Almost all Asian countries were presented at ITB Berlin having the opportunity to meet business partners and to do business. With more than 170,000 visitors, among these 113,000 trade visitors, and 11,000 represented companies from 180 countries ITB Berlin is the leading B2B-Platform of all tourism industry. In addition, the world’s largest tourism convention ITB Berlin Convention, covering an area of 160,000 sqm, provides unique opportunities to benefit from the leading think tank of the global tourism industry. The exhibitors in the Asia Hall were more diverse than in previous years, as many hotels and holiday resorts were no longer in the sections of their relevant regions. In Hall 26 (Far East and Southeast Asia) more than a dozen exhibitors new to ITB presented their products, among them exhibitors from Vietnam, which stand was bigger than the previous year.
A snapshot of the busy stand of Thailand
International arrivals in Thailand jumped 20% in 2013 reaching 26.7 million.
Tourism Authority of Thailand is optimistic that the target of 28 million international tourists in 2014 is still reachable. The biggest market is Russia with 1.7 million visitors while the UK rose 4% to 906.000 and Germany increased 9% to 744.000. TAT intends to launch a promotional campaign named “Best Friends Forever, targeting the repeaters visitors.
The stand of Reunion Island
Reunion Island launch a new rebranding strategy by adopting a new slogan “Live the Experience” promoting its volcanic peaks, and a landscape tailor-made for adventure fantasy. The total number of international arrivals reaches 400,000 visitors per annum, while the aim of the Reunion Island Tourism Board is to target tourists from nationalities other than the French, such as German, and China.
The stand of Malaysia
The summer of 2014 will be especially successful for Malaysia as Lufthansa’s new five-weekly Frankfurt – Kuala Lumpur – Jakarta service comes on line from March 30.
The stand of Singapore
In terms of international arrivals from Europe to
Singapore, German remains the second top market just after the UK. From January to September 2013, Singapore recorded 186,074 arrivals from Germany, 18,631 from Austria, and 67,743 from Switzerland. Gardens by the Bay, a new and fresh idea, are the most attractive attraction for the European market because of its nature-like appeal.
The stand of Philippines
Philippines tourism promotion focuses on the fun the country offers to the visitors, based on the slogan “
It ‘s more Fun in the Philippines”. The interrelationship among visitors and Philippinos give lots of fun to the foreigners. The target is to reach 5 million international tourists in 2014 giving a significant income to the tourism industry. The Philippines offers to the European tourists lots of sun, sea, and sand, but also culture, lifestyle, entertainment, interacting with the community, and shopping.
The stand of Asian Trails in ITB 2014
The
Asian Trails companies have established a network which covers all major Asian tourism destinations in Asia, with offices are in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
The stand of Centara Hotels and Resorts
“ITB Berlin is an opportunity for us to revaluate the German market, as it is for us a very important market”, said to TravelDailyNews Mr Philip Hall Corporate Group Director of Sales and Marketing. “Of course ITB is an international show and a perfect opportunity to see all German speaking markets and not only. As a group, we had 35% increase in bookings comparing 2012 with 2013 from the German market.”
The stand of Japan
A new attraction will come in Japan late 2014, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, by Universal Studios based in Osaka. This new attraction is first of its kind outside the US, and will house replicas of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade Village, as well as several rides that have already won the hearts of Harry Potter fans in the Orlando theme park.
The stand of China
China proudly presented the promotional campaign “Beautiful China 2014 – Year of Smart Travel” which speaks to the efforts China has made to use technology to make visiting China even more navigable and enjoyable.
The stand of TUI China
TUI China is an affiliate of World of TUI, the globe’s leading tourism group, established in late 2003 as the first joint venture with foreign majority share in the Chinese tourism industry. German market is one of the most important markets in Europe for TUI China.
The stand of Vietnam
Vietnam faces a decrease in visitors from German speaking markets in 2013, not only due to the economic issues in Europe but also due to the lack of promotion. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) German visitors dropped 8.4% to 97,673 in 2013. Many incoming travel agents commented that the VNAT needs to take action and implement a strong marketing campaign.
TravelDailyNews Asia-Pacific editorial team has an experience of over 35 years in B2B travel journalism as well as in tourism & hospitality marketing and communications.