Significant growth in exhibitor numbers from Central America, Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and in the Travel Technology section too.
The outlook is exceptionally good for ITB Berlin as final preparations are under way for an event which between 9 and 13 March will be taking place for the 45th time. Overall, Messe Berlin expects around 11,000 exhibiting companies and organizations from more than 180 countries to be present in the 26 halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. The focus is on Poland, the partner country of ITB Berlin, which is organizing the opening ceremony at the fair. Furthermore, all of this country’s regions will be presenting a wide range of products and services to trade visitors and the general public in Hall 15.1.
“Compared with 2010 the number of bookings at ITB Berlin 2011 has remained consistently high. Thus the world’s largest travel trade show will live up to its reputation as the industry’s leading international platform, and will also send out an important message for the future. Among other topics the ITB Berlin Convention has decided to make the political unrest in the Middle East a key issue on its agenda”, said David Ruetz, Head of ITB Berlin.
Growth and returning exhibitors a reflection of developments in the travel sector
More Asian countries will be represented at ITB than ever before. India also reports strong growth, a trend underlined by the fact that Hall 5.2b is completely booked up. Every available space has been taken in Hall 26, which even boasts two-tier stands, where exhibitors from the Far East and South-East Asia can be found. Among the exhibitors from the Pacific region the Fiji Islands and Papua New Guinea will be occupying larger stands (Hall 5.2a).
The markets in Central America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East are displaying particularly strong growth, and a substantial number of exhibitors from these regions will be present at ITB Berlin. In Hall 3.1 the joint display of Central America has grown significantly in size, in fact by 40 per cent. The stand space occupied by exhibitors from Colombia has risen by 35 per cent, reflecting a large increase here too. The booming tourism regions of Eastern Europe are increasingly making their way onto the market. Thus in Hall 2.1 the stand area occupied by exhibitors from Ukraine has grown severalfold, from 70 to 400 square metres. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan und Kyrgyzstan (Hall 7.2b) will be prominently represented. More countries from the Middle East are now also taking part. Iraq (Hall 3.2) as well as Pakistan (Hall 7.2b) with the local Gilgit-Baltistan region will also be exhibiting. For the first time Iran (Hall 7.2a) will be represented directly next door to the “Countries of the Silk Road“ in (Hall 7.2b) at the ”Silk Road Pavilion“.
In the Africa Halls (Halls 20 and 21) a number of countries are back at ITB Berlin. They include São Tomé & Príncipe, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which last exhibited here in 1993. Morocco und Algeria will also be on larger stands. Occupying the area in the passage connecting Hall 24, McArthur Glen Outlets Europa, the Federal Nature Conservation Bureau and the Aids Relief Organization will be newcomers to the fair.
Numerous newcomers to ITB can also be found in Hall 25, including TripAdvisor, Holland-America-Line, Spar Mit!, ETI, TSI Mondial Travel GmbH and EGT Tour. Among those back at the fair are AGA International, previously known as Mondial Reiseversicherung.
Flanders (Belgium) and Holland are represented once again in Hall 10.2. The Cultural Tourism section here has expanded as well, with special stands from Mongolia and Poland. Also to be found under the same roof is the Culture Conference Lounge, which will host the presentation of the Book Awards, moderated by the well-known TV presenter Mary Amiri.
Visitors can now also find out about cross-border joint ventures in Hall 17. Friuli and Veneto are cooperating with Slovenia as part of the so-called Euroregions project, which represents neighbouring regions of the EU.
Travel Technology section continues to grow
The Travel Technology section at ITB Berlin in Hall 6.1 has grown significantly, attracting many more exhibitors from abroad. In all, ten newcomers will be presenting their technological innovations. They include Fact-Finder Travel, Multicom, Peakwork, Accovia, Vilauma, Lufthansa Systems, Oléry (F) and Openjaw, now back after a long absence from the fair. The presence of the new eTravel World Forum, located in the Mobile Travel Services section in Hall 7.1c, also underlines the growing importance of this sector. This year Komoot, as well as international enterprises such as Vodafone, Voyavo from the US and Leadcall from the UK will be represented at the fair for the first time. Other newcomers include TravelSIM from Estonia, Worldmobi from the UK and A1Telekom Austria AG. The fact that so many exhibitors from Mobile Travel Services are back underlines its continuing success. Thus in 2011 Clanmo, mvolution, Pausanio, Tourias Mobile and TouristMobile, for example, will once again be at the world’s leading travel trade show.
The details, products and services of all the exhibitors at ITB Berlin can be found at the Virtual Market Place at www.itb-berlin.com. The Virtual Market Place also functions as an online catalogue. Information is updated on a regular basis.
