The programme of events at the forthcoming ITB Convention features a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from humanoid robots, migration and integration to career advice for the next generation of tourism professionals.
From March 9 to 12, 2016, at discussion rounds and lectures, speakers will be offering their candid views on examples of best practices and thought-provoking suggestions and ideas. Anyone who is interested can obtain an initial overview of the programme by visiting www.itb-convention.com/program/. For trade visitors at ITB Berlin admission to the international travel industry’s leading think tank is free.On March 9, events will kick off with the ITB Future Day, which examines the mega trends and key topics of the global travel industry, including digitisation and sustainable tourism. Taking place for the second time, the World Legacy Awards will be presented by National Geographic and ITB Berlin. Costas Christ, chairman of the National Geographic World Legacy Awards and editor of National Geographic Traveler, will host the prize-giving ceremony which will be honouring winners in five categories. On March 10, the ITB Hospitality Day will be held with hospitalityinside.com as the exclusive media partner. On March 11, visitors to the ITB Marketing and Distribution Day will be able to witness a live demonstration of robots in action.The luxury travel market is currently undergoing a paradigm shift. Tourists are now in favour of authenticity, self-discovery and unforgettable experiences rather than excessive luxury and opulence. The same day a discussion round will be examining this trend. Following a motivational speech by abbot emeritus Daniel Schönbächler of the Benedictine monastery of Disentis, a discussion will take place with Brett McDonald, managing director of Flame of Africa; Dr Ute Dallmeier, managing director of Windrose Finest Travel, and Thomas Illes, a cruise analyst, university lecturer and journalist. Marc Aeberhard, proprietor of Luxury Hotel & Spa Management, will moderate the event.The EU’s new package travel directive will also be the subject of intense debate. The directive raises many as yet unanswered questions for conventional travel agencies and online portals. At what point does tour operator liability affect travel agencies? When does a 'click-through booking' become package travel and what regulations will there be to protect against bankruptcy? Dr Ernst Führich, professor of travel law, formerly at Hochschule Kempten; Stephen Mason, senior partner in Travlaw, and publisher of Travel Law Quarterly; Dr Georg Koch; Dr Klaus Tonner, emeritus professor of European Law at the University of Rostock; and Klaus Siebert, partner in Siebert Rechtsanwälte, will be discussing the status quo and the impact of the new directive. Nadine Kasszian, editor of fvw, will moderate the event.In his paper on March 11 at the ITB Marketing and Distribution Day, Dr Martin Lohmann, managing director of New Insights for Tourism (NIT), Kiel, Forschungsgemeinschaft Urlaub und Reisen, Kiel, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, will be talking about happiness levels and the latest findings of this new branch of research, which the travel industry would do well to exploit. Besides relaxing, more and more tourists want to experience happiness and well-being on their trips. The latest travel analysis findings illustrate how tourism products and marketing communications can be optimised to achieve this.From March 9 to 11 at the ITB Destination Days, topics will include refugees, migration and tourism. The influx of refugees across Europe also poses major challenges for tourism destinations such as Turkey, Greece, Italy and Austria. On March 10, Dr Harald Pechlaner, president of AIEST and Tourism Faculty chair at Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt; Prof Dr Jürgen Schmude, president of DGT and chair of the Faculty of Economic Geography and Tourism Research at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, as well as Dr Dirk Glaesser, director of the UNWTO sustainable development programme, will be presenting their international findings and shedding light on an up-to-the-minute topic.Climate change also poses a challenge for tourism around the world. On March 11 at the ITB CSR Day, Dr Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), will be among those talking about the tourism regions most at risk and the results of research in this field. Aziz Abu Sarah, founder of Mejdi Tours, tour operator, and a multi award-winning, highly regarded keynote speaker, will explain how tourism can help to prevent violent conflicts.On March 9, the ITB Young Professionals Day will be offering advice for the next generation of tourism professionals. Jasmine Taylor, CEO of JT Touristic, will hold the ITB CEO speech. She will be highlighting career paths in tourism.