Itb: adventure travel and social responsibility to fill up hall

This year ITB Hall 4.1 more full of life than ever

This year ITB’s hall 4.1 will be even more colourful than ever with over 130 exhibitors representing more than 40 countries  focused on sustainable and adventure tourism plus two major award events, plus the 10^th Pow Wow for trade visitors.

On Wednesday, 4 March on the big stage the presentation ceremony will be taking place of the prestigious TO DO! Awards

On the big stage the focus will also be on ‘Human rights in practice – challenges confronting tourism in areas sensitive to human rights’, accompanied by discussions on the issue of child protection in tourism.

The photo exhibition entitled ‘The Wadden Sea – a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site’ (Stand 229) promises to be a visual highlight.

Top speakers including Jane Ashton of TUI, Thomas Kropp of Lufthansa, Uwe Brendel of the German Ministry of the Environment will debate ‘Tourism and climate change’.

Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin, the tourism minister of Haiti, will be speaking about developments five years after the catastrophic earthquake and new efforts in sustainable tourism. Other topics include the crisis in African tourism and undertaking responsible voluntary work.

Lots of  presentations will overview of the wide range of sustainable tourism and adventure travel products available. Among them will be an event on geotourism in the western Balkans and an expert class on big data in tourism, both on 6 March.

Taking regional products in restaurants as an example, Naturtejo Geopark in Portugal will be showing how local inhabitants can make a successful contribution to tourism.

From 4 to 6 March, live cooking demonstrations will be taking place that will whet visitors’ appetites for even more information.

On its stand the Welthungerhilfe famine relief organisation will be addressing the issue of ‘involuntary travel’ and at a panel discussion will be discussing the flow of refugees and its consequences for tourism.

Responsible Tourism Clinics organised by The Blue Yonder, ITB’s Responsible Tourism Partner, will be taking place on all three days of the PowWow. The focus will be on community involvement, on the economic benefits of socially responsible tourism as well as on spiritual tourism and eco-tourism in Asia in cooperation with TIES – The International Ecotourism Society.

The Vision & Innovation in Sustainable Tourism Awards (VISTAS) 2015 will be presented to candidates from the 100 greenest destinations who have implemented best practices.

On its stand the Welthungerhilfe famine relief organisation will be addressing the issue of ‘involuntary travel’ and at a panel discussion will be discussing the flow of refugees and its consequences for tourism.

Finally on Friday at 6 p.m. the International ITB TBY Berlin Responsible Tourism Networking Event, which has become a firmly established fixture, will be giving visitors an opportunity to introduce themselves in person and to find business partners.

Valere Tjolle

This week’s special sustainable tourism offer HERE