ITB BERLIN CONVENTION 2022: NEWS HIGHLIGHTS FROM TUESDAY, 8 MARCH 2022 (Germany)
The World’s Leading Travel Show has the latest stories from the digital edition of the ITB Berlin Convention 2022 online in its ITB Newsroom and on ITB Berlin News. |
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ITB BERLIN CONVENTION 2022: NEWS HIGHLIGHTS FROM TUESDAY, 8 MARCH 2022 (Germany)
The World’s Leading Travel Show has the latest stories from the digital edition of the ITB Berlin Convention 2022 online in its ITB Newsroom and on ITB Berlin News. |
Category: Europe - Germany - Exclusive experiences
- Calendar
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2022-03-10
This is where media representatives and bloggers can obtain free articles for their editorial coverage of sessions at the ITB Berlin Convention, exhibitor press conferences and presentations as well as interviews with leading industry figures.
Global topics at the opening press conference
The tourism industry is recovering from the dip in business caused by the pandemic and sees itself as part of the solution in combating climate change.
Coronavirus restrictions are being lifted and people are increasingly keen to travel – but it will take until the end of 2023 before tourism industry turnover returns to pre-pandemic levels.
Speaking at the virtual opening conference of the ITB Berlin Convention, that was one of the messages offered by Norbert Fiebig, president of the German Travel Association DRV. Martin Ecknig, CEO of Messe Berlin, emphasised ITB’s traditional role in promoting dialogue. The complete opening press conference is available here.
The ITB Berlin Convention offers hope
Robert Habeck hopes tourism will encourage international understanding and praises Georgia as a travel destination
In his keynote speech, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Dr. Robert Habeck revealed himself to be a travel fan and an admirer of Georgia, the Convention & Culture Partner of ITB. At the same time he was visibly shaken by recent events – and said he was certain his welcome speech was the most difficult one a tourism minister had ever held at an ITB.
Pandemic-related travel habits will remain
More customers are making domestic trips, are booking more package tours and want greater flexibility
Speaking at the opening of the ITB Berlin Convention 2022 about future global travel behaviour, Peter Kautz, MD of Statista Q, said that many of the travel habits to have emerged due to the coronavirus pandemic would remain even after infections have subsided. He also predicted that turnover will reach pre-pandemic levels in 2023.
How can guidelines and partnerships minimise the impact of crises on tourism?
Tourism ministers focus on international cooperation to strengthen resilience
How to deal with crises? That was the question discussed by the participants in the ITB Ministerial Roundtable. Vassilis Kikilias, tourism minister of Greece, called for jointly strengthening resilience after each crisis.
Maria Anthonette C Velasco-Allones of the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines said it was imperative to make a quick recovery from a crisis. And Edmund Bartlett, tourism minister of Jamaica, appealed for a global tourism recovery fund.
With Technology through the Pandemic
Trip.com Group CEO Jane Sun encourages women: “Be optimistic”
At the start of the C Level interview “Global Trends in Travel & Technology: Learnings from Asia”, Jane Sun, CEO of the largest Chinese travel company, Trip.com Group, encouraged women to enter the travel industry.
On the occasion of World Women’s Day, responding to the question of what advice she would offer young women seeking career success, she named four criteria: integrity, optimism, curiosity and conscientiousness. “Be optimistic! We would not have made it through the pandemic without optimism”, according to Jane Sun. But of course, modern technology, including artificial intelligence, also played a major role.
WTTC: Learning from crises and confronting them together
Julia Simpson emphasises effective cooperation for overcoming crises
“All our hearts are with Ukraine“, said Julia Simpson, since 2021 president and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and keynote speaker at the ITB Ministerial Roundtable. She emphasised the significance of strong cooperation for reviving the travel and tourism industry. What had once again become clear was how vital it was to make the travel and tourism industry crisis-proof and more resilient.
“I believe that crises can only be overcome by cooperating and trusting in one another“, Simpson said.
Smaller groups – but overtourism will soon return
Increasing importance of online reservation possibilities for tours and on-site activities
Experiences and organised on-site activities are a decisive component of travel, on which vacationers are also prepared to spend money. In particular in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic people are desperate to be on the move again.
However, many travellers do not want a traditional city tour but to experience their destination with all their senses. Questions about ways in which the providers of tours and of reservation systems react to this situation, and whether there will be a revival of over-tourism were discussed by Douglas Quinby, Brad Weber and Emil Martinsek, together with Charlotte Lamp Davies, Founder of A Bright Approach, at an event entitled “Tours and Activities Sustainable Return”.
New branding, new technologies and new audiences
Italy’s tourism industry is well-positioned to re-open
An online-based tourism hub which makes use of AI and connects all kinds of different tour operators, a comprehensive marketing campaign, 70 per cent of whose funding flows into online participation, and the combination of Italian lifestyle and sustainability.
Those are just some of the main targets which the Italian National Tourist Board ENIT has set itself for the near future and which were presented at a press conference with the Italian tourism minister Massimo Garavaglia and Roberta Garibaldi, CEO of ENIT. Maria Elena Rossi, global marketing chief of ENIT, moderated the event.
Fundamental changes are needed in the search for personnel
Corona has cost the tourism industry 16 million jobs worldwide
Throughout the world the pandemic has exacerbated an already difficult staffing situation in the travel sector, where it is estimated that 16 million jobs have been lost during the past two years.
Employees have departed and it will be difficult to attract them back, as explained by Sophia Krekel, Head of Sales Hospitality Solutions at Stepstone, during a panel discussion on the subject of ‘HR Trends in 2022: Future of Human Resource Management in Tourism’. She joined other panellists to discuss the current challenges.
Adventure travel with ideal travellers
Danger of overtourism looms
Adventure travel is among the first industry segments currently recovering from Covid restrictions. At the same time, all stakeholders are increasingly confronting it with demands for sustainability and resilience.
In an interview with Gergana Nikolova, regional director, Europe & Central Asia at the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), David Beurle from the consultancy Future iQ noted that tourism responsibilities are shifting from operators to municipalities.
New platform goturkiye.com presents Turkey as a sustainable destination
Website provides concise travel information in ten languages
A new digital platform by Turkey aims to make researching easier for travellers and tourism professionals both ahead of a trip and when they are there. Concise information is available in ten languages all in one place on goturkiye.com.
At the convention, the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency is presenting Turkey as a sustainable destination. All four seasons and the five senses are covered by corresponding products.
Wide-ranging natural beauty, amazing biodiversity and a sparsely populated country
Paraguay presents itself to visitors as an insider’s tip
In the age of the pandemic many travellers are suspicious of large gatherings. In Paraguay, which borders on Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina, mass tourism is unknown. What is more, in Chaco in the country’s west lies one of the most sparsely populated areas of the planet. Instead of an official representative, Oscar Rodriguez, a tour guide, birdwatcher and tour operator, presented the country’s highlights.
Young travellers are the (prosperous) vacationers of the future
School pupils and students are resilient, set the trends and communicate about them
The participants in a panel discussion with David Chapman, Director of the WYSE Confederation, gave insights into a particularly resilient group of travellers, young people and school pupils. It was pointed how important this generation is for the future of travel.
“Young travellers set the trends, communicate in depth about them, and most importantly: they return time and again, spending more each time”, was the conclusion by Vicki Cunningham, CEO of BUNAC & USIT.
Sarawak: Authenticity, avoiding all the clichés
The largest state in Malaysia, on the island of Borneo, is a paradise for culture and nature enthusiasts
“Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia, is an alternative for those who seek down-to-earth authenticity, avoiding all the clichés”, according to Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, CEO of the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), at the Sarawak Travel Chat.
It ideally complements a visit to the Malaysian peninsula and neighbouring countries, or can be a separate journey of discovery.
A new approach to city tourism in NRW
Researchers call for an ‘ecosystem of hospitality’
The elimination of boundaries in current tourism thinking has been called for by researchers and marketing strategists in the publication Towards an Ecosystem of Hospitality – Location:City:Destination, which they presented on Tuesday at the ITB Berlin Convention.
This has been created with the involvement of Tourismus NRW (representing tourism in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia), and focuses in particular on new perspectives in city tourism.
“Maybe we should not even call it tourism, but instead treat it as an ‘ecosystem of hospitality‘”, stated, Professor Harald Pechlaner, the incumbent of the Chair for Tourism at the Catholic University Eichstätt, who led the conference that addressed this topic.
The complete videos from Convention Day 1 are available on YouTube.
About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention
Since 1966, ITB Berlin has been the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show. The ITB Berlin Convention, the largest event of its kind, will be held in the period originally scheduled as an entirely virtual event on the new brand website itb.com. The World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) is official “overall sponsor” of the ITB Berlin Convention. Mascontour is sponsor of the Future & Resilience Track at the ITB Berlin Convention. On 17 March the Digital Business Day will give the industry an opportunity to exchange views and do business in a virtual setting from anywhere in the world. As a virtual industry marketplace, it is a further addition to the ITB brand family. A series of B2B networking events which ITB Berlin is planning at European host destinations this year will round off the concept. 3,513 exhibitors from 120 countries were represented at the virtual edition of ITB Berlin NOW 2021 for the duration of the event. Some 65,700 users visited the new online platform, around two-thirds of whom were from abroad. In 2019 around 10,000 exhibitors from 181 countries displayed their products and services to 160,000 visitors, including 113,500 trade visitors.
About Messe Berlin
Berlin has been a trade fair location for 200 years, and one of the most important in the world for many decades. As the state-owned trade fair company, Messe Berlin makes a major contribution to the city’s position. It designs, markets and organizes hundreds of live events every year. Its broad portfolio includes the global brands and leading trade fairs IFA, InnoTrans, ITB, FRUIT LOGISTICA and the International Green Week, as well as major conferences and outstanding events, such as the Fan Mile at the Brandenburg Gate. With around 90 offices abroad, Messe Berlin markets its events in over 170 countries. Every year around 25,000 media representatives from all over the world are accredited to the events at the company's headquarters under the Radio Tower in Berlin alone. Messe Berlin strives to be an outstanding host to visitors at all of its events, to provide the best possible business impetus and to ensure fair conditions for everyone.
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