Friday, March 8, 2024
As the world’s top travel fair, ITB Berlin is entering its final hours, drawing attendees from around the globe. With over 5,500 exhibitors representing 170 nations and territories, international trade professionals are seizing the remaining time to forge valuable connections. This bustling event provides a unique platform for industry players to explore new partnerships and showcase their offerings on an international stage.
For journalists and bloggers covering the event, a wealth of news and updates on ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention awaits. These comprehensive resources are designed to enhance their reporting and provide insights into the latest trends and developments in the travel and tourism sector.
Albania to Host ITB 2025
Albania has been selected as the official Host Country for ITB Berlin 2025. The announcement was made during the signing of a partnership agreement between Albania’s Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, and Dr. Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin, at the Albanian stand in Hall 1.1. Following the agreement, Minister Kumbaro introduced Dr. Tobias to various regions and local specialties of Albania.
Whenever Mirela Kumbaro talks about her home country Albania, she finds it hard not to enthuse about it. “Albania is a hidden gem in the Mediterranean with a good tourism infrastructure“, she commented during the signing ceremony. “People are in search of new destinations and experiences. Albania doesn’t fit any of the usual stereotypes, but instead is a small and sort of mystical country where travellers can gain new experiences.“
According to Mirela Kumbaro, there is more to visit than just the sea and mountains, which together with the rivers and forests cover three-quarters of the country. It is the “Albanian spirit“ and the hospitality of the locals that make Albania so attractive. That has always been firmly part of Albanian culture, and not something just invented for the modern tourism age. “In Albania the house belongs to the guest and God“, said Mirela Kumbaro, quoting a common saying in her country. In Albania, visitors could expect to be treated like royalty, she added.
In addition, Albania’s tourist attractions are conveniently close together. Traveling from the coast to the mountains, for example, takes just a few hours. The Vjosa River is now part of Europe’s recently designated Wild River National Park. In the north, the Albanian Alps offer numerous hiking trails and pristine mountain villages, providing accommodation options for visitors.
The latest statistics indicate a significant surge in tourism in Albania. Last year, 10.1 million international visitors traveled to Albania. According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in the first half of 2023, Albania experienced the third-highest growth in tourism worldwide and the highest in Europe. This year, one million tourists have already visited Albania from abroad, marking a 50% increase compared to the same period last year.
Preserving Oman’s Authenticity as a Destination
During a panel discussion at ITB Berlin 2024, all participants agreed that Oman embodies the essence of an authentic destination.
At the Destination Track event, Oman was highlighted as a prime example of authenticity in tourism. The panelists unanimously praised the country’s deliberate and gradual approach to tourism development, which has preserved its authentic and original charm. As the host country of ITB, Oman showcased its authentic character, emphasizing its unchanged traditions and rich culture.
“Authenticity also stands for a destination’s ability to give visitors a place where they can find peace and discover themselves“, said Haitham Al Ghassani, Director General of Tourism Promotion at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism.
Dr. Hashil Obaid Al Mahrouqi, CEO of the Oman Tourism Development Company (OMRAN Group), appealed for developing the “hardware“ in tourism without losing sight of “what we already have“. In his opinion, for those marketing tourism to focus on the authentic nature of his home country was the best way to offer visitors the experience of Oman’s hospitality, culture and history, while preserving those qualities at the same time.
“When we promote Oman we focus on three elements. First of all, it is a very safe and protected destination. Secondly, it is authentic. We are promoting Oman’s culture and heritage. And thirdly, we are promoting the many facets of Oman’s natural attractions“, Al Ghassani added. Focusing on sustainability, which helped protect this authenticity in all its diversity, was indispensable: “Tourism is made by the community and for the community. Only then does everyone benefit from it.“
Israel’s tourism minister promotes travel to and in Israel
Minister Katz encourages people to visit and tour Israel – The West’s travel warnings should be cancelled – 40 Israeli companies at ITB Berlin.
Israel’s Tourism Minister Haim Katz has appealed for travellers to visit Israel again. Travellers were safe in the country, he said in front of the press on Tuesday at ITB Berlin. He would be urging the German government to drop the travel warnings for Israel issued by the German Foreign Office.
As proof of the country’s safety, the minister said that the 150,000 residents of the area bordering the Gaza Strip, which had been evacuated after the terrorist attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023, had been accommodated in hotels for tourists. “That is not something we would have done if the hotels had not been safe.” In the meantime around 80 per cent of the residents had been able to return home.
Germany, Austria and Switzerland are among the leading countries for tourism to Israel. According to Ksenia Kobiakov, director of Israel’s government office for tourism, 402,000 visited in 2019. In 2022, after the pandemic, the figure was 207,500, and by 7 October 2023 it was 213,302. After that, tourism came to an abrupt halt. All in all, 13,000 tourists arrived in Israel daily before the pandemic. On 8 October 2023 they still numbered 23. In the meantime the numbers fluctuated at around 2,700 to 3,400, she said. “For the time being we are not counting on 13,000, but perhaps nine to ten thousand visitors“, was Kobiakov’s hope.
Two million visitors return to the United States, aiming for 2.5 million by 2028
Travel from Germany to the United States has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. US Ambassador to Germany, Amy Gutmann, announced at ITB Berlin that the two million visitor mark has been surpassed, reaching 85% of the 2019 figure.
Initial booking results for this year indicate a near 100% recovery by 2024, Gutmann added. The goal is to reach 2.59 million German tourists by 2028. Sustainability is a top priority in US tourism. For instance, stargazing has been introduced as a tourism activity in Springville, Utah, known for its unpolluted dark skies and dry air.
Gutmann, a Democratic supporter and political scientist, highlighted that the US government actively supports tourism promotion, viewing it as a driver of growth and development and a means to bridge political divides. Efforts by US cities, including those outside major coastal areas, were showcased at ITB Berlin. Philadelphia, for example, promotes itself as the “World Capital of Murals,” with over 4,000 artistic works replacing illegal graffiti. St. Louis emphasizes its Gateway Arch and its location on Route 66, along with the authentic American lifestyle showcased in its National Blues and National Automobile Museums.
ITB Innovation Radar: Driving Tech and Sustainability
The ITB Innovation Radar has gained significant traction in 2024, emerging as a focal point for industry visionaries at the show. This year’s selection showcases 16 innovative entries.
Introduced in 2023 as part of ITB Berlin’s return to an in-person event, the Innovation Radar serves as a platform for presenting innovations with the potential to create sustainable impacts on the future of the travel industry, fostering social, economic, or technical change. Leading up to the show, exhibitors were invited to submit their innovative solutions for review by the ITB Innovation Radar team at no cost.
The 2024 ITB Innovation Radar Catalog features 16 items, a notable increase from the 11 entries in 2023. These innovations span from B2B services for hospitality and travel professionals to initiatives promoting sustainable travel. All entries are submitted by ITB Berlin exhibitors, offering attendees the opportunity to meet the innovators in person from 5-7 March 2024.
The comeback trio
The recurrent interest in ITB Innovation Radar is the best testimonial to its impact as a valuable outreach platform. We are happy to greet the three innovators coming back this year with new exciting products and features.
GauVendi, the hotel sales system that decouples physical rooms from products offered to customers, presented Inventi-Flow, the new feature that uses AI to further improve hotel capacity allocation, taking into account further factors, such as housekeeping.
WorldLine, the multinational payment and transactional services provider, is working on AI-initiated Autonomous Payments, implementing conversational commerce with an AI personal shopper use-case. It allows the end user to engage in a conversation with an AI-based chatbot to discuss their preferences.
Sustainable travel – inspiring tourists, empowering communities
Sustainable travel concepts are the big highlight of ITB Innovation Radar 2024. The two entries on this topic address the hottest sustainability topics.
Mastercard reveals its Tico Treasures platform, connecting tourists and artisans, allowing them to sell their crafts online and ship them to any part of Costa Rica and the rest of the world, seamlessly, via the Correos Postal Service.
Smart solutions for hospitality – touching on every aspect of guest experience
This year’s big focus is the smart solutions that streamline various facets and processes of hospitality businesses.
yoummday tackles the staff shortage challenge, offering travel companies a proprietary technology platform for managing remote workforces, complemented by a diverse global talent pool of 15,000+ sales and customer care freelancers.
Hotel Socialby 80 DAYS, also focusing on staff, is a training initiative created exclusively for the hotel, travel, and hospitality industries. It offers a way to train multiple people simultaneously, and effectively address the business objectives of hoteliers and hospitality professionals worldwide.
Better services for travel providers – with AI and blockchain
Tour operators and agencies leverage cutting-edge technologies to create more cost-efficient and personalized travel proposals. These solutions bring it to the next level.
FastSearchby ISO Travel Solutions is a search technology designed to make the search and price calculation of travel offers more efficient and user-friendly. It offers travel providers new search options across large volumes of data and rapid response rates while optimizing the costs and scalability of the deployed IT.
Chain4Travel presents Camino Messenger, which uses the power of blockchain connectivity, providing a secure and transparent platform, where every company is digitally verified. Whether it’s regarding sharing availability, rates, or specific travel package details, the Camino Messenger protocol ensures that all necessary information is communicated rapidly in a clear, consistent, and reliable format.
Personalised travel experiences by means of AI
Schubert Lou, COO of Trip.com, spoke at the ITB Convention about the new priorities of Asian tourists and the opportunities that artificial intelligence offers to the travel industry.
Experiences instead of shopping: to an increasing extent when Asians travel their activities are more than just shopping expeditions. This was the conclusion drawn by Schubert Lou, COO of Trip.com, during his keynote speech on the eTravel Stage at the ITB Berlin Convention. He advised the tourism sector to adapt to the digital habits of travellers, from planning their trip to making bookings and their experiences at the destination. In this context he examined how AI-assisted technology can enable tourists from China to enjoy a personalised travel experience outside the borders of their own country, taking into account their special preferences and requirements.
Whereas the behaviour of Asian tourists was more restrained following the pandemic, it regained its momentum in 2024, the “Year of the Dragon”. This was confirmed by the figures that Schubert Lou presented. Compared with 2019, travel from China to Southeast Asia increased by 30 per cent, while reservations for tours and organised activities rose by as much as 130 per cent. The contributing factors included the easing of visa requirements, which is increasingly the case with Europe too.
Comparisons with a survey of travellers that was presented by Lou confirmed a change in the priorities of Asian visitors. Experiences are now more important than shopping, and these tend to take the form of day trips rather than organised group travel. Many people are showing an interest in regional musical and sporting events such as concerts or festivals and plan their journeys around such experiences.
Value for money is an important factor for travellers. Among the ways that this is achieved are to visit popular destinations during the off-peak season, or choosing less well-known destinations that offer a similar kind of experience. European tour operators often underestimate the extent to which most Asian travellers embrace digitalisation. This includes using apps to make payments, translation tools and applications enabling a suitable restaurant to be found. The prerequisite for this is the availability of uncomplicated wifi and sim card solutions at the vacation destination.
According to Lou, in order to attract Asian travellers to a destination it is important have an overview of the entire consumer journey, from inspiring images and videos to practical travel information and the booking process. Trip.com relies on its own trained AI technologies in order to be able to provide its users with a personalised travel experience. Not only information from the internet but above all from established travel agencies and tour operators is obtained order to ensure continuous improvements.
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