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ITB Berlin News Review Edition

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6 NEWS TO DO!2013 AWARDS

6 NEWS TO DO!2013 AWARDS FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM INITIATIVES GO TO IRAN, CAMBODIA AND MEXICO The TO DO!2013 Laureates for socially responsible tourism have been awarded to projects in Iran, Cambodia and Mexico. The three awards for sustainable initiatives that were presented at ITB Berlin by the Institute for Tourism and Development. The projects are judged on their contributions to improving the living conditions of the local population in the project areas through the strategic and cautious development of tourism products and services. Dr. Dietlind von Laßberg, deputy chairman of the Institute for Tourism and Development, said, “all of the three projects fulfil the main requirement of the TO DO! awards, namely the participation of the local population to a very high degree”. Abu Dhabi Wins “Best of Best” Award Nation selected by CBS Best Exhibitor Awards as most outstanding at show This year again the students of the Cologne Business School judged exhibitors at ITB Berlin for the Best Exhibitor Awards and Abu Dhabi “came up trumps” as “best of the best” at the show. For more than ten years, the BEA has been a quality indicator for an attractive trade fair appearance. It is organised by the CBS Cologne Business School on behalf of and in cooperation with Messe Berlin. A jury consisting of 30 potential tourism managers from the CBS evaluates every single stand of the approximately 12,000 exhibitors at ITB. Important aspects of the evaluation include design, authenticity and creativity, as well as the quality of the information and services on hand. Friendliness, competence, the appropriate amount of staff relative to the booth‘s size and a uniform appearance are all key features. The Best Exhibitor Award- Show on the Saturday night of the fair has become a fixed component of the supporting ITB programme, which is also reflected in the international high-ranking guest list of the event. Winners of each DMO category were: Near and Middle East: Abu Dhabi (also winner of “best of the best” award”) Asia/Australia/Oceania: Korea Africa: Rwanda Americas and Caribbean: Dominican Republic Europe: Austria Germany: Bayern In the Hotel business section, the prize went to Design Hotels AG and the best carrier was awarded to Lufthansa. L’Tur Tourismus took the prize for the best travel Abu Dhabi’s stand at ITB Berlin 2014 – “The Best of the Best” organisation, Globetrotter Ausrüstung was best in the travel support and media section and Alte Schule Jugendreisen Bildung und Arbeit e.V. was selected as best NGO or non-profit organisation. © Messe Berlin Offering locals alternative forms of income, these initiatives have also contributed to a decrease in logging and poaching in the project regions. Apart from having minimised the socialcultural and ecological footprints of the tourism industry, according to head of division of the Africa initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Holger Ehmke, “the projects link the participation of the people and economic benefits, they improve the quality and appeal of jobs in the tourism industry, they strengthen their own identity and minimize the impact. To read more, click here World Legacy Awards Announced for 2015 National Geographic and ITB Berlin collaborate to reward sustainable tourism A groundbreaking collaboration between two giants in the world of travel, National Geographic and ITB Berlin, The World Legacy Awards were launched this week. The new awards will showcase the leading travel and tourism companies, organizations and destinations — ranging from airlines to eco-lodges and from cities to countries — that are driving the global transformation of the travel industry based upon sustainable tourism principles and practices. The Call for Entries for the World Legacy Awards will start on June 1 2014, when applications can be submitted for review by an expert judging panel led by Costas Christ, one of the world’s foremost experts on sustainable tourism. The awards ceremony itself will be held at ITB Berlin in March 2015, after which the winners and finalists will be featured throughout National Geographic’s media platforms – reaching more than 500 million people worldwide each month through its magazines, television, documentaries, radio, books, maps and more. The awards are in five categories: Eco Innovation, Cultural Heritage, Biodiversity, Community Engagement and Sustainable Destination. Dr. Christian Göke, CEO, Messe Berlin said “As the world’s largest travel trade show, with a strong commitment to promoting corporate social responsibility and sustainable tourism best practices, we are delighted to partner with National Geographic Travel on the launch of the World Legacy Awards at ITB Berlin.” ITB BERLIN NEWS • Tuesday 18 th March 2014 www.itb-berlin-news.com

NEWS 7 © Revinate Revinate On-Site Surveys, a turnkey solution Revinate Leverages ITB Berlin to Launch On-Site Surveys, an Innovative iPad Solution for Capturing Guest Feedback KIGO ANNOUNCES MAILCHIMP INTEGRATION At ITB Berlin, Kigo announced its integration with Mailchimp (email marketing) to allow Kigo’s customers to export all their guest data automatically into their Mailchimp account. In this way, they can manage all their marketing campaigns and newsletters “without friction”. Kigo is today one of the industry’s fastest growing platforms in the vacation rental industry. Based in the heart of Barcelona, with offices in Philadelphia and Bangkok, its 50+ vacation rental specialists help over 1,000 property managers to welcome more than 20,000 bookings per month, supporting over 50,000 individual properties, in more than 50 countries. In 2013 alone, Kigo’s system processed 300,000,000 Euros in revenue for its agencies. With the growing influence of online reviews on booking decisions, it has never been more important for hoteliers to ensure that guests check out happy. With Revinate’s iPad solution deployed in key locations throughout a hotel, guests and day visitors can quickly and easily report on their experience, satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the hotel. With integrated real-time alerts, Revinate’s solution instantly notifies staff of opportunities for service improvement and recovery, which results in delighted guests who are likely to become promoters. On- Site Surveys also tracks NPS (Net Promoter Score), which allows brands and properties to benchmark guest satisfaction over time. With On-Site Surveys, the Revinate platform now includes a full suite of feedback solutions across the entire guest lifecycle, offering hoteliers an intuitive, unified and actionable system designed to increase guest satisfaction and ultimately deliver higher revenue. Revinate On-Site Surveys is a turnkey solution and comes complete with both software and hardware, including an iPad and a secure stand. Cultural Sightseeing Just Became More Exciting The French company Sycomore presented two innovations at ITB Berlin in the field of interactive audio guides, in the form of an “audiopen” and “visit apps”. ITB Berlin News Editor in Chief Richard Barnes takes a closer look at the latest technologies by Sycomore © Cleverdis The Audiopen heralds a totally new, innovative concept of the guided tour. It comprises both an audio player and an interactive document. The system also enables users to design their own visit with a simple, intuitive plan. It interacts with printed documents, through digital half-toning invisible to the naked eye (without adding supplementary film during printing). All the user has to do is point their Audiopen at a picture, an icon or a section of text to listen to the commentary that goes with it. This gives visitors the freedom to design their own tour. It can be programmed according to the specific needs of any site and individual visitors, according to their centres of interest, age and nationality. The Audiopen features an integrated speaker, and a jack plug, allowing the use of any headphones. Meanwhile the Audiotour App is a fully visit-specific app, which turns a smartphone into a traditional audioguide. Commentary can be started via call number, list or Cover Flow. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Tuesday 18 th March 2014

ITB Berlin News