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ITB Berlin • 9 to 13 March 2016
February 18, 2016
Travel industry focuses on refugee debate
ITB Berlin highlights integration in the tourism employment market and effects
on tourism flows – panel discussions and interactive events in Hall 4.1 and at
the ITB Berlin Convention, with reports on practical experiences and the latest
research findings
For many months the refugee situation has been the focus of debate not only in
politics, but in the travel industry as well. This year, a number of discussion rounds
and lectures at the ITB Berlin Convention, the international travel industry's leading
think tank, will examine the various aspects of this topic. Scientists and experts will
provide in-depth accounts and tourism professionals will relate their practical
experiences, for example of integrating refugees at the workplace. In Hall 4.1, where
the focus is on responsible tourism, flight and migration will also be among the topics
discussed.
ITB Destination Days address migration and security
On Wednesday, 9 March, day one of the ITB Destination Days at the ITB Berlin
Convention, Interjections – powered by Studienkreis für Tourismus will be asking the
question ’Old Europe, new borders?’ Following an introduction by Prof. Dr. Dietmar
Herz, chairman of the board of Studienkreis für Tourismus und Entwicklung e.V.,
Andreas Stopp, a journalist at Deutschlandfunk, will talk about the impact of the
refugee crisis on tourism and how the industry has become involved in political
events. Father Frido Pflüger, director of the Jesuit organisation Flüchtlingsdienst
Deutschland; Jasmin Taylor, managing partner of JT Touristik GmbH and founder of
the refugee organisation Strong Independent Sisters (SIS), as well as Düzen Tekkal,
a TV journalist, author, editor and war zone correspondent, will relate their
experiences.
On Thursday, 10 March, day two of the ITB Destination Days, the latest international
research findings in connection with flight, migration and tourism will be revealed. The
influx of refugees across Europe also poses major challenges for tourism destinations
such as Jordan, Turkey, Greece and Italy. After an introductory paper by Prof. Dr.
Harald Pechlaner, president of the AIEST Department of Tourism at Katholische
Universität Eichstädt-Ingolstadt, the participants will talk about feelings of hostility
versus the possibility of new kinds of hospitality emerging. The event will be hosted by
Verena Papke, an expert on regional strategy development and tourism. Taking part
in the panel discussion will be George Drakopoulos, president and CEO of tourism
generis and special advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO); Dr. Dirk Glaesser, director of the Sustainable
Development Programme, UNWTO; Prof. Dr. Harald Pechlaner, president of the
AIEST Department of Tourism, Katholische Universität Eichstädt-Ingolstadt; and Prof.
Dr. Jürgen Schmude, president of DGT e.V., Department of Economic Geography
and Tourism Research, Ludwig Maximilians-Universität München. An official
collaboration agreement between the DGT and AIEST will also be signed at the
event.
On Friday, 11 March, day three of the ITB Destination Days, as part of a discussion
on ’Tourism and security in the light of recent events’, the panel members will look at
how the increased threat to security in many regions, terror attacks and stricter border
controls could affect tourism. Following an introductory paper by Dörte Nordbeck,
head of Travel and Logistics Germany GfK, experts will debate what conclusions can
be drawn from early airline bookings made for 2016 and how destinations can be
made safer in these times of crisis. The event will be moderated by Eike Otto, advisor,
sustainable-tourism.com. Panel members include Dr. Marwan Abou Taam, expert on
international terrorism, homeland security and Salafism, BIM Berliner Institut für
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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
[email protected]
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)
empirische Integrations- und Migrationsforschung Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin;
Alexander Karapidis, senior researcher / consultant, Fraunhofer Institut für
Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation IAO; Christian Schmicke, head of Corporate
Communications, Central Europe Thomas Cook; and Jörg H. Trauboth, an expert on
crisis management and security.
ITB CSR Day: integration and peace through tourism
At the ITB CSR Day On Friday, 11 March, experts will be discussing ’Specialists
needed – the refugees are coming. What does this mean for the tourism industry?’.
After giving an introductory paper Matthias Beyer, managing director of mascontour
GmbH, will talk with Dr. h.c. Burkhard Scholz, managing director of Inselhotel
Potsdam-Hermannswerder, and one of his employees who arrived in Germany as a
refugee. At the subsequent panel discussion Norbert Fiebig, president of DRV
Deutscher ReiseVerband e.V. and acting patron of Futouris; Dr. Kay Ruge, deputy,
Deutscher Landkreistag; Dr. h.c. Burkhard Scholz, managing director of Inselhotel
Potsdam-Hermannswerder; and Christian Wiesenhütter, deputy managing director of
IHK Berlin, will be discussing the opportunities and challenges facing the tourism
industry and refugees and highlighting a number of positive examples. Afterwards,
UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai will introduce an event organised by the
International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) which honours women who
promote peace in tourism. The ITB CSR Day will be concluded with the awardwinning keynote speaker and tour operator Aziz Abu Sarah taking a look at the future
on the topic of ’Travelling for peace’. He will be looking at how tourism can help to
prevent violent conflicts and illustrate how peace initiatives and business success can
be combined in the travel industry.
Hall 4.1: focus on ’flight and migration’
Featuring several panel discussions and an interactive event, Hall 4.1 will also be
debating the refugee situation. On Wednesday, 9 March, a discussion round will
examine how development work influences migration flows. Taking Albania as an
example, the discussion will illustrate how German involvement has helped to develop
tourism, how creating a wide range of tourism products can potentially boost the
country’s economy, and will ask whether this has any influence on migration
tendencies. After giving an introductory paper Hans Jürgen Cassens, regional
director, Albania, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), will
talk to Arben Ahmetaj, Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Commerce and
Entrepreneurship in Albania, and other guests.
On Friday, 11 March, under the heading of ’Flight and migration – shaping
intercultural youth travel’ a discussion round will take place on the big stage in Hall
4.1. Taking part will be Maximilian Gens, national chairman of Jugendpresse
Deutschland, Gunnar Grüttner, Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk, Helge Maul,
chairman of Reisenetz, and Jan Vieth, managing director of Camp Adventure. The
event will be moderated by Jana Pieper, a trainer with Youth Incoming Germany
(YIG).
On the small stage in Hall 4.1 examples of best practices will be given in order to
illustrate how refugees can be integrated in the tourism industry. Rika Jean-François,
in charge of CSR at ITB Berlin; Gabriela Sonnleitner, founder of Hotel magdas in
Vienna, Katrin Elseman, co-founder of Hotel Utopia in Berlin; and Monika Demler,
research assistant, Training, Placement, Visitor Services at Staatliche Museen zu
Berlin, will talk about the opportunities and challenges that result from absorbing
refugees on the German employment market. The event will be moderated by
Susanne Ceron Baumann, proprietor of Culture Instinct and founder of German Now!.
In order to illustrate the situation, Razan Nassreddine, project manager, and Rita
Albahri, guide, will present the project entitled ’Multaka: museums, a meeting place –
refugees as guides in Berlin museums’, which provides museum guide training
courses for Syrian and Iraqi refugees, so that they in turn can offer asylum seekers
tours in their own language.
On Saturday, 12 March, a panel comprising practically the same members will answer
questions from the audience and give tips on how people in Berlin can get involved.
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Furthermore, on Saturday the German Now! project will have information for visitors
about its German courses for refugees. On Sunday, 13 March, on its live
’Sonntagsspaziergang’ programme, Deutschlandfunk will examine the impact of
Islamist threats on tourism.
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 trade
show the ITB Berlin Convention, the world’s largest tourism convention, will be held
from Wednesday, 9 to Saturday, 12 March 2016. The WTCF (World Tourism Cities
Federation) is Co-Host of the ITB Berlin Convention. Studiosus, Toshiba and
TradeYourTrip are Basic Sponsors. More details are available at www.itbconvention.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.
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