Business travel continues to rebound from the early stages of the pandemic as employees take more work trips.
04.03.2024 - 07:58 / traveldailynews.com / Glenn Fogel / Dave Stephenson / Theodore Koumelis / Itb Berlin
Global tourism is facing extensive tasks and challenges. Whether it’s a shortage of skilled workers, climate justice or the impact of artificial intelligence – at the ITB Berlin Convention 2024, 400 top speakers from international companies such as Booking, Google, Microsoft and Airbnb will discuss new strategies for a travel industry in transition in more than 200 sessions.
Countdown to the world’s leading industry think tank: In the first week of March, the Berlin exhibition grounds will once again become the most important meeting place for the travel industry. From March 5 to 7, the ITB Berlin Convention 2024 will bring together numerous international experts under the motto “Pioneer the Transition in Travel & Tourism. Together” on four live stages as part of 17 themed tracksduring ITB Berlin, providing an exciting exchange of ideas. The challenges of advancing digitalization and the increasing application possibilities of artificial intelligence are just two of the many topics that can be expected to generate intensive debates at the convention. Convention participation is included in the trade visitor, exhibitor and press ticket for ITB Berlin.
Representatives of leading international companies promise top news at first hand: Current challenges facing the airline and cruise industry are the topic of the Carrier & Cruise Track, during which leading industry experts will take a look at global market trends as well as technological and legal challenges on March 5. Top speakers such as Nadia Azale (NDC Change Management Director, AirFrance-KLM Group), Michele Francioni (Chief Energy Transition Officer, MSC Cruises S.A.) and Chris Ramm (Vice President Global Enterprise Airline Partners, Travelport) will discuss industry-relevant developments and present best cases.
Glenn Fogel (CEO, Booking Holdings) will speak about future prospects and technology in tourism under the title “Leadership, Innovation and the Future of Travel” as part of the Future Track. Another highlight will be “Engineering the Future: How GenAI and Microsoft Copilot bring a new Intelligence to Travel” with Karim Bagga (Engineering Group Manager, Travel & AI Microsoft), who will discuss the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence. Stefan Ebener (Head of Customer Engineering, Google) will also take a look at the mega topic of artificial intelligence in his presentation “How GenAI is changing the Digital World – From Future Tech to Daily Business”. Under the title “How Airbnb is unlocking new Opportunities for Growth”, Dave Stephenson (Chief Business Officer, Airbnb) will explain the booking platform’s current plans.
The responsibility of tourism for biodiversity and climate justice will be the focus of the Responsible Tourism
Business travel continues to rebound from the early stages of the pandemic as employees take more work trips.
Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett is driving future tourism investment for St. Thomas which is gearing up to become Jamaica’s newest tourist destination. In a meeting with German leisure, travel and tourism company, TUI Group, it was confirmed that the company is exploring expanding its footprints in Jamaica and is showing signs of interest to invest in St. Thomas.
Athens has clinched a prestigious title in the tourism realm, emerging as Europe’s Leading City-break Destination at the World Travel Awards 2024. The announcement came during a glittering ceremony held in Berlin on Wednesday, coinciding with ITB Berlin, a major tourism exhibition. Athens, represented by its special pavilion at the EOT Pavilion, took centre stage at the event.
The Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) has bestowed the prestigious title of Global Tourism Icon upon Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the tourism industry. This esteemed accolade, that was presented yesterday (March 6), comes as a testament to Minister Bartlett’s relentless dedication to promoting sustainable tourism practices, fostering cultural exchange, and advancing the tourism sector on a global scale. He has been at the forefront of initiatives aimed at enhancing visitor experiences, building resilience and creating economic opportunities for local communities through tourism.
Israel’s Tourism Minister Haim Katz has appealed for travellers to visit Israel again. Travellers were safe in the country, he said in front of the press on Tuesday at ITB Berlin. He would be urging the German government to drop the travel warnings for Israel issued by the German Foreign Office.
Travel from Germany to the United States of America has returned to pre-pandemic levels. Speaking at ITB Berlin, on Wednesday the US ambassador to Germany, Amy Gutmann, stated that the two million mark has again been exceeded, and is now within 85 per cent of the 2019 figure.
At ITB Berlin – the world’s leading travel trade show – Weeva launched its new AI capabilities in an industry-defining first for the travel and tourism sector. Since providing a preview of the new AI features at the Phocuswright Conference in October 2023, the formal launch now means that the award-winning sustainability management platform is the first to integrate generative AI capabilities into its user experience.
THE importance of the German market to Tobago has been underscored by THA Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris.
Italy’s tourism industry wants to be more innovative and flexible – Greater emphasis on interaction between visitors and locals – Minister supports better wages for the catering industry.
The World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards (WSTHA) has unveiled 21 categories for its inaugural global programme, which aims to recognise and share the stories of individuals and organisations making an impactful contribution in sustainable travel and tourism. The categories have been selected by an Advisory Board made up of 11 leaders in sustainable travel and tourism to reflect the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and net positive framework of People, Planet, Place, Prosperity and Partnerships.
The State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine (SATD) has unveiled a new campaign entitled “We Are Here: Brave Hearts of Ukraine” during the ITB Congress in Berlin.
Visit Qatar is set to participate at ITB Berlin 2024, the world’s leading travel trade show. ITB hosts over 5,000 international exhibitors every year and is one of the most important events in the travel industry. His Excellency, Mr. Saad Bin Ali Al Kharji, Chairman of Qatar Tourism, Eng. Abdulaziz Ali Al-Mawlawi, Chief Marketing and Promotions Officer at Qatar Tourism, along with a team of 28 delegates from travel and hospitality industries will be representing Visit Qatar this year. The ITB is a hub for informative, cultural, and inspirational B2B exchanges pertaining to travel, tourism, hospitality, and trade. Visit Qatar aims to foster several exchanges with key travel, trade, airline, and media partners to promote Qatar to key stakeholders in the European market. In addition, Visit Qatar anticipates fruitful discussions, trade meetings, new partnership deals, and opportunities.