The three main stories at ITB Berlin

BERLIN- World Legacy Awards honour sustainability projects. Announcement of best hospitals at the new Medical Tourism Pavilion, New Travelzoo survey – ITB Berlin on safety needs . Social Media Newsroom features news, photos, Facebook posts and Twitter exchanges

WORLD LEGACY AWARDS HONOURS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PROJECTS

Building bridges and generating a socially, ecologically and culturally sustainable impact – that was the aim of the projects which contested this year’s World Legacy Awards, which are jointly sponsored by ITB Berlin and National Geographic. At the Palais am Funkturm the winners received their awards in five categories for their innovative efforts in supporting sustainable tourism. “It is possible to have the best vacation of your life and at the same time help to make the world a better place – that is what lies at the heart of sustainable tourism”, explained Costas Christ, chief editor of the National Geographic Traveler.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WORLD’S TEN BEST HOSPITALS AT THE NEW MEDICAL TOURISM PAVILION

The current top ten list of the world’s best hospitals for medical tourism, which was announced at the new Medical Tourism Pavilion in Hall 3.2, is an important source of help. In addition to the quality of medical care and nursing, the Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA) tested hospitals’ value for money, as well as aspects relating to communication, ethics, transparency and management. The Asklepios Klinik in Barmbek near Hamburg was listed number one, followed by the Clemenceau Medical Center in Beirut and the Fortis Hospital Bannerghatta in Bangalore.

TRAVELZOO SURVEY – ITB BERLIN ON THE SAFETY NEEDS OF HOLIDAYMAKERS

For holidaymakers safety plays an increasingly important role when deciding where to go on holiday. This is one of the findings of the latest survey conducted by Travelzoo and ITB Berlin, which polled consumers in the major travel markets in Europe, Japan, South Africa, India and North America. According to Travelzoo CEO Richard Singer, who spoke at the ITB Berlin Convention, what consumers fear most is the threat and in particular the new face of terrorism. He called upon tour operators not only to provide information to travellers prior to booking, but after they have made their reservations as well. An offer of clear travel information from official sources and certified safety standards could help to dispel a feeling of insecurity among tourists.

Journalists and interested readers can find news on the main topics at the world's leading travel trade show posted daily at http://newsroom.itb-berlin.de. The Social Media Newsroom has news in German and English on every travel destination represented at ITB Berlin, plus passenger airline, cruise, hotel industry and travel technology trends and innovations. This news portal also has the latest from the ITB Berlin Convention, the leading think tank of the global travel industry.

ABOUT ITB BERLIN AND THE ITB BERLIN CONVENTION

ITB Berlin 2017 will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, 8 to 12 March. From Wednesday to Friday ITB Berlin is open to trade visitors only. Parallel with the show the ITB Berlin Convention, the largest event of its kind, will be held from Wednesday, 8 to Saturday, 11 March 2017. Admission to the ITB Berlin Convention is free for trade visitors.
More details are available at www.itb-convention.com. Slovenia is the Convention & Culture Partner of ITB Berlin 2017. ITB Berlin is the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show. In 2016 a total of 10,000 companies and organisations from 187 countries exhibited their products and services to around 180,000 visitors, who included 120,000 trade visitors.