The International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin, which will be taking place from 11 to 15 March 2005 on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds and in the ICC Berlin, will once again fulfill its vital role as a stimulus for the international tourism industry.
As travel and tourism’s world fair in 2005 it will again provide clear indicators about the future of the industry and current directions.
Experts are forecasting that the ITB Berlin 2005 will give an added impetus to summer business and encourage planning for a successful year’s trading in 2005. “Once again it will be demonstrating the effectiveness of the formula that has made the ITB Berlin so successful, and which consists of bringing together worldwide supply and demand,” says project manager David Ruetz.
Compared with last year the number of applications to attend the ITB 2005 has remained unchanged, thereby confirming the role of Berlin and its trade fair as the most important platform anywhere in the world for the tourism industry. “Almost all the available space in the additional hall, 5.2, which has been earmarked for Asia, has already been taken.” The region will present its displays on an overall area of 16,000 sq m.
The ITB Berlin 2005 is expected to attract some 10,000 exhibitors from around 180 countries and territories, who will be displaying their tourism attractions on an area of 150,000 sq m (overall).
Adds David Ruetz: “The ITB Berlin provides an accurate reflection of a business that operates on a worldwide scale. Its value as the world’s leading market place for tourism is as high as ever.”
The International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin 2005 will again provide its trade visitors with a forum that meets the needs of specific target groups, for discussions about the ongoing development of the market. The emphasis is on leading sectors of the international tourism industry.
This year the ITB Berlin is taking a closer look at a particularly important area with an event entitled Business Travel@ITB Berlin. The Business Travel Days will take place from March 13 to 15.
Special travel packages will be available for the ITB Berlin for management staff in the industry. There is also a Business Travel Lounge at the fair to assist in making contacts and an accompanying programme of seminars to help expand professional knowledge.
Cultural Tourism was identified as the most popular section among trade visitors at last year’s ITB. And this is not surprising in view of the growing numbers of people for whom culture is the focal point of their holidays and short trips, and whose holiday decisions are based on the availability of cultural attractions. The ITB Berlin is the ideal showcase for an effective presentation of cultural highlights to the public too. For the first time this section is being presented in the immediate vicinity of the North American display.
The Forum Wellness is a response to the global trend for a greater awareness of well-being and health. When this section of the ITB made its debut last year its aim was to cast some light on the increasingly complex field of wellness.
The ITB Book World is now established as the leading forum for (online) travel guides, travel books and maps. This section provides visitors with a concentrated range from publishers of travel literature in an ideal tourism setting.
Cruises continue to make a significant contribution to the commercial success of the tourism sector. The section of the ITB devoted to Cruises is a compact business platform that presents the increasingly varied range offered by this expanding market.
ITB Travel Technology has now become a popular meeting place for the experts in subjects such as global distribution systems, tour operators’ data bases, reservation systems, technological solutions, travel agency software, ticket consolidators and calculation programmes.
The Trends & Events Hall 1.1 is a new addition. The ITB Berlin’s communication platform for young people brings some of the latest trends together under one roof for the first time: the Youth Travel Centre, Experience Adventure and ECOtourism. The three new exhibition sections in this hall are “Travel for All”, which includes the suppliers of travel for the disabled and “Gay Travel”. A special platform for trade visitors specialising in travel for young people visiting Germany is provided by YIG Youth Incoming Germany.
Apart from the division into various segments, the geographical layout of the ITB halls will also assist visitors to find their way on their “trip around the world”. This is just one of the ways in which the organiser of the ITB, Messe Berlin, meets the needs of exhibitors and trade visitors.