orleans favorites: folk icon Judy Collins,The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, jazz trumpet legend Randy Brecker quartet featuring Ada Rovatti-- and back for a second year, Americansweetheart Amy Helm. Jazz drummer Bryan Carter & his Trio, Downbeat Magazine award winner Ray Anderson with Steve Salerno, Paul Simon bassist Bakithi Kumalo & Friends, and the Late Night Gospel Choir performing a “raise the roof” Gospel Brunch, are some of the artists appearing this year. The closing party and grand finale concert will feature classic rockers Jefferson Starship. Winterfest adds events from the Long Island Wine Council. These “Art of Wine” events include a hands-on series of 23 winefocused events to give visitors exclusive access to rare wines, local wines, and Long Island’s winemaking techniques. www.itb-berlin-news.com
WELNESS & MEDICAL TOURISM SPECIAL FEATURE 23 India Promotes The Gift of Yoga Ancient wellness tradition to become a core attraction Ali Kaya President and Chief Executive Officer, Agne Tours India is the home of yoga and meditation, and local tourism authorities have been promoting and marketing these unique products for many years. But now, India is actively presenting these wellness travel sectors as “India’s gift to the world”. In 2014, International Yoga Day was declared by the United Nations after it was initiated in India by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi - who talked of the “invaluable gift” of a 5,000 year old tradition that “embodies unity of mind and body”. Centred on a mass yoga spectacle in New Dehli, on June 21 every year International Yoga Day sees mass yoga demonstrations happen in more than 150 locations around the world. Yoga is therefore a central part of the Incredible India stand at ITB Berlin, which featured live yoga and meditation sessions by the Art of Living, an educational movement that runs courses on the “path to a stress free body and mind” across India, and which focuses on yoga postures, meditation and relaxation. Hall 5.2B / Stand 205, 205a The Spirit of Ayurveda Inside India’s oldest Ayurvedic health resort Indians have benefitted for thousands of years from ancient Ayurvedic therapies which balance the three pillars of body, mind and soul. It was not until 1986 that Kerala’s Somatheeram Ayurveda resort offered this time-honoured medicinal tradition to European clients and pioneered a new health travel market which, 30 years later, is one of the strongest tourism segments in India. The ancient teachings of Ayurveda are among the most important ingredients of Indian culture and form the cornerstone of Somatheeram, an Ayurvedic centre that has adopted a holistic approach, providing Ayurveda, yoga and meditation in a peaceful setting that also reflects India’s culture and beauty. With the resort established by the ocean in India’s pristine tropical south, guests can relax body and mind while qualified Ayurvedic doctors recommend a course of treatment geared to the patient’s individual needs. Especially popular with European clients, the Somatheeram Ayurvedic health resort has been awarded the Best Ayurvedic Centre ten times, making it arguably the top medicinal travel resort in India. Hall 5.2B / Stand 205, 205a Somatheeram ayurvedic health resort Medical Tourism: Growth Industry Ancient wellness tradition to become a core attraction As a consequence of rising healthcare costs in developed countries, medical tourism has become a high-growth industry. There are specific governmentfunded strategies to promote medical facilities and procedures as an attraction to foreign visitors in Asian countries including Thailand, Korea and Malaysia - the latter being recognised as 2015 ‘Destination of the Year’ by the International Medical Travel Journal. At ITB Berlin 2016, Turkey has a huge presence, and within its dedicated Hall 3.2, one operator offers a brand-leading portfolio of wellness and medical products, ranging from thermal spa breaks to dialysis, fertility treatments and reconstructive surgery. Agne Tours - under the slogan ‘We know no boundaries for medical tourism’ - was founded in 1991 but has been providing specific personalised medical products for 14 years. Speaking to ITB News Berlin, Ali Kaya, President and Chief Executive Officer, Agne Tours, explained “In the beginning, it was people coming to Turkey for hair transplants… one of our latest most successful products is Senior Tourism - that’s care services for the elderly. In fact, there are so many elderly Scandinavian tourists using our care facilities, I think the next step is helping them settle in Turkey permanently. The range of services we offer has grown from cosmetic and dental surgery, to ophthalmic treatments, cerebrospinal surgery, dialysis holidays and organ transplants” ONCE, PEOPLE FLOCKED FROM EUROPE TO THE USA FOR THEIR MEDICAL PROCEDURES; NOW IT IS THE REVERSE - MOST AMERICANS COME TO TURKEY Stressing that the ethics and safety of their packages were rigorously monitored, Mr Kaya pointed out that Agne Tours is partnered with Thomas Cook and Lufthansa, and the company has reached “World Champion standard in cosmetic surgery. The hospitals in Turkey we provide for our customers are like five star luxury hotels, with the best equipment and technology in the world. Once, people flocked from Europe to the USA for their medical procedures; now it is the reverse - now most Americans come to Turkey and Asia.” The potential income from medical tourism, and its economic impact, not least raising the domestic standard of healthcare, is too big to ignore. Hall 3.2 / Stand 201 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Saturday 12 th March 2016
