(Originally published in TOURISM)
With 10,000 exhibitors from 180 countries and regions, ITB (originally known as Internationale Tourismus-Börse and held annually in Berlin) represents the full spectrum of global tourism at all levels of the value-added chain. It is therefore encouraging from Canada’s perspective to find out that the March 2007 edition of ITB – the largest marketplace in the world – yielded auspicious signs for Canada in the German market for this year.
CTC managing director in Dusseldorf, Karl‑Heinz Limberg, put it this way: “There is a definite improvement in the air. We have seen a great winter season with an increase of 14% in December and 8% in January, which bodes well. This renewed interest for our destination was reflected at ITB also, where Canada was featured in a newly‑branded pavilion that received many positive comments from both partners and visitors. We had 50 exhibitors from all over Canada, including representatives from every Canadian province and territory and some new exhibitors.”
In Limberg’s assessment, the Canadian industry can expect a slight increase from Germany after a what was a rather bad year in 2006, largely because of the World Cup of Soccer and the high Canadian dollar.
To add a “Wow” element to Canada’s participation, the Canadian Embassy hosted (for the third time) a dramatic reception in Berlin under the theme Keep Exploring. Explains Limberg: “The Canadian Embassy building in Berlin is a very eye‑catching piece of architecture, located right downtown. All the materials used to build it are Canadian. It is a rather fitting venue for an evening celebration that must compete with an array of other events around the city. Needless to say, we were proud to have 225 guests at our event, which is more or less the maximum number of people we can host at the embassy.”
Guest speakers included Canadian ambassador Paul Dubois, The Honorable Stan Hagen, BC Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, and CTC president and CEO Michele McKenzie. Among attendees were some 70 Canadian exhibitors, along with German and Swiss members of the media and trade representatives from the industry as a whole – including tour operators, travel agents and incentives companies.
Limberg notes a celebrity athlete and media personality as well: “Gunda Niemann‑Stirnemann, Germany’s most celebrated speed skater, who won eight Olympic gold medals and several world championship titles between 1989 and 2001, attended the event," he notes. "Today she is a popular sports commentator on TV.” The entertainment component for the event was looked after by Chamaeleon Theatre Berlin (a German‑Canadian variety theatre company best described as a hybrid between comical chaos and Le Cirque du Soleil).
With 10,000 exhibitors from 180 countries and regions, ITB (originally known as Internationale Tourismus-Börse and held annually in Berlin) represents the full spectrum of global tourism at all levels of the value-added chain. It is therefore encouraging from Canada’s perspective to find out that the March 2007 edition of ITB – the largest marketplace in the world – yielded auspicious signs for Canada in the German market for this year.
CTC managing director in Dusseldorf, Karl‑Heinz Limberg, put it this way: “There is a definite improvement in the air. We have seen a great winter season with an increase of 14% in December and 8% in January, which bodes well. This renewed interest for our destination was reflected at ITB also, where Canada was featured in a newly‑branded pavilion that received many positive comments from both partners and visitors. We had 50 exhibitors from all over Canada, including representatives from every Canadian province and territory and some new exhibitors.”
In Limberg’s assessment, the Canadian industry can expect a slight increase from Germany after a what was a rather bad year in 2006, largely because of the World Cup of Soccer and the high Canadian dollar.
To add a “Wow” element to Canada’s participation, the Canadian Embassy hosted (for the third time) a dramatic reception in Berlin under the theme Keep Exploring. Explains Limberg: “The Canadian Embassy building in Berlin is a very eye‑catching piece of architecture, located right downtown. All the materials used to build it are Canadian. It is a rather fitting venue for an evening celebration that must compete with an array of other events around the city. Needless to say, we were proud to have 225 guests at our event, which is more or less the maximum number of people we can host at the embassy.”
Guest speakers included Canadian ambassador Paul Dubois, The Honorable Stan Hagen, BC Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, and CTC president and CEO Michele McKenzie. Among attendees were some 70 Canadian exhibitors, along with German and Swiss members of the media and trade representatives from the industry as a whole – including tour operators, travel agents and incentives companies.
Limberg notes a celebrity athlete and media personality as well: “Gunda Niemann‑Stirnemann, Germany’s most celebrated speed skater, who won eight Olympic gold medals and several world championship titles between 1989 and 2001, attended the event," he notes. "Today she is a popular sports commentator on TV.” The entertainment component for the event was looked after by Chamaeleon Theatre Berlin (a German‑Canadian variety theatre company best described as a hybrid between comical chaos and Le Cirque du Soleil).
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