ITB Berlin 2014 kicks off in Berlin
Berlin: A total of 10,147 international exhibitors from 189 countries are participating at the 48th edition of the world’s largest travel trade show this year’s ITB Berlin, higher than ever before.
More than two-thirds of the exhibitors showcasing their products and services in the 26 halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds are from abroad.
Overall, 110,000 trade visitors are expected to attend. ITB Berlin will be offering visitors a representative overview of travel products and services from around the world and of growth-intensive niche markets from 5 to 9 March 2014.
Members of the public will have an opportunity to purchase travel products directly from exhibitors this year. The focus will be on Mexico, this year’s partner country, which will have information on its wide range of products and services in Hall 1.1.
As the partner country of ITB Berlin Mexico will be hosting the opening ceremony on the eve of the show in the International Congress Center (ICC Berlin).
“ITB Berlin mirrors the entire value-added chain of the international tourism industry and boasts the world’s largest attendance of international exhibitors from all parts of the globe. ITB Berlin is also a leading knowledge platform. Exhibitors and trade visitors can find out about all the latest trends and innovations, information on exploiting new markets and listen to thought-provoking views on current topics,“ CEO, Messe Berlin GmbH Dr. Christian Göke said .
‘Furthermore Travel Technology and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Travel (LGBT) are clearly among the growth segments at ITB Berlin.’
ITB Summit and ITB Innovators
ITB Berlin 2014 will be celebrating the debut of two events. Among the speakers at the ITB Summit will be Lee McCabe, head of Travel, Facebook, who will be talking about how omni-channel marketing combines new and established marketing methods. ITB Innovators is a new web platform which provides a compact overview of 100 travel and marketing innovations.
Nils Müller, CEO of TrendONE, will cast his eye into the future and give his prediction on how people will travel in 2025.
ITB Buyers Circle for senior travel industry buyers
ITB Berlin will be providing senior buyers from the international tourism industry with access to an exclusive business circle which offers them numerous benefits. Around 700 hand-picked senior buyers from the international tourism industry from Europe, Canada, the USA, South America, Australia, Asia and Africa will be joining the exclusive Buyers Circle at ITB Berlin 2014. The overall purchasing power of the Buyers Circle is equivalent to 1.8 billion euros.
International Speed Dating event for bloggers
ITB Berlin will be staging 40 events organised by bloggers for bloggers. Taking place this year for the second time, the ITB Bloggers Speed Dating event provides a platform for hotels and destinations that enables them to meet travel bloggers from around the world.
ITB Berlin expects around 300 participants from 15 countries to attend, almost a third more than at last year’s event.
More Travel Technology
With its Travel Technology segment ITB Berlin has taken on a pioneering role. Around 170 exhibitors will be showcasing the world’s widest range of travel technology products. 30 companies will be making their first appearance at the world’s leading travel trade show. They include IATI, Nor1 Inc, Accelya, Gate7 Reservation Systems, Abreu Online, Roomize and Vioma.
The tours will focus on software for the hotel industry, travel agencies, destinations and tour operators. A Mobile Technology tour will also be on offer.
Popular trend: Gay & Lesbian Travel
Besides Travel Technology, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Travel (LGBT) segment also has enormous growth potential. For many years ITB Berlin has been helping to develop this booming area of the market. Besides numerous LGBT-themed events there will be a Networking Brunch for journalists, a seminar on ’Gay Pride Events“, numerous receptions and the popular TomOnTour Party.
The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) will be hosting the largest display. Co-exhibitors will include Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Key West, World Rainbow Hotels (UK), organisers from Tel Aviv, India, as well as Toronto World Pride, Japan and China, a newcomer to the event.
Youth Travel, Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism
Responsible Tourism, Adventure Travel and Youth Travel & Economy Accommodation are also expanding at ITB Berlin. More than 130 exhibitors from 35 countries will be represented and 70 exhibitors will be represented in the segment Adventure Travel & Responsible Tourism.
India, Asia and the Arab countries are booming travel markets and will be represented at the world’s leading travel trade show in unprecedented numbers. Exhibitors from the Arab countries and Africa will be attending the show in similar numbers to 2013.
Leading think tank of the global travel industry
The ITB Berlin Convention is Europe’s largest and most important event in its field. 20,000 international participants will be attending 200 events featuring 400 leading speakers. Loveleen Tandan, co-director of the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, will deliver a keynote speech on ’Slums, war zones and extreme regions: development potential and tourism destinations’.
Christine Duffy, president & CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), will be showing how destinations can benefit from the booming cruise market. Bernhard Bohnenberger, president of Six Senses Hotels Resorts & Spas, will be talking about luxury travel and sustainable tourism in the hotel industry. The award-winning travel writer Doug Lansky will be talking about ’How to fix overcrowded destinations and attractions with new intelligent visitor management technologies’.
The members of the Airline CEO Panel, among them Alex Cruz, CEO of Vueling, will discuss how low-cost carriers have changed the leisure industry. Jean-Claude Biver, president of the administrative board of Hublot, will be offering fascinating insights into an entirely different sector, taking a look at established luxury markets and showing how the travel industry can learn from them.
The ITB Berlin Convention will have information on the key topic of luxury travel at the Africa Forum, which will discuss ’The prospects for luxury tourism in Africa’. At the ITB Hospitality Day the CEO Panel will also devote time to this subject and the ITB Asia Panel will be discussing ’Exclusively Luxury Travel – The Asia Definition’. ITB Berlin Convention will focus will on Asia as a source market of the future , ITB Berlin reported.
March 4, 2014
