ITB Berlin Daily: Partner country Maldives invests in the future +++ Global tourism is set for further growth +++ Winners of the second World Legacy Awards +++ Social Media Newsroom features news, photos, Facebook and Twitter posts
The Social Media Newsroom of ITB Berlin has online news from the world’s leading travel trade show at http://newsroom.itb-berlin.de/en.
The three main stories on Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Partner country Maldives invests in the future of tourism
Plans are under way to expand Ibrahim Nasir International Airport and create additional accommodation in the north and south of the country to boost local tourism still further. Great care is being taken to ensure sustainable tourism and exploit renewable energies. At the opening press conference of ITB Berlin H.E. Moosa Zameer, the tourism minister of the Maldives, charted the history of tourism from 1972 until the present day. Since the earliest days Germany has been one of the country’s most important source markets. More information can be found here:http://newsroom.itb-berlin.de/en/news/partner-country-maldives.
IPK International: outlook for the global tourism industry
Despite the terrorist threat Europeans remain keen to travel. The tourism institute IPK International forecasts a moderately positive trend for this year. According to Rolf Freitag, CEO IPK International, speaking at the ITB Berlin Convention, demand is likely to increase in the Netherlands, the UK, Switzerland and Germany. Worldwide, the institute predicts a three per cent rise in foreign travel in 2016. Without the terrorist threat the forecast would have been for 4.5 per cent. More information can be found here.:http://newsroom.itb-berlin.de/en/news/how-will-tourism-fare-2016.
Presentation of the World Legacy Awards
For the second time ITB Berlin and the magazine National Geographic Traveler presented the National Geographic World Legacy Awards. The awards went to companies and projects that have made an outstanding commitment to sustainable tourism. They were presented in five categories. Among the winners were an eco-tour operator run by Maoris, a Chinese resort with solar-powered golf carts and a bush camp in Zambia that has committed itself to protecting wildlife and promoting education and healthcare. More information can be found here.: http://newsroom.itb-berlin.de/en/news/second-edition-national-geographic-world-legacy-awards.
Journalists and interested readers can find news on the main stories at the world’s leading travel trade show posted daily at http://newsroom.itb-berlin.de/en. The Social Media Newsroom has news in German and English on every travel destination represented at ITB Berlin, plus trends and innovations in aviation, cruises, the hotel industry and travel technology. This news portal also has the latest from the ITB Berlin Convention, the leading think tank of the global travel industry.