Welcoming the world

THE prospects are excellent for International Tourism Bourse (ITB) Berlin, as final preparations are being made for the 49th edition of the show that will take place from March 4 to 8 this year. More than 10,000 exhibitors from around 190 countries and regions will be presenting their innovative products and services in the 26 display halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.

We caught up with ITB Berlin exhibitions director David Ruetz for a detailed report on what to expect this year.

What new attractions will be on offer in the 2015 chapter of ITB Berlin?

We are very excited to welcome some celebrity guests at the presentation of the World Legacy Awards. With this new initiative launched in collaboration with National Geographic Travel, ITB Berlin rewards outstanding corporate social responsibility achievements.

At the ITB Berlin Convention, the World Legacy Awards honour tour operators, touring organisations and destinations that drive global change in the travel industry on the basis of sustainable tourism principles and practices. The awards will be presented in the following categories: Earth Changers, Sense of Place, Conserving the Natural World, Engaging Communities and Destination Leadership.

This year, we have even more space for culture travel. The Culture Lounge, our official culture platform, will be set not only in a new location but in a hall devoted entirely to culture. The Culture Lounge, which has grown consistently over the years, is moving from Hall 8 to Hall 16 – ideally situated between the popular destinations of Austria, Switzerland and Poland. This year, the stands of some 70 exhibitors will be found in a dedicated area.

The new hall itself is an architectural highlight: Representatives of the cultural sector from home and abroad will introduce their latest culture projects and prospective exhibitions in the special setting of the Rotunda, alongside familiar and new destinations, including museums, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and cultural service providers. This year, the ambience of the Culture Lounge will be underlined with a special artistic accent: a light installation by Forum InterArt from Dortmund.

Technology and innovation enjoy the pride of place at ITB this year. Can you share the highlights from this year’s show?

It is in travel technology where the biggest changes are taking place.

Innovative developments in the travel industry are no longer to be found in products but rather in processes.

The exhibitors in the four travel technology halls will be showing where the future lies. Travel technology has become one of the biggest and fastest-growing segments, attracting exhibitors from all over the world. This year more than 170 companies, including around 30 newcomers, will be showcasing their innovations and products on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.

Among those exhibiting for the first time are Baidu, a search engine from China as large as Google, and Qunar, one of the country’s biggest booking platforms.

In particular, the travel technology segment is attracting a growing number of international exhibitors.

In addition to companies from China, others from the UK (Intuitive Systems, Hotel Room Auction), Finland (Frosmo), India (Travel BPO, Moxiter), France (Flatswire) and Turkey (Yield Planet) have also secured display areas at the show. Furthermore, a number of Italian travel start-ups will be occupying a combined display under the heading of ‘Start Up Italia’.

What is the expected visitor count this year?

The outlook is exceptionally good for ITB Berlin this year. Over 100,000 trade visitors are expected to attend the world’s largest travel trade show in order find out about all the tourism industry’s products and services at this year’s event.

How many new exhibitors have signed on so far?

More than 10,000 exhibitors from around 190 countries and regions will be presenting their innovative products and services in the 26 display halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. The focus is on the partner country Mongolia, which will be organising the opening ceremonies on the eve of ITB Berlin and will be represented in several halls at the show.

ITB Berlin showcases the latest travel trends and products.

The best example is Iran’s growing popularity as a travel destination, which will be reflected at the show. For the first time, this country will be occupying an entire hall (7.2a).

Turkey has also reserved a larger display area. In addition to the displays in Hall 3.2, for the first time there will also be a Turkish village in Hall 3.1.

Following a long absence, Honduras and Afghanistan will also be exhibiting again.

This year, major hotel brands such as Hilton and Hyatt can be found at ITB Berlin. Lidl-Reisen and Meeting Masters, one of Germany’s most important meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) portals, are newcomers to the show.

What kind of participation can we expect to see from the Middle East and Asia, and what market segments?

Demand by exhibitors from the Arab countries and Asia is particularly high this year. ITB Berlin always sees a strong participation from the Middle East region.

Occupying Hall 22, the Arab countries will be just as strongly represented as last year. About 5 per cent of the exhibitors at ITB Berlin come from this region. The respective halls are fully booked up since December and exhibitors come from all market segments.

India and Asia, whose tourism industries are booming, will be represented in large numbers at ITB Berlin. Hall 5.2b, occupied by India, is booked up and demand is as strong as always. Returning to the show are Bangladesh and Gilgit Baldistan, the hiking destination from Pakistan.

At this year’s ITB Berlin, the focus is on a country from central Asia: The Official Partner Country 2015 is Mongolia. ‘Everything except ordinary’ is how one could briefly describe this travel destination, which to date remains relatively unknown. Mongolia has booked more space this year: a large stand in Hall 26c, a yurt at the southern entrance to the grounds and a display in Hall 4.1 with a special show of sustainable tourism products. They all have information for visitors about every aspect of this travel destination.

Mongolia is also organising a spectacular opening ceremony in the CityCube Berlin that will take visitors on a tour of the country’s fascinating nomadic culture, the vast, rolling expanses of the Mongolian steppe and the mystical stories surrounding the legendary Genghis Khan.

Tell us more about this year’s line-up of conferences and event programmes. What are the highlights?

This year the focus is on the sharing economy. This innovative approach has shaken up the holiday and business travel market like no other recent trend. We look forward to welcoming the European heads of Uber und Airbnb, who will be giving us first-hand information on their successful business models.

For the first time at the ITB Berlin Convention, we will be welcoming a member of the board of Lufthansa. On March 4, at the ITB Future Day, Simone Menne, CFO Deutsche Lufthansa, will be outlining her vision of international air travel in the future. Afterwards, in an executive interview with Philip C. Wolf, the founder of PhoCusWright, Darren Huston, president and CEO of Priceline Group, Booking.com, will be revealing the secret of his success and how he envisages the future of travel marketing. Stefan Pichler, the new CEO of Air Berlin, will also be speaking at the convention.

The ITB Future Day will be debating the future of international air travel and the online travel market. At the numerous ITB Hospitality Day sessions experts will be highlighting the security problems that hotel managers must look out for and will be looking at the lifestyle experience that budget and luxury hotels offer.

At the ITB CSR Day topics will include international mountain tourism and developments on the German sustainable tourism market.

At the ITB Destination Days Mongolia, this year’s partner country of ITB Berlin, will be among the countries demonstrating the potential of market niche tourism.

What are your expectations from this year’s event in terms of business generated?

Last year’s ITB Berlin reported an increase in business volume, which Messe Berlin estimates reached 6.5 billion euros. We are optimistic that we will achieve the same figures this year again.

What inbound and outbound travel trends do you notice in Germany?

Germany has a high reputation for its hospitality and for being a country where people feel safe travelling.

Surveys show that tourists associate Germany with a wide range of cultural activities. We can confirm this. In 2015 at ITB Berlin German exhibitors will feature a wide-ranging programme of displays. Fascinating cultural attractions worth visiting will also be on show at the Culture Lounge. Germany is the number one country in Europe for conferences and among Europeans it is also number one among the top ten business travel destinations.

As regards Germany’s outbound travel market, up to August 2014 there was an increase in both the number of trips and overnights as well as in sales.

Growth in holiday trips and business travel is on the same level. City breaks are very popular among Germans and the increases here are highest.

Beach holidays are the second-most popular type of vacation. There is no reason to imagine that this growth trend in Germany will change and no indication that people intend to limit their holiday spending at home.

In 2014, domestic consumer spending was responsible for Germany’s highest growth rate in recent years, and a further noticeable increase is expected in 2015. Those who would rather save are in decline, while those who are ready to spend are on the rise.

Staff report