As an attendee of each ITB Berlin shows in the past 15 years, I was thoroughly impressed with the 2023 event and its impact on the tourism industry in 2023 and beyond. The show provided an excellent platform for networking with professionals worldwide. With its slogan “Infinite Hospitality”, this year, Georgia expressed the main drive of all ITB-Berlin exhibitors in 2023.
I enjoyed the warm welcome and hospitality during my meetings at many stands. I will name just a few to demonstrate the show’s scale and thank my friends and partners from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Dubai, Egypt, Estonia, Gambia, Japan, Oman, Tanzania, Qatar, and Uzbekistan.
In short, hospitality is critical for the success of the tourism industry because it directly impacts guest satisfaction, repeat business, brand reputation, and the industry’s overall economic impact. Travel trade shows give a great opportunity to witness, experience and compare the hospitality of different countries within one day. After 25 years of working in the Travel Industry, I can say that such research can be very representative.
The marketing and promotion opportunities at ITB-Berlin were outstanding, and many countries did not invest just in large stands but in the communication before and during ITB-Berlin. You can see the result of such efforts with the type of visitors to each stand and how meetings and events at the exhibition stands were conducted. At the end of the day, tourism is about people’s relations and communication.
I was particularly impressed with the travel technology and innovation area, which showcased cutting-edge advancements in the travel industry. This area provided me with insights and case studies for my lectures and seminars at the European News Academy, where this year, I started the course Regional Tourism Brand in English after 14 years of an educational programme, “National Tourism Brand”, in the Russian language.
Overall, ITB Berlin exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend it to anyone in the tourism industry looking to grow their business in tourism and meet like-minded professionals at ITB-Berlin in 2024.
Please send me your comments and inquiries on the topic of the most effective communications before, during and after the travel trade show.
Sergey Stanovkin 