Reporter’s Notebook: ITB Berlin Day One

ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel trade event, kicked off Wednesday with 10,000 exhibitors from 187 countries.

Here are some of the highlights:

Tourists Continue to Flock to NYC
NYC & Company said the Big Apple is expected to welcome 59.7 million visitors, making it the seventh consecutive year of record-breaking tourism.

At a press conference Wednesday morning, NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon and Senior Vice President of Global Communications Chris Heywood highlighted developments in the city’s five boroughs.

This summer, the World Trade Center transit hub will open. The $3.9 billion project will connect Port Authority Trans-Hudson trains to New Jersey trains, 11 New York City subway lines, and ferry service. It will also have shops and restaurants.

Also debuting this summer will be 500 state-of-the-art LinkNYC kiosks, providing free high-speed internet and charging stations in every borough.

ONYX Expands Throughout Asia-Pacific
ONYX Hospitality Group boasted a growing portfolio of hotels in three new key markets, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

The ONYX umbrella includes several brands, such as Amari, Shama, and OZO. The Amari brand is upscale hotels in urban and resort destinations, in both the leisure and business markets. Shama is luxury boutique serviced apartments, while OZO is the company’s mid-market brand. All three are undergoing expansion.

Three Amari properties are opening this year, including the Amari Residences Pattaya, Thailand; Amari Galle, Sri Lanka; and Amari Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The Amari Koh Samui in Thailand is reopening in April after undergoing refurbishments. 

For its OZO and Shama brands, ONYX is partnering with Singapore Hospitality Holdings to open 46 OZO and Shama city and resort properties across the region by 2024. ONYX currently operates 39 properties, with another 20 under development.

Global Tourism Sees Growth in 2016
Tourism research institute IPK International presented its latest forecast for the global and European tourism industries.

Worldwide, international travel is expected to grow by 3% in 2016, though “without the recent terror threats, a growth of 4.5% would be possible,” said CEO Rolf D. Freitag. Fully 40% of international travelers said the terror threats will affect their travel plans for 2016.

The group predicts the Asian market will grow by 4%, and the European market will increase by 2%. No change is expected in the North and South American markets.

Emirates Unveils New Seat for Business Class
Dubai-based Emirates Airlines used the trade show to reveal its new seat for Business Class flyers. It will be installed in all new Emirates Boeing 777s, the first of which is expected to arrive in November of this year.

Inspired by the interior of sports cars, the design aims to improve seating and sleeping comfort. The seats can be electrically moved into a fully flat sleeping position through a touch-screen controller, and feature a redesigned headrest, foot rest, and shoe stowage area. Other amenities include a private mini bar, a 23-inch personal television (one of the industry’s largest), in-flight entertainment system, a USB port to charge devices, and a HDMI port to stream content.

Emirates also improved the privacy panel between seats and expanded the personal meal table.

The Maldives Invests in Its Future 
Tourism is now the Maldives’ most important industry, and the island nation is banking on that for its future.

At the opening press conference, Moosa Zameer, tourism minister of the Maldives, said the country will make further investments in its infrastructure. Expansion for the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport is already underway, and further investments are being made to increase bed capacity. Ports are also currently under construction, as the Maldives looks to tap into the cruise market.

The Maldives, this year’s ITB partner country, also is a top destination for sustainable tourism.