asmin – Club Parakeet

Botswana: the official partner country of ITB Berlin 2017

asmin — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 09:48:35 +0000

ITB Berlin • 9 to 13 March 2016

Press contacts:
Messe Berlin
Emanuel Höger
Press Spokesman and
Press and Public Relations Director
Corporate Communication
Messe Berlin Group
https://twitter.com/pr_messeberlin

ITB Berlin / ITB Asia:
Astrid Zand
Press Officer
Messedamm 22
14055 Berlin
phone.: + 49 30 3038-2275
fax: + 49 30 3038-912275
zand@messe-berlin.de
www.messe-berlin.com

Additional information:
www.itb-berlin.com
www.itb-convention.com
Management board:
Dr. Christian Göke (CEO), Dirk Hoffmann (CFO)
Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Peter Zühlsdorff
Commercial Register: Amtsgericht Charlottenburg (District Court) HRB 5484 B (Commercial Code)

2016/03/10

First partner country ever from Southern Africa – official announcement of partnership between Botswana and the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show® at ITB Berlin on 9 March 2016

In 2017 Botswana will be the official partner country of ITB Berlin. On 9 March 2016, at a press event at ITB Berlin, an agreement between the world’s leading travel trade show and Botswana was signed by Tourism Minister H.E. Tshekedi Khama II and Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH.

According to Tourism Minister Tshekedi Khama of Botswana, “The Botswana Tourism Organisation has taken the opportunity to become the partner country of ITB Berlin 2017 in order to share Botswana’s nature conservation achievements with the rest of the world and to raise general awareness of this country. Botswana’s role as the partner country of the world’s largest travel trade show will ensure the long-term attention of the global tourism industry. It will not only place the spotlight on Botswana’s tourism successes but will also focus attention worldwide on our potential for economic development. In the past Botswana has achieved great success that has remained largely unnoticed around the world. Botswana will also benefit from this year’s fiftieth anniversary of ITB Berlin. Numerous activities and events will give us the opportunity to market and promote our country as a tourism destination and to improve our returns on investment.“

“Botswana is Africa’s best-kept secret“, says David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin. “Two contrasting natural features characterise this country: the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Basin with its many animal species, large forests, and innumerable streams that empty into small lakes. Particularly during the rainy season, visitors on trips and safaris can marvel at the unique fauna and flora. The diverse cultural heritage of the country, the warm hospitality shown by its people as well as sustainable tourism make Botswana an unrivalled holiday destination in southern Africa. The fact that almost 40 per cent of the country’s surface area has been declared a national park, wildlife or nature reserve is testimony to the exemplary efforts undertaken to actively preserve nature.“

In 2016 Botswana celebrated 50 years of independence. Often referred to as one of the last remaining gems of Africa, the country was quick to realise its potential as a tourism destination. The Republic of Botswana has been exhibiting at ITB Berlin every year since 1984, in an aim to make people around the world aware of its special attractions. Next to the diamond industry, the most important branch of the economy, the tourism sector currently already accounts for five per cent of GDP.

At ITB Berlin 2017 Botswana, the partner country of the show, will be organising the opening event on 7 March 2017, and from 8 to 12 March 2017 will be entertaining visitors to ITB Berlin with a wide-ranging programme of events.

About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention

ITB Berlin 2016 will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, 9 to 13 March. From Wednesday to Friday ITB Berlin is open to trade visitors only. Parallel with the show the ITB Berlin Convention, the largest event of its kind, will be held from Wednesday, 9 to Saturday, 12 March 2016. More details are available at http://www.itb-convention.com. ITB Berlin is the global travel industry’s leading trade show. In 2015 a total of 10,096 companies and organisations from 186 countries exhibited their products and services to 175,000 visitors, who included 115,000 trade visitors.

Join the ITB Press Network at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Official-ITB-Newsroom-2521886/about.

Become a fan of ITB Berlin at https://de-de.facebook.com/ITBBerlin.

Follow ITB Berlin on https://twitter.com/ITB_Berlin.

Get the latest updates from the Social Media Newsroom athttp://newsroom.itb-berlin.de/en.

You can find press releases on the internet at http://www.itb-berlin.com under the section heading Press / Press Releases. Make use of our information service and subscribe to our RSS feeds.

If you no longer wish to receive ITB Berlin press releases, please send an email to presse-itb@messe-berlin.de.

ITB Berlin – an export success story

asmin — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 09:38:24 +0000

Debut for ITB China in May 2017 in the mega-city of Shanghai – cooperation with TravelDaily China and leading travel agencies lays the foundation for a second Asian ITB

ITB Berlin 9 to 13 March 2016

PRESS RELEASE

Berlin, 10 March 2016 – ITB Berlin is an export success story. Messe Berlin is to launch an international offshoot of one of its most successful trade fairs in China. Starting in May 2017, ITB China will take place annually on the grounds of the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center in the partnership with TravelDaily China, China’s leading online news portal and event organizer for the travel industry. ITB Asia is the model for ITB China. Over the last eight years Messe Berlin has organised this highly successful show every October in Singapore. As the second show in Asia, ITB China will take place in one of the leading industrial cities in the People’s Republic of China, with a population of around 23 million one of the largest cities in the world and exclusively focus on the Chinese travel market. First launched 50 years ago, ITB Berlin is recognised as the most successful trade show for the global travel industry. Some 10,000 exhibitors from more than 180 countries are expected to attend this year’s event. Boasting 760 exhibitors from 73 countries, ITB Asia in Singapore has established itself as the leading travel trade show in Asia.

For its premiere, ITB China already counts the big names of China’s travel industry on its partner list. Ctrip, China’s leading online travel agency, has already committed to send its buyers to ITB China to make large purchases of new products. “Our company is constantly growing and we look forward to expanding our international trade relations at ITB China“, said John Zhong, head of International Hotel Business Ctrip. The company, which counts Baidu as one of its largest shareholders, recently drew attention by making investments in its Chinese competitors, Qunar and Elong.

Alitrip, the travel brand of the Chinese internet giant Alibaba, has also announced that it will be sending buyers from affiliated travel agencies to ITB China. “We are delighted to be able to advertise ITB China to our partners as a promising business platform“, said Shaohua Li , President of Alitrip. Last year the company organised local and international trips for 100 million Chinese customers.

Utour and Caissa, China’s leading offline tour operator, as well as Tuniu, China’s leading online leisure travel platform, have as well partnered with ITB China and announced their participation through a strong presence of their buyers on the show floor

As with ITB Asia in Singapore, ITB China will be for trade visitors only. In Shanghai, buyers and trade visitors from China will be able to meet international exhibitors and business partners. Visitors to ITB China can also take the opportunity to attend the ITB China Convention, which runs parallel and will be jointly organised with TravelDaily China. Travel Daily (www.traveldaily.cn) will co-organise ITB China, having made a name for itself with two events, the Travel Daily Conference and Hotel Marketing Conference. The organisers have been able to secure China Travel News (www.chinatravelnews), an English-speaking media platform with focus on China’s travel industry and powered by TravelDaily China, as the media partner.

Dr. Christian Göke, CEO, Messe Berlin: “Our involvement in China opens another chapter in the 50-year history of ITB Berlin. With ITB Asia we have already provided impressive proof that a new travel industry event for trade visitors can establish itself outside Europe. In Shanghai we will be using all the experience of the last eight years from Singapore to establish ITB in China as a model of the global marketplace for the travel industry. In the long term our involvement in China will benefit ITB Asia in Singapore, and ultimately ITB Berlin.“

According to Dr. Martin Buck, division head, Messe Berlin, ITB China has already secured the cooperation of the country’s biggest travel agencies.Accordingly, says Dr. Martin Buck, “we will be able to guarantee our international exhibitors around 500 buyers from leading companies representing the Chinese travel industry at the three-day show, which will debut from 10 to 12 May 2017.”

Mr Charlie Li, Founder and CEO of TravelDaily China, said “We are very thrilled to partner with ITB to bring the world’s leading travel trade show to China, the largest travel market in the world. By combining ITB’s global network and 50-year experience of running travel trade show in Europe and Asia with TravelDaily’s experience of operating online media and organizing high-quality executive conferences in China, we aim to build the bridge connecting international exhibitors and Chinese buyers, which ultimately will benefit the global travel industry.”

About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention

ITB Berlin 2016 will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, 9 to 13 March. From Wednesday to Friday ITB Berlin is open to trade visitors only. Parallel with the show the ITB Berlin Convention, the largest event of its kind, will be held from Wednesday, 9 to Saturday, 12 March 2016. More details are available at www.itb-convention.com. ITB Berlin is the global travel industry’s leading trade show. In 2015 a total of 10,096 companies and organisations from 186 countries exhibited their products and services to 175,000 visitors, who included 115,000 trade visitors.

Join the ITB Press Newsroom on LinkedIn.

Become a fan of ITB Berlin at www.facebook.de/ITBBerlin.

Follow ITB Berlin on https://twitter.com/ITB_Berlin.

Get the latest updates from the Social Media Newsroom athttp://newsroom.itb-berlin.de.

You can find press releases on the internet at www.itb-berlin.com under the section heading Press / Press Releases. Make use of our information service and subscribe to our RSS feeds.

If you no longer wish to receive ITB Berlin press releases, please send an email topresse-itb@messe-berlin.de.

Press contacts:

Messe Berlin GmbH

Emanuel Höger

Press Spokesman and

Press and Public Relations Director

Corporate Communication

Messe Berlin Group

Messedamm 22

14055 Berlin

Tel.: +49 30 3038-2270

Fax: +49 30 3038-2279