As each year, in beginning of March, there was one of the biggest international tourism based fairs held in Berlin. This year it was the 50th instalment of the event, which the organizers can be really proud of. The main partner of this year's evet was the island country Maldives, stating they want to attract as many visitors in the near future as possible. They are made up of more than 2000 islands based in the Indian Ocean, not far from mainland India. Their biggest industries are fishing and tourism. In the past few years the tourist visits are raising as the visitors and locals realize that many islands can get flooded in the upcoming century due to global warning. Maldives are a popular tourist destination for newlyweds, and also for spending holidays on paradise beaches.
For me a visit to the tourist fair is experiencing cultures, gathering knowledge about the desired destinations and making business. In 2015 I attended my first ITB in berlin and was more than thrilled. I felt the world was at the palm of my hand. There were representatives of 180 countries worldwide, showing their tourist offer. There was a big emphases on promotion of countries, seminars, job interviews and business opportunities. The statistics show that over 100.000 people attend the annual event.
Since independency Slovenians have been present at the fair as well. Everybody who's interested in visiting Slovenia can find all the information in hall 17, where tourist promoters from various organizations are showing Slovenia off in the best possible light. Green tourism is the ongoing trend and that's where Slovenia green comes from. A successful presentation and marketing of Slovenia is bases on the good knowledge of the market and a presentation which is focused on the guest. A green country is using the slogan »I feel Slovenia« for some years now and the guests really can get the feel of Slovenia through all of their senses. Apart the information about Slovenia, activates, accommodation and experience the visitors can also taste the culinary treats of the land and have a wine degustation. For the second year in the row Jurij Črnčec is in charge of catering, and due to his experience and knowledge he's earned the honorary title of the Hospitality Ambassador.
Each country wants to leave the best impression on the visitor, and the tourist workers are aware of that, because without tourism there is no real economy in the land. Organizers announce the partner country of the fair each year for a year in advance and that's the opportunity for promotion. In 2017 it will be Botswana. The country is in the southern part of Africa and known as one of the largest exporters of diamonds. It's got a lot of untouched nature and low population density, so tourism is one of the important economic branches. The authorities are trying to make it mass tourism, by limiting the numbers and setting high prices on safaris.
Welcome to Berlin in March 2017! If you feel Berlin is too far, you should know it's not the only such fair in Europe, as there are closer ones as well in Vienna, Zagreb, Rimini and Belgrade.
