8 NEWS FROM ‘66TO‘16 50 glorious years of ITB – stepping back in time This year is the 50 th anniversary of ITBBerlin, marking a genuine success story “made in Berlin“. Each of this year’s editions of ITBBerlinNews looks back at one of the highlights… PART FIVE ITB BERLIN POST-2000: A CENTRE OF EXPERTISE AND A MAJOR KNOWLEDGE PLATFORM ITBBerlin 2002 - South Africa in hall 20 The digital transition has brought a level of change to the travel industry unlike in any other sector. In 2000 the mobile internet was already being discussed at ITBBerlin. At the same time the Travel Technology section was created, which to date remains one of the largest and most dynamic, with a huge international appeal. 2004 witnessed the launch of the ITBBerlin Convention. The programme of events at what has now become the world’s largest tourism convention examines the latest developments and their impact on the global tourism market, with regard to the hotel industry, corporate social responsibility, the marketing of tourism and the future of travel. Visitors to the international travel industry’s leading think tank can find out about the latest industry developments, trends and research results from 200 keynote speeches, interviews and panel discussions. The ITBBerlin Convention now sets the tone for the entire tourism industry and has become a major attraction for the public. When in 2007 Story Musgrave, then the world’s oldest serving astronaut, talked about space tourism, and one year later Bertrand Piccard, chairman and captain of Solar Impulse, spoke about “solar energy as an energy source for aeroplanes“, the auditoriums were packed to capacity. Conservation Without Compromise Tshekedi Khama II, Botswana’s Environment, Wildlife and Tourism Minister, is dynamic in his attitude to conserving wildlife The same conference hall at ITBBerlin 2016, Wednesday, witnessed the National Geographic World Legacy Awards ceremony followed by the signing ceremony of Botswana as the Official Partner Country for ITBBerlin 2017. The presence of Hon. Tshekedi Stanford Khama II, Botswana’s Environment, Wildlife and Tourism Minister, at both events was more than a coincidence. The Awards, showcased the leading travel and tourism companies, organizations and destinations that are driving the sustainable tourism transformation of the travel industry, based on National Geographic’s work of inspiring people to care about the planet. At the event, Mr Khama spoke passionately about the essential conservation work and dedication to sustainability that has brought Botswana into the global spotlight. Talking to ITBBerlinNews afterwards, he said: “We pride ourselves in Botswana being the premium safari destination. Our conservation policy, the successful relocation of black and white rhinos, our increasing population of elephants - these are all because of our strong antipoaching position - for which we don’t apologise! If you commit a crime, you will be punished.” How significant is it that Botswana joins a prestigious list of former ITBBerlin partner countries including the incumbent Maldives? There are importances and coincidences here - both Botswana and ITBBerlin are celebrating 50th anniversaries this year, so it’s a fantastic opportunity. We can use ITBBerlin to market Botswana, give our country a huge platform. What is so exciting is the opportunity to do something different - it opens doors for us. Being the first African country to partner ITBBerlin - it’s a world first. African destinations such as Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt and South Africa are established internationally. Do you think people are aware of Botswana’s appeal? We say Botswana is the bestkept secret, and now it’s time to unlock that secret. We do have challenges - we don’t have direct trans-continental flights, for example. We are making Hon. Tshekedi Stanford Khama II Botswana’s Environment, Wildlife And Tourism Minister efforts to improve our airports and looking at partners that will fly directly, so that Botswana can become a prime destination. We will use ITBBerlin and the lessons we learn from ITBBerlin to develop our Tourism Industry. 41% of Botswana is reserved for wildlife management - including game reserves and national parks. So tourism is a very big contribution to the GDP of our country. How do you plan to leverage the partnership between Botswana and ITBBerlin in 2017? Botswana has been represented here many times. When we look at the mix of people that come to ITBBerlin, the different entities that are represented at ITBBerlin, it became the obvious platform. The mixture of culture and presentations is so diverse. To launch from here is the best opportunity we could ask for. And it forces us to develop our standards, to be equal to the standards of this event. We have a very good synergy with ITBBerlin, and we can learn from each other. I hate the expression “win win” but collectively, we will compliment each other, to the benefit of the traveller and our economy and our natural resource management. Hall 20 / Stand 131 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Saturday 12 th March 2016 www.itb-berlin-news.com
NEWS 9 Thailand Aims Higher Diversity is the key to raising average spend Thailand’s Minister of Sports and Tourism, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, is at ITBBerlin to talk about how his country is refining its marketing strategy to target higher spending markets. “It is not all about total arrivals but more about ways to increase the quality of tourists visiting Thailand and, consequently, to increase revenues”, she says. A central part of this strategy is to promote a more diversified travel experience. To achieve this, visitors have been encouraged to explore Thailand’s unique sporting culture and therefore increase the length of their stay. “Sport is part of our life. We have many events related to sports but not so many tourists know about it,” says Wattanavrangkul. For example, the Minister wants to promote Pattaya, not only for its beaches and nightlife, but as a sports destination, particularly with the Jet Ski World Cup hosted in the resort city in December. “This World Cup has been organized for ten years and proved its success by being one of the most attended among Jet Ski fans. And it helps us to position Pattaya as an active family destination”, she says. promote. “The Chiang Mai Marathon is, for example, doing very well,” says Wattanavrangkul. “It is almost sold out every year as we get a huge interest from visitors - especially from Japan and Europe.” Bicycle trails are also being developed. One of the most original is the bike path around Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok called the Skytrail, which is an ideal circuit for families. “We have recently developed wonderful trails for bicyclists in many areas around the Kingdom such the UK,” she says. “We have consequently improved our offer on hotels with dedicated floors for women, or on taxis driven by females, or trains or public transports with femalededicated seats.” Culture is another core element in Thailand’s quest for quality. “Heritage and culture are part of the Thai soul, and our Discover Thainess campaign launched last year (running until 2017) explores many aspects of our traditions and cultures”, adds Wattanavrangkil. within ASEAN. Moreover, connectivity to Thailand has improved dramatically over the last decade as new air routes and road connections have opened between the Kingdom and its neighbours. For example, a new circuit now links Chiang Mai to Mandalay and Bagan in Myanmar. “We see the ASEAN common market as another opportunity to reinforce the role of Thailand as an ASEAN gateway,” concludes the Minister. This strategy is already starting to yield results. “We have been working at diversifying tourist’s experiences in the kingdom over the last two years. And it is paying off as tourism revenues are increasing faster than tourist arrivals. Last year, tourist revenues increased by 23% while arrivals were up by 20%,” says the Minister. Marathons and bicycle are other sport themes that Thailand is looking to as along the Mekong river”, says the Minister. In the quest to promote quality tourism, Thailand is looking to open related niche markets, especially among upwardly mobile female travellers. According to Wattanavrangkul, women travelers are, on average, higher spenders than their male counterparts. “We have seen an increase in single female travellers from Japan but also from Germany and This theme is also being used to promote lesserknown destinations in Thailand branded the Hidden Jewels of Thailand. “We now have 24 of these hidden jewels and they help, not only in bringing tourists to lesser-known areas of our Kingdom, but also help extending visitors’ stay in our land,” says the Minister. The Hidden Jewels of Thailand are also being linked with the promotion of multi-country travel circuits Hall 26b / Stand 221 Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul Thailand’s Minister of Sports and Tourism with Jean-François Pieri (right) Managing Director, ITBBerlinNews and Luc Citrinot (left) Editor - ITBBerlinNewsITB BERLIN NEWS • Saturday 12 th March 2016
