ITB Berlin 2019: Right at the heart of the industry with the latest key topics

At the ITB Berlin Convention close to 400 leading speakers will discuss how the international tourism industry should respond to overtourism crises, the shift in customer demands, the threat of climate change, and new forms of transportation. This year’s Official Partner Country is Malaysia. Another international event will shortly join the global family brand of ITB: ITB India, which will be launching in 2020.

”Once again ITB Berlin shows that traditional trade show formats can be more successful than ever in the digital age. We are quick to recognise industry trends while also developing existing formats further. The new Technology, Tours & Activities segment at ITB Berlin 2019 is perfect proof of that. At the same time our trade shows have evolved into global brands. ITB India will further strengthen ITB’s standing as the international marketplace for the travel industry“, said Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin.

For the first time the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show is devoting an international platform to the fast-growing Technology, Tours & Activities (TTA) segment. Both major players and small start-ups will be able to present their innovative products at the first event of its kind in the new exhibition and meeting area in the Adventure Travel Hall (4.1). Workshops and convention sessions at the CityCube Berlin and the eTravel World in Halls 7.1b and 6.1 will provide first-hand knowledge over the three days reserved for trade visitors. The Virtual Reality Lab is also new in Hall 10.2. From Wednesday, 6 March to Friday, 8 March there will be exhibitions on VR and AR applications and projects as well as papers by speakers from major companies on the same subject. In 2019 the Travel Technology segment at ITB Berlin will be larger than ever before. In order to satisfy the space requirements of this fast-growing segment the eTravel World has grown by 20 per cent and for the first time will take place in three adjacent halls (6.1, 7.1b and 7.1c.).

Debut for ITB India 2020 in Mumbai​
From 15 to 17 April 2020 ITB India will be celebrating its debut in Mumbai. The three-day trade show at the Bombay Exhibition Centre is to be held annually and aims to bring together leading representatives of the travel industry with buyers from cities throughout India and international exhibitors from the MICE, leisure and corporate markets. The show will also feature a Hosted Buyers’ programme which targets buyers from major cities of varying size. Additional information on ITB India 2020 can be found online at www.itb-india.com or by emailing 
itbindia@messe-berlin.asia.

Some 10,000 exhibiting companies from 181 countries and regions are presenting the latest products and trends of the global tourism industry at the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show in Berlin. Over 80 per cent of exhibitors are from abroad. At last year’s ITB Berlin 83 per cent rated their business results as positive. Once again, the organisers are expecting more than 100,000 international trade visitors and public attendance to be in the tens of thousands on the weekend. Inside the 26 display halls, which are booked up, they can gain an overview of the wide range of products and services on offer from the tourism industry.

This year a remarkable number of leading tour operators and travel agencies are exhibiting for the first time. They include Alltours, the travel website Urlaubsguru, the Swiss luxury cruise operator Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, the Antarctic tour specialist Albatros Exhibition, the online portal Kurzurlaub.de, and the software developer Durak und Reinhardt GmbH. Now on two stands, Booking.com is occupying a much larger area. As an exhibitor in the hotel segment, the leading Asian luxury hotel group Shangri-La has announced its participation with three hotels after an absence of several years. Loop@ITB, a hotspot for buyers and hoteliers in the luxury segment, has firmly established itself in Hall 9.

Travel Technology grows by 20 per cent
In order to satisfy the space requirements of this fast-growing segment the eTravel World has been enlarged by 20 per cent. This was made possible by the ITB Berlin Convention relocating to another venue. In addition to the Travel Technology halls (5.1, 8.1 and 10.1), the eTravel World can be found in three adjacent halls (6.1, 7.b and 7.1c). The increasing presence of payment system providers also underlines the growing importance of travel technology. In addition to the major players Wirecard and Concardis, big-name market leaders including Paypal, Six Payment Services and ECOMMPAY are also taking part. Thematically, the new Technology, Tours & Activities (TTA) segment spans a bridge between travel technology and adventure travel. A special 500 square-metre exhibition and meeting area is being set up in Hall 4.1b where major players and smaller startups can present their innovative products from the world of in-destination services, including Bookingkit, Klook, Regiondo, Fareharbor, ATTA, Evaneos and Giant Monkey.

ITB Berlin Convention 2019 – About the future of travel​
The growing number of overtourism conflicts of recent years has given rise to various pilot projects. On Friday, 8 March, day two of the ITB Destination Days, at the City Cube in Room A4/A5, the keynote speaker and interview guest Adam Goldstein, vice chairman, Royal Caribbean Cruises LTD and future chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in 2019 will answer questions about the challenges the global cruise industry is facing with regard to overtourism and environmental protection. Furthermore, the new Deep Dive session format of the ITB Berlin Convention will provide visitors with an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions on overtourism with experts.

The latest findings of the market survey conducted by ITB Berlin in collaboration with Travelzoo will be eagerly awaited. The international portal for exclusive travel deals was commissioned by ITB Berlin to examine European, North American and Asian travellers’ views on overtourism and environmental protection. Travelzoo discovered that 69 per cent of international tourists regard environmental protection as a very important topic. Germans (74 per cent), Spanish (73 per cent) and in particular Chinese (88 per cent) rate themselves very highly as regards environmental awareness. 54 per cent of those polled said that they had been irritated by or been unhappy about the large number of tourists at their destinations in the past, particularly Chinese (84 per cent), French (61 per cent) and Germans (60 per cent). More than half of the international interviewees (55 per cent) said they would choose a different holiday destination if there were less tourists. Among Chinese respondents the figure was as high as 72 per cent. A large proportion of tourists said they would be prepared to spend more in order to encounter fewer tourists. 76 per cent of German holidaymakers would be willing to spend an additional 100 to 300 euros, and 20 per cent would even pay 500 euros more for a one-week holiday trip. Sharry Sun, Global head of Brand, Travelzoo, will present the exclusive report on 6 March 2019 at 1 pm at the City Cube Club (Deep Dive Session1).

Transportation systems are an essential part of the tourism industry. But can today's systems meet the challenges of the future? Together with the creators of innovative transportation systems and tourism ministers the ITB Berlin Convention will discuss the ‘Future of mobility’. On Wednesday, 6 March 2019, day one of the ITB Destination Days, at 4 pm at the CityCube in Room A1, Wolfram Auer, deputy director, International Business Development, Doppelmayr Seilbahnen GmbH, Stephan Pfeiffer, head of Strategic Partnerships & Public Affairs, ioki (Deutsche Bahn), and Christoph Weigler, director general, Uber Germany, will discuss the major changes taking place in transportation with a view to concepts such as driverless vehicles, ride-sharing business models, mobility platforms, electric powertrains, minibuses, bikes for hire, cablecars and other modes of transport.

Medical Tourism is booming worldwide​
The high demand by international exhibitors at ITB Berlin reflects the global trend of medical tourism. The World's Leading Travel Trade Show provides this mega market (of the future) its own platform for the third time at the Medical Tourism Pavilion in Hall 21b. In addition to a wide-ranging programme of presentations and lectures, the Medical Media Lunch will take place for the second time at the Medical Tourism Pavilion on Wednesday, 6 March from 12.30 to 2 pm. Afterwards the Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA) will present the world's ten best clinics catering for medical tourists. On the weekend for the general public, European Medical Spas (ESPA), also a regular exhibitor will be holding a number of lectures on natural remedies from Lower Saxony and thermal medical treatment methods from France and Bulgaria. For the first time, the European Medical Buyer’s Initiative (EBI) will be represented at ITB Berlin. The event exclusively targets buyers and agencies who find clinics around the world for their patients.

MICE and Business Travel expand​
This year, MICE and Business Travel are moving closer together. On Wednesday, 6 and Thursday, 7 March 2019, both segments will be sharing the same space for half a day respectively in Hall 7.1a. The main topic at the ITB MICE Forum is the 'Human factor'. The focus of the ITB Business Travel Forum is on smart mobility concepts of the future. Visitors to the ITB MICE Hub in Hall 7.1a can also take a seat in a flight simulator.