Exhibitors from 150 countries attend ITB Berlin 2023
Travel Biz News —
More than 5,500 exhibitors from 150 countries are participating at ITB Berlin 2023 inaugurated today ( 7 March ) amidst a grand ceremony in Berlin.
Taking as its slogan ’Mastering Transformation’, the ITB Berlin Convention opened parallel with the show will host lectures and discussions featuring 400 speakers at 200 sessions, with topics on challenges such as sustainability and digitalisation.
Celebrity figures from the world of politics attended the opening of ITB Berlin 2023, with Governing Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck and Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili welcoming the many guests from all over the world to the World’s Largest Travel Trade Show at the City Cube and setting the stage for events to come.
Along with industry representatives, among them WTTC President Julia Simpson and UNWTO General-Secretary Zurab Pololikashvili, they see the industry making a comeback after the crisis caused by the pandemic.
After the years of the pandemic it was important to savour these moments of meeting in person, said Dirk Hoffmann, CFO and interim CEO of Messe Berlin, at the festive opening of the show.
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey emphasised how important tourism was for the economy as well as the international flair of the German capital , according to a statement released by Messe Berlin.
In 2022, the city had welcomed 10.4 million visitors, more than twice as many as the year before. ITB Berlin was an important showcase for the city which itself was represented as a tourism destination at the event.
Julia Simpson, president and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) stressed how hard the pandemic had hit global tourism. 62 million people worldwide had lost their jobs. She was delighted the tourism industry was back and that demand was actually exceeding that of 2019.
UNWTO General-Secretary Zurab Pololikashvili sees the resurgence of tourism as a sign of trust. It was the industry’s task now to become more resilient to global crises and grow even more.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck welcomed the industry’s efforts to improve sustainability. Tourism created cultural bridges, enabled peaceful encounters and an intellectual exchange of views. However, having the freedom to explore the world was no justification for destroying the Earth. For that reason it was urgently necessary to reduce carbon emissions.
In his speech Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili offered both nature lovers and culturally interested visitors the opportunity for a fascinating holiday experience in Georgia.
Georgian artists gave an impressive taste of what this year’s host country has to offer with a programme of show events.
7 March 2023
Photo : Inauguration of ITB 2023 ( Messe Berlin )
