28 REGION EUROPE Serbia
28 REGION EUROPE Serbia Courts International Guests Serbia has been enjoying double digit growth in terms of international visitors and the Balkan nation has a strong presence at ITB Berlin as it looks to consolidate its recent success. Marija Labovic, director of Serbia’s National Tourism Organisation, tells ITB Berlin News about current strategies, the increase of arrivals from Germany, and a new promotion for travel along the Danube. Over the past years we have seen a steady growth in international tourist arrivals. In 2015 we recorded 1.13 million international tourist arrivals, up 10% compared to 2014. There was a 12% increase in terms of overall overnight stays (2.41 million), while the foreign countries with the largest number of overnight stays in 2015 were Bosnia and Herzegovina followed by Montenegro, Russia and Germany. German overnight stays in Serbia reached 122,590, which is a 7% increase compared to 2014. Most progress and potential can be seen in the city breaks, nature and active tourism segments. Besides Belgrade, tourists increasingly decide to explore other Serbian cities such as Novi Sad or Nis for their rich cultural heritage and remnants of Roman civilisations, or the Habsburg and Ottoman chapters of our history. Nature and adventure lovers are also being drawn to Serbia to discover the wild and untouched landscape while reconnecting with nature. You’ve just taken over the role as director of the National Tourism Organisation. What will be your key challenges? There have been a large numbers of refugees crossing Serbia in search of peace and a safe future. True to our values of hospitality and with our own memories of struggles from the recent past, we have pursued an open border approach since the beginning of the refugee crisis. Importantly, I can ensure that the situation has had no effect on the quality of our tourism service or products, and does not impact the overall tourism experience. What new initiatives, ideas or campaigns are you bringing to ITB Berlin? We invite visitors to be inspired by our new film, “The Danube in Serbia: 588 impressions”, which includes breath-taking images of one of the last authentic river sanctuaries in the heart of the European continent. We are a true Danube nation that is very proud of the splendour and many different faces that this river has to offer to tourists. For 2016, we centre our marketing and PR efforts on the diversity of the Danube and other water treasures in Serbia. Another highlight for 2016 will be the introduction of Air Serbia’s new direct route between Belgrade and New York, which will solidify Belgrade’s role as a hub in Eastern Europe. Five weekly flights will be offered as of June 2016. How important is ITB Berlin as part of your marketing push globally? ITB Berlin is the key event for positioning ourselves as a tourism destination internationally. It provides us with the possibility to connect in so many ways with international trade, to interact with the final customer, and to catch up with the latest trends at the ITB Convention. Marija Labovic Serbia’s National Tourism Organisation Director FOR 2016, WE CENTRE OUR MARKETING AND PR EFFORTS ON THE DIVERSITY OF THE DANUBE AND OTHER WATER TREASURES IN SERBIA. Hall 2.2 / Stand 211 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Saturday 12 th March 2016 www.itb-berlin-news.com
EUROPE REGION 29 Destination Germany German travel market again exceeds expectations Amazingly Fast Free Public Wi-Fi? A dream? Not in Lithuania, where the service allows tourists to connect in innovative new ways Lithuania has spent recent times investing in free public Internet and provides the world’s best free public wireless Internet services. Following another record year for the German travel industry, the German National Tourism Board will be using ITB Berlin to further push the boundaries of its “Destination Germany” brand. Petra Hedorfer, CEO of GNTB, describes the importance of ITB Berlin for the local travel industry, and outlines the strong recent performance of the Germany travel market. In 2015, we recorded almost 80 million overnight stays by visitors from abroad – a record result for Destination Germany for the sixth year running. The rate of growth was well above our forecasts. Year on year, the volume of overnight stays went up by more than 5%, meaning that we outperformed both the European and global average. Which German travel markets are performing well and promise continued growth? In general terms, we are continuing to see steady growth in the larger source markets, while the emerging markets are expanding at a particularly dynamic rate. Europe has traditionally been the most important source market for inbound travel to Germany. Guests from European countries account for almost three quarters of all overnight stays by foreign visitors in Germany. In a country-by-country comparison, the Netherlands is still comfortably the number one source market for Germany. Its 11.2 million overnight stays equate to a 14% market share. The USA continues to be the most important overseas market and, with Petra Hedorfer CEO, German National Tourism Board THE USA CONTINUES TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT OVERSEAS MARKET AND, WITH AN 8.5% INCREASE, IS RANKED THIRD IN THE TOP TEN SOURCE MARKETS FOR INBOUND TOURISM TO GERMANY an 8.5% increase, is ranked third in the top ten source markets for inbound tourism to Germany. The Asian markets are currently showing strong momentum, most notably China with growth of 24.8% in 2015 and the Arab Gulf States with an increase of 17.7%. Hall 12 / Stand 102 Visitors can test the service in Vilnius by trying the interactive cultural-educational project ‘Talking Sculptures’: 15 sculptures in Vilnius Old Town will invite you for a conversation on the phone in which you get to know the real characters immortalised in the sculptures and also the cultural, historical and architectural heritage of Vilnius. Packed with UNESCO heritage that is rare and noteworthy, and also boasting natural untouched beauty, Lithuania is putting its best foot forward at ITB Berlin as a key destination to visit in 2016. The capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, and its Old Town – one of the largest (360 ha) and the prettiest in Central and Eastern Europe, a Baroque masterpiece – earned Lithuania one of its entries on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Vilnius is considered as one of the greenest capitals in the world and is often described as a city in the forest. Green zones account for 46% of the Vilnius Old Town, Kestutis Petronis area of the capital city. It may be best appreciated from a bird’s-eye view – Vilnius is one of the few European capitals to allow hot air ballooning above the city. Narrow streets of Vilnius Old Town accommodate many designer boutiques and highend handicraft shops, lively pubs and bars, hidden terraces and romantic restaurants. Vilnius is becoming a modern city of gastronomic tourism and offers an increasing number of small restaurants with the food prepared using local organic produce. Meanwhile, the Canopy Walkway erected in Anykščiai Regional Park has become an exceptional tourist attraction. In December 2015, it was recognized as the world’s most innovative tourist attraction by the UNWTO. The 300-metre walkway meanders above the treetops and leads to a 35-metre tower that serves a good vantage point to admire the picturesque Forest of Anykščiai. Hall 18 / Stand 126b With around 80% of foreign travellers utilizing the internet to plan their trips, the website www.germany.travel is available in 30 languages and is the main medium for promoting Destination Germany. It is a platform on which theme-based campaigns are presented and it is also the primary means for the German travel organisation to communicate with the international travel industry. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Saturday 12 th March 2016
