Press Release

The trade show opens in challenging times: the world has already experienced two years of the coronavirus pandemic – now the terrible war in Ukraine is overshadowing global events. Since its launch in 1966, ITB Berlin has provided an important platform for international travel industry, and together with tourism it stands for international understanding among cultures and for peace. With the opening of the virtual ITB Berlin Convention, which will take place online from Tuesday, 8 March to Thursday, 10 March, the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show is launching a new event concept. Over the next three days, high-ranking experts will examine the most pressing topics of the global tourism industry from every perspective. The focus is on the pandemic and its impact as well as the challenges of geopolitical conflicts and crises. The convention will be live-streamed from the Messe Berlin studio at itb.com. Attendance is free. To register please visit itb.com/ticketshop.

The opening press conference moderated by Katie Gallus will kick off events on 8 March at 9 a.m. Joining her will be Martin Ecknig, CEO of Messe Berlin, H.E. Prof. Dr. Levan Izoria, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Georgia to Germany, who represents this year’s Convention & Culture Partner Georgia, Peter Kautz, MD of Statista Q, and Norbert Fiebig in his role as president of the German Travel Association (DRV). Over the three days of the convention the focus on Tuesday is on the pressing topics of resilience and the future, on Wednesday the topic is digitalisation, and on Thursday sustainability. In a total of 102 panels, lectures, presentations, exhibitors’ press conferences and discussions, 223 leading experts and companies will assess the global challenges facing the travel industry. On 8 March at 11 a.m., Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Dr. Robert Habeck will hold this year’s ITB Minister's Keynote speech.

“About two years after the pandemic began it seems it may finally be coming to an end“, said Martin Ecknig, CEO of Messe Berlin. “However, the world is making an almost seamless transition to another global conflict, whose consequences we can only vaguely imagine at the moment. What is clear however, is that we live in a world of constant change. As a firmly established member of the tourism industry and against the backdrop of all the challenges and uncertainty, with ITB Berlin we are least able to offer the industry some orientation and a corresponding space for dialogue.”

Tour operators, destinations and suppliers can make use of a further streaming channel to present more fascinating content at press conferences and product presentations. Events will range from destination presentations, specialist discussions to award presentations. More programme details can be found in the exhibitor presentation and press conference section at itb.com/convention.

Georgia’s wide-ranging cultural heritage and natural attractions

In 2022 Georgia is the Convention & Culture Partner at ITB Berlin, and next year it will introduce itself to a wider audience as the official Host Country of the Leading Travel Trade Show. This is another phase in the three-year partnership with ITB Berlin. Thus, together with David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin, Mariam Kvrivishvili, MP, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Georgia, will open the ITB Berlin Convention. Last year, Georgia already fascinated visitors as the Adventure & Sustainability Partner of ITB Berlin. The republic has a population of 3.7 million and is popular with visitors due to a wealth of cultural attractions, the variety of architectural styles in the capital Tbilisi, mountain ranges, hillside monasteries, beaches on the Black Sea and the ancient winegrowing region of Kakheti.

Networking and business at the Digital Business Day on 17 March

ITB Berlin 2022 will by no means be over after the three-day convention, which will be followed by the Digital Business Day on 17 March. As a networking platform, this offers one-on-one networking opportunities, audio-video meetings, information on global travel trends and forecasts, as well as on-demand corporate news and automated speed-dating. The virtual format is a catalyst for business networks and focuses on business and networking. It also offers companies numerous opportunities for sponsoring the virtual format. The event will be augmented by the IPK World Monitor with global travel trends and forecasts for 2022 as well as company presentations, which are available via the on-demand programme. Tickets to the Digital Business Day are available at itb.com/ticketshop.

IPK International: Global Outbound Travel 2021 & Roadmap for 2022

At the Digital Business Day on 17 March, taking the findings of the latest World Travel Monitor® survey of more than 60 countries around the world, Rolf Freitag, CEO of IPK International, will report on the year in travel in 2021. How did international travel fare globally in year two of the pandemic? Which travel and holiday markets are already witnessing a recovery? In addition, Rolf Freitag will also talk about people’s current desire to travel. What are the chances of the tide turning in 2022? Which destinations will be particularly in demand over the coming months? And what types of holiday will be most popular this year? The World Travel Monitor® is the world’s most comprehensive survey on outbound travel trends in Europe, Asia, North, South and Central America. With its surveys, it covers more than 90 per cent of the global demand for international travel.

ITB – 365 days a year

In addition to its virtual formats, in 2022 ITB Berlin is bringing the industry together with a series of B2B networking events in European markets. These will provide numerous networking opportunities, fixed dates in the form of a Speed Networking event, as well as workshops presenting and discussing the latest travel industry topics.

Information for the media and bloggers:

ITB Berlin Convention: attendance is free, but you must register online in advance – itb.com/de/besuchen/tickets/.

Digital Business Day: press accreditation is required – itb.com/de/presse/akkreditierung/. Upon approval of your accreditation you will receive a personalised link for the Digital Business Day. As of Tuesday, 15 March 2022 this link will be active and provide access for onboarding and participation in the Digital Business Day.

About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention

Since 1966, ITB Berlin has been the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show. The ITB Berlin Convention, the largest event of its kind, will be held in the period originally scheduled as an entirely virtual event on the new brand website itb.com. The World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) is official “overall sponsor” of the ITB Berlin Convention. Mascontour is sponsor of the Future & Resilience Track at the ITB Berlin Convention. On 17 March the Digital Business Day will give the industry an opportunity to exchange views and do business in a virtual setting from anywhere in the world. As a virtual industry marketplace, it is a further addition to the ITB brand family. A series of B2B networking events which ITB Berlin is planning at European host destinations this year will round off the concept. 3,513 exhibitors from 120 countries were represented at the virtual edition of ITB Berlin NOW 2021 for the duration of the event. Some 65,700 users visited the new online platform, around two-thirds of whom were from abroad. In 2019 around 10,000 exhibitors from 181 countries displayed their products and services to 160,000 visitors, including 113,500 trade visitors. Additional information is available at www.itb.comand from the ITB Social Media Newsroom

About Messe Berlin

Berlin has been a trade fair location for 200 years, and one of the most important in the world for many decades. As the state-owned trade fair company, Messe Berlin makes a major contribution to the city’s position. It designs, markets and organizes hundreds of live events every year. Its broad portfolio includes the global brands and leading trade fairs IFA, InnoTrans, ITB, FRUIT LOGISTICA and the International Green Week, as well as major conferences and outstanding events, such as the Fan Mile at the Brandenburg Gate. With around 90 offices abroad, Messe Berlin markets its events in over 170 countries. Every year around 25,000 media representatives from all over the world are accredited to the events at the company's headquarters under the Radio Tower in Berlin alone. Messe Berlin strives to be an outstanding host to visitors at all of its events, to provide the best possible business impetus and to ensure fair conditions for everyone. This self-image is reflected in the company motto: Messe Berlin - Hosting the World. www.messe-berlin.de

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