DRBerlin: Forward-looking transport systems, a shift in customer expectations and luxury travel, rise in conflicts caused by overtourism and the imminent threat of runaway climate change will be key topics at the ITB Berlin Convention 2019, which will be held parallel to ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show from March 6 to 9.
The Keynote Executive Panel at ITB Future Day on March 6 will debate the extent to which tours & activities services can help to solve the fundamental problems affecting the industry, such as overtourism. The Keynote Panel on ITB Destination Days will also focus on overtourism. At the session ‘Overtourism revisited: Best Demonstrated Practices instead of Business as Usual’, experts will discuss at what point it is best to limit access and prices, activate smart technology, provide information, select tourists and control visitor flows. On March 8, day two of ITB Destination Days, Adam Goldstein, vice chairman, Royal Caribbean Cruises and future chairman of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in 2019 will answer questions on the challenges the global cruise industry is facing with regard to overtourism and environmental protection.
The ITB CSR Day on March 8 will focus on climate change. Leading international climate change scientist Prof. Dr. Schellnhuber, formerly director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), will give the keynote speech. Afterwards, a panel will discuss one of the key questions facing the tourism industry: in view of the current 1.5 degree global warming target, can we still travel as before or is this the end of the industry’s growth?
Discussions will also center on the pressing issue of plastic waste. Eight million tonnes pollute the oceans every year, for which the tourism industry is in large part responsible. Leading experts from politics and the tourism industry will talk about how polluting the oceans with plastic waste can be avoided. Furthermore, Dr. Louise Twining-Ward, senior private sector specialist, Tourism Markets and Technology, World Bank, will present new ways in which the sharing economy can develop sustainable tourism.
On March 7, Friedrich Joussen, CEO TUI Group and Mark Okerstrom, CEO of Expedia, the travel industry giant whose brands include HomeAway, Egencia, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Travelocity, Orbitz and Trivago, will deliver insight into the strategies of global market leaders. At the ITB Deep Dive sessions, one of the key topics will be China, which is pioneering the future in more and more markets and technologies, particularly AI, online bookings, mobile devices and mobile payment systems. At the Deep Dive sessions on March 7, Terry von Bibra, European head of Alibaba, will talk about how to successfully take on the Chinese market, and in which other markets in Asia and around the world Alibaba aims to expand.
The eTravel World, on March 7, will also examine overtourism with ‘Overtourism and Social Media – More a Curse than a Blessing?’.
The focus will be on cherishing and protecting natural and cultural landscapes in Hall 4.1b – 14th Pow-Wow for Tourism Professionals featuring the latest topics and exemplary adventure and eco-travel projects where new exhibitors and the new TTA segment underline the importance of this growing market.
The 14th Pow-Wow for Tourism Professionals at ITB Berlin will discuss socially responsible tourism. From March 6 – 8, exhibitors and partners will present products and services which support ecologically, economically and socially responsible tourism and discuss sustainability and responsibility in tourism. The 14th Pow-Wow will be opened by Peter DeBrine, senior project officer, UNESCO® World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism, followed by a cultural event organised by Malaysia, the partner country of this year’s ITB. The slogan of the three-day series of this year’s Pow-Wow events is ‘Scenic Roads and Trails – Cherishing Earth’s Natural and Cultural Landscapes’.
