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VISITING GERMANY: BERLIN - ITB BERLIN - The World’s Leading Travel Trade Show- Head of UNWTO: The freedom to travel “concerns us all” - Opening ceremonies of ITB Berlin: Signalising peace, freedom and democracy ©ITB Berlin
VISITING GERMANY: BERLIN – ITB BERLIN – The World’s Leading Travel Trade Show- Head of UNWTO: The freedom to travel “concerns us all” – Opening ceremonies of ITB Berlin: Signalising peace, freedom and democracy
Opening ceremonies of ITB Berlin: Signalising peace, freedom and democracy.
“What could follow La Bamba“, was how Dr. Michael Frenzel, President of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry BTW, began his welcoming address, “…it would have to be Tequila“. He was quite unequivocal in his appeal to the industry: “We must undertake to make ourselves and our products sustainable.“ Given the expansion of the tourism industry this is “a fundamental challenge, and not just a temporary one, for the benefit of our grandchildren and their children.“
This is something that must be addressed by politics, which plays a more ancillary role in the networking that takes place at ITB Berlin, and Dr. Frenzel also emphasised that “the right background conditions must be in place, around the world.“ It is his firm belief that “people regard travel as part of the freedom that drives our growth.“
The UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai holds a similar view: “We have a common responsibility to create a better future for everyone.“ The world has changed and “tourism today is a national task“, insisted Rifai. He expressed his admiration for the ITB Berlin’s partner country Mexico as a remarkable example of success.
Referring to the growth forecasts by the UNWTO, Rifai called for four additional challenges to be turned into opportunities. When the number of people travelling reaches 1.8 billion by 2030 an easing of visa requirements, the liberalisation of air travel in harmony with tourism, leading to growth on both sides, and a fiscal policy that does not distort competition would be the right steps to take. And his vision regarding the fourth opportunity is: a creative adaptation of public-private partnerships as models for cooperation. Rifai: “We may be familiar with this term but are far removed from a genuine combination of the private with the public sector in the development of tourism.“ Tourism will become “a multi-layered experience which needs the input of all those involved in order to create value“. In this respect one could think of partnerships between catering and society, technology, art and culture.
In his address Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economics and Energy, responded to criticisms from tourism professionals: “We intend to dispel the impression that politics undervalues the tourism industry“. In Gabriel’s words: “It is an impressive economic force which contains within it a massive potential for growth and employment.“ He wants to see travel accepted as social participation, with sustainable tourism available to all. As a minister he feels comfortable among travel trade professionals, and “as someone involved with energy policy this offers a refuge“, and he also believes it is important “that tourism should not produce any damaging effects”. Klaus Wowereit, Berlin’s Governing Mayor and a party colleague, expressed his concern about the plight of people in Ukraine: “Not so far away from here people are in fear of their lives“, said Wowereit, adding “those of us here at ITB Berlin can only wish them peace, freedom and democracy.“
Schwartz editorial department
National Geographic Traveler and ITB Berlin honour sustainable projects with the World Legacy Awards
Next year ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel show, and National Geographic Traveler, the globally recognised travel magazine, will be honouring support for sustainable tourism with a series of new awards. This was announced by Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH, at the opening press conference of ITB Berlin 2014. The awards will honour leading travel and tourism companies, organisations and destinations which drive the global transition of the travel industry forward by supporting sustainable principles and practices in tourism.
The awards will debut at ITB Berlin 2015 and will be presented in five categories. The Eco Innovation Award recognises outstanding innovation in business practices and green technology. The Cultural Heritage Award honours efforts to protect historical buildings, support cultural events, the heritage of indigenous peoples and the legacy of the arts. The Biodiversity Conservation Award recognises outstanding achievements in conserving nature and protecting rare and endangered species.
The Community Engagement Award honours achievements in business and society which improve the livelihoods of people in local regions. The Sustainable Destination Award recognises outstanding achievements in destination management.
Entries for the World Legacy Awards are invited as of 1 June 2014.
Kontakt:
www.nationalgeographic.com/worldlegacyawards
Heather Wyatt
National Geographic
Head of UNWTO: The freedom to travel “concerns us all”
The subjects of travel mobility and visa restrictions should not be left in the hands of the authorities responsible for security in individual countries. Open borders and the freedom to travel “concern us all”, according to Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, speaking to tourism ministers and other responsible officials from more than 20 countries at ITB Berlin. “The absence of visa restrictions allows tourism to expand and also plays and important part in creating jobs.” According to the UNWTO the easing of visa requirements over the next few years could create employment for some 5.1 million people around the world. In his speech at ITB Berlin Rifai asked for the support of all those with responsibility for tourism in addressing this difficult subject.
He was pleased to announce that some progress had been made, referring to his organisation’s latest visa report. At the start of 2008 travel destinations were still demanding that an average of 77 per cent of the world’s population should apply for a standard visa. By 2013 this figure had dropped to 64 per cent. Examples of the progress that has been made include visa on arrival, i.e. on arrival at an airport, and ”eVisa”, obtainable through the internet.
Among other positive developments: China now allows tourists a maximum 72-hour visa-free transit for the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Subject to certain conditions Russia grants an exemption from visa requirements for cruise passengers calling at St. Petersburg. The report also states that Turkey and Azerbaijan have recently introduced very successful visa programmes.
In general immigration restrictions apply to the citizens of developing countries to a far greater extent than they do to those from the industrialised nations. The USA, much of Europe and China are among the regions imposing the most restrictions.
During ITB Berlin a relaxation of visa requirements was announced by India, and it is hoped that these will take effect by the end of this year. Until now visitors, including tourists from Germany, have had to fill in a multi-page form that also includes questions about family relationships.
It may or may not be a coincidence, but South East Asia is among the regions experiencing a particular boom in tourism and foreign exchange earnings. And according to the UNWTO these countries are included among those imposing the fewest restrictions on incoming visitors. In recent years Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, for example, have also opened addition land border crossings to facilitate travel by residents and foreigners.
Bernd Kubisch
www.UNWTO.org, www.UNWTO.org/SilkRoad
New information portal and a ’Moscow Pass’ welcome German visitors to Moscow
In 2013 a German-language internet portal was set up to welcome German visitors to Moscow. At de.travel2moscow.com visitors can obtain a quick overview of attractions, including opening times and contact details. The site features guides which visitors can download, making the new portal an ideal place to begin discovering Moscow. Another new feature is the ’Moscow Pass’, which grants access to 12 museums and lets holders go on city tours and a river boat trip with the Flotilla Radisson Roya“, a 50-metre ice breaker yacht. Three of the 14 featured offers are free of charge and visitors can also obtain discounts at restaurants participating in the scheme.
According to Kristina Ochkina of the Moscow Tourism Committee, hotel accommodation in Moscow has improved greatly in recent years. “In addition to 204 four and five-star hotels there are now many budget forms of accommodation such as container hotels starting at 7 euros per night, around 125 hostels and even holiday apartments.“ Other options include being able to explore Moscow by bicycle, an offer one initially finds surprising, given the city’s dense traffic. “10,000 parking places, 79 rental stations and in particular an 82-kilometre network of cycle paths open up new possibilities for discovering Moscow“, said Ochkina at ITB Berlin.
In 2013, 5.6 million foreign guests visited the Russian capital, 8.5 per cent more than in 2012. At 331,200, visitor numbers from Germany remained stable.
Robert Kluge
de.travel2moscow.com
ITB Berlin Convention / Destination Day – “Slumdog Millionaire” – Dark Tourism: The aha moment usually occurs at the place itself
Loveleen Tandan was totally unprepared for the response to her film ”Slumdog Millionaire“. She spent six months casting in the slums of Mumbai, searching for people to play the parts of those living in the milieu as she wanted to depict it. The film presented a new world to a worldwide audience. One result of its success was that it won eight Oscars and four Golden Globes. But that was just one aspect. The other was that the movie built bridges. Cinema-goers had the privilege of being immersed in this world. “An emotional link was established, totally spontaneously“, is how Loveleen Tandan, the co-director of “Slumdog Millionaire“, explains the magic of what is “a new travel destination for tourists, one that they want to see with their own eyes.“
The slum dwellers themselves have experienced some changes since 2009. Tourists are arriving every day. The area has now adopted its name from the film. It is also an omen, because the slum dwellers are benefiting from so-called “dark tourism“, whose participants come to see crises and negative aspects of life. “One could say that the slums are being exploited, and that other people are making money from bringing people there“, says Loveleen Tandan, referring to one of the arguments being raised in current discussions about the ethical aspect. However, slum tourism also offers opportunities. Slumdog Millionaire is a microcosm comprising 10,000 undertakings being run by hard-working people: shops, workshops, cinemas, factories, every conceivable kind of work in the form of micro-businesses.
The tourists buy souvenirs such as leather goods and other products, and create added value. Loveleen Tandan frequently returns there too, and each time she feels inspired by the smiles, the positive expressions on people’s faces, and their dignity. “I have always sensed hope“, she explains during the ITB Destination Day, part of the ITB Berlin Convention 2014. ”There is abundant life and energy there.“ Visitors are also aware of this hope. “When the attention of so many people is focused on the place, decision-makers and the government must also take action, working together with the population“, she says, and quotes a journalist from the Herald Tribune, who said that ”a lack of empathy is one of the main reasons why poverty exists.“
Loveleen Tandan’s experience is that ”the aha moment is usually something that occurs at the place itself, seeing it with one’s own eyes.“ Her conclusion is that ”the film is the world’s most dramatic travel agency.“
Schwartz editorial department
Source: ITB Berlin
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