We Love Travel! – Tickets to the hybrid pop-up event are available now
Latest assessments by leading industry experts and fascinating lectures by globetrotters – Visitors can explore all kinds of travel worlds in person or in virtual showrooms – Tickets for trade visitors: 35 euros for the in-person event and 25 euros for the virtual event – Weekend tickets for the general public cost 7.50 euros, online participation is free of charge
Berlin, 3 September 2020 – Taking place from 16 to 18 October 2020 at Arena Berlin, We Love Travel! – a Tourism Recovery Pop-Up promises inspiration and encounters, whether at the in-person or virtual event. ITB Berlin and the Berlin Travel Festival are inviting tourism industry representatives, adventurers and anyone interested in travel to meet again after a long absence and to exchange views on the latest travel industry topics. The question as to whether the industry will carry on after the coronavirus crisis with business as usual, or whether this marks a new departure will also be on the agenda. The hybrid concept means that participants can attend both an in-person and virtual event. As part of the comprehensive safety and hygiene concept designed to ensure that prescribed safety rules are observed, tickets to the three-day event, which are available now, can be purchased only from the online ticket shop at https://welovetravel.berlintravelfestival.com/tickets/ on the website.
Wide-ranging programme of online and stage events
In addition to various networking formats, the event programme comprises presentations, discussion rounds and workshops. Daily updates can be found at www.welovetravel.berlin.
For trade visitors, a ticket costing 35 euros covers a visit to the in-person event on the Friday as well as the virtual event and networking formats on all three days. A ticket costing 25 euros grants admission to the virtual event only, including use of the online networking tool, which visitors can use to actively contribute to the event.
On day one, Friday, the focus will be entirely on trade visitors. The B2B programme organised by ITB Berlin in cooperation with the German Online Travel Association (VIR e.V.) will start at 10 a.m., with the first session presenting the latest facts and figures from the tourism industry. Representatives of leading market research institutes including Forschungsgemeinschaft Urlaub und Reisen e.V. (FUR), Statista and IPK International will discuss the latest findings and what they mean for the industry. Afterwards, a discussion will take place with representatives of destinations on how package tourism should function in the future. A discussion round on the role of marketing – be it through agencies, online or mobile devices – will round off the morning’s events.
After a short midday break, at 1.30 p.m. two panel discussions will take place in English on the central issue of Innovation and transformation – ecological, social and economic responsibility in tourism. A panel on ’Sustainability and recovery’ will kick off events. Rika Jean-Francois, CSR commissioner for ITB Berlin, will talk to Petra Thomas, managing director of Forum Anders Reisen, and Prof. Dr. Harald Pechlaner, chair of the Tourism Faculty at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, among others, about the opportunities that the crisis offers, based on a sustainable approach to tourism. At the CSR session on ’Recovery and Human Rights’ to follow at 2.30 p.m., the focus will be on the topics of social responsibility in tourism, which transformative processes make sense, and how to ensure greater diversity in the tourism industry.
The coronavirus crisis has had the effect of accelerating digitalisation in some parts of the tourism industry. At 3.30 p.m. three events at the ITB eTravel World will take a closer look at these developments. At the first session representatives of different market segments will look at areas that are moving ahead dynamically and have quickly adapted to the “new normal” due to advanced technology, and which business models are now reaping the benefits. In this debate, the Tours & Activities branch, one of the fastest growing market segments, will be represented by Bookingkit. At 4.15 p.m., the second session will examine how important confidence building measures have become during the pandemic. Representatives of the hotel industry and destinations including Visit Berlin and Turespaña (speaker: Arturo Ortíz Arduan, director of the Spanish Tourist Board) will take a look at the various strategies and discuss how innovative technologies can be used to successfully communicate with visitors and obtain feedback. The event will be moderated by Torsten Sabel, CEO of Customer Alliance. At the last discussion round of the day at 5 p.m. experienced business pioneers from the travel tech industry will meet up with the younger generation of startup entrepreneurs in order to exchange views on managing the current crisis, successful business models and the latest innovations.
Highlights during the Open Days on the weekend for the public
On the weekend the programme’s focus will be on the general public. On two stages, speakers including the documentary maker Ulla Lohmann, the travelling cyclist Anselm Pahnke and Tom Belz, who climbed Kilimanjaro on one leg and two crutches, will talk about their adventures in the remotest corners of the earth. The photographers Martina von Münchhausen and Markus Mauthe will talk about sustainability issues on one’s travels. Michael Schulz, whose Instagram account ’Berlinstagram’ has over 500,000 followers, will reveal his travel photography tips.
Further information on the programme can be found online at https://welovetravel.berlintravelfestival.com/program-overview/. The programme and speakers are continuously updated.
Costing 7.50 euros, tickets can be purchased for four-hour visits on the Saturday and Sunday of the event. A live stream of the all-day programme will be available free of charge and without prior registration on the website of the event. Addition information on the various ticket options can be found online at https://welovetravel.berlintravelfestival.com/tickets/.
Exhibitors from all over the world – in person in Berlin and at the virtual event
What do Saxony, Sri Lanka, Brandenburg, Sylt and Berlin all have in common? All these destinations will be represented on the exhibition area of We Love Travel! at Arena Berlin. “The innovative concept of We Love Travel! allows us to take part in an unconventional setting and show visitors new, possibly unexplored aspects of Saxony”, said Veronika Hiebl, managing director of Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH, commenting on Saxony’s participation in this globally unique format offering new visions for travel.
Visitors to We Love Travel! can explore all kinds of travel worlds. Companies including Cabin Experience, Roadsurfer and MyCabin will focus on outdoor activities and camping, which have become increasingly popular travel segments. Nature and environmental organisations including the WWF and Whale and Dolphine Conservation as well as startups, among them earthwalker, Seelensafari, zeitreisen and Topguide24, will also be represented and presenting their innovative products and services. In addition to being represented on a stand, companies can also take part in the virtual event. Among those who will be represented online only are New Zealand, Taiwan and Tunisia as well as the Catalan Tourist Board and the French tour operator The Ways Beyond. All exhibitors’ Brand Showrooms can now be visited at https://welovetravel.berlintravelfestival.com/exhibitor/.
Opening press conference and accreditation of the media and bloggers for We Love Travel!
Representatives of the media are cordially invited to the exclusive press conference at the official opening of We Love Travel! Accreditation for the press conference on Friday, 16 October 2020 at 9 a.m. and the three-day event can be obtained now on the online press accreditation page at https://welovetravel.berlintravelfestival.com/accreditation/. Full details of the accreditation process can be found in our accreditation guidelines.
Venue
ARENA BERLIN, Eichenstraße 4, 12435 Berlin, Germany
Dates and opening times
16 October 2020: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. (trade visitors)
17 and 18 October 2020: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m (trade visitors and the general public)
Opening press conference: 16 October 2020: 9 – 9.45 a.m.
Admission
Trade visitors: 35 euros for the in-person event as well use of the virtual services and networking formats on all three days of the event.25 euros for participation in the virtual event only, including use of the virtual online networking tool.
General public: 7.50 euros for a four-hour visit to the in-person event.
Full details of ticket options and additional information can be found at https://welovetravel.berlintravelfestival.com/tickets/.
We Love Travel!– a Tourism Recovery Pop-up
The We Love Travel!event presented by ITB Berlin and the Berlin Travel Festival supports the recovery of the tourism industry and offers a platform for all players involved to meet in person – buyers, hoteliers, travel bloggers, cultural institutions, destinations, publishers and travellers. From 16 to 18 October 2020 the tourism recovery pop-up will combine in-person and virtual formats. The concept of this unique event at Arena Berlin features exhibition areas, numerous networking formats, presentations and discussion panels, as well as online formats targeting trade visitors and the travelling public.
More information is available at: www.welovetravel.berlin
