ITB will be opened by Merkel

BERLİN- Prominent visitors to the world’s largest travel trade show: ITB Berlin will be opened by Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel for the first time.
Opening ceremonies of ITB Berlin on 5 March 2013 with leading figures from politics and tourism – At the start of the world’s leading travel trade show the partner country Indonesia presents a colourful display of traditional music and dance
Invitations have been issued by ITB Berlin and this year’s partner country, Indonesia, to attend the opening ceremonies, which will take place in Hall 1 of the ICC Berlin at 6 p.m. on 5 March, one day before the start of the show. Welcoming addresses will be given by H.E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit and the Chief Executive Officer of Messe Berlin GmbH Raimund Hosch. The evening’s 4,500 international guests will be able to enjoy a colourful and spectacular display organised by Indonesia.
A brilliant multi-cultural introduction to this opening event titled 'Indonesia, The World's Heart of Wonders' will be provided by the Indonesian Conductor Aminoto Kosin honored with the “Oscar Peterson Award For Outstanding Musicianship” given by the Berklee college of Music, USA. Aminoto Kosin is proud to conduct the orchestra “Berlin string construction” and Indonesian traditional musicians from various regions. They will be followed by Indonesian singers, musicians and dancers, accompanied by multimedia shows featuring traditional aspects of the unique nature and culture of the world’s largest archipelago with its more than 17,000 islands. The partner country of ITB Berlin will then be inviting guests to an outstanding culinary experience at the subsequent gala reception, where Indonesia’s finest chefs will be demonstrating the diversity of their country’s exotic Asian cuisine.

Note to editors:
Only registered journalists are admitted to attend the Opening Ceremony of ITB Berlin 2013. We kindly ask you to contact the ITB press-team in order to get admitted.

About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention

ITB Berlin 2013 will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, 6 to 10 March. From the Wednesday to the Friday ITB Berlin is open to trade visitors only. The ITB Berlin Convention is held parallel with the trade fair, from Wednesday to Friday, 6 to 8 March 2013. It is the world’s largest specialist convention for the industry. More details are available at www.itb-convention.com. ITB Berlin is the leading trade fair for the worldwide travel industry. In 2012 a total of 10,644 companies and organisations from 187 countries exhibited their products and services to 172,000 visitors, who included 113,006 trade visitors.

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