Some 177,000 visitors attended world´s leading travel trade show

Menorcan presence at the ITB Tourism Convention in Berlin

BERLIN. Gabriel Pons, Francisco Tutzó and Bartomeu at the Menorca stand

A highly committed delegation of travel trade professionals represented Menorca at the ITB travel trade show between 7th and 11th March but Germany remains a challenging market for the island

FREDERIK NAUMANN.Sant Lluís/Flensburg

ITB has taken place in Berlin for the 41st consecutive time and once again set new records. A total of 10,923 exhibiting companies from 184 countries presented their tourism attractions on a display area measuring some 160,000 square metres, ranging from service providers such as hotels and airlines to tour operators as well as individual countries and regions. The number of visitors reached a new all-time record as well. According to preliminary statistics released by Messe Berlin GmbH, 177,154 visitors attended the show compared to roughly 163,000 in 2006; 108,735 of them were travel trade professionals. The number of industry professionals attending ITB has thus increased by 15% over last year. The show´s first three days (7th to 9th March) were exclusively dedicated to travel trade professionals whilst ITB opened for the general public on Saturday and Sunday. This year´s Official ITB Partner Country was India.

Spanish attractions

Spain has been among ITB´s loyal exhibiting countries ever since its initial presence back in 1968. This year, more than 350 exhibitors from Spain and its regions gathered to present their attractions. Spain highlighted particularly two upcoming international events at ITB, the America´s Cup in Valencia as well as the Expo Zaragoza 2008. The 32nd America´s Cup, a spectacular sailing competition, gets underway next month with the opening fleet race from 3rd to 7th April. The actual America´s Cup races will be held from 23rd June to 7th July. A huge level of investment has gone into Valencia since it won this prestigious event back in 2003, and the region enjoyed particular attention even at ITB.

Generally, Spanish exhibitors met with great interest from ITB´s visitors. The country presented itself in a huge hall, and visitors could obtain extensive information about all aspects of travelling to Spain. For example, AENA (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea) presented its airport network covering all of the country. Particular attention was given to AENA´s current investment projects, among them the ongoing multi-million euro upgrade of Menorca Airport. On the opening day of ITB, Spanish exhibitors welcomed prominent guests: in the course of his traditional opening tour, the German Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Michael Glos, paid a visit to the Spanish stands. He and his wife, Ilse Glos, received a warm welcome from his Spanish colleague Joan Clos i Matheu (Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade) and José Chaves, Secretário Turismo.

"Day of the Balearics"

Traditionally, the Balearic Islands have their own two exhibition halls at ITB located close to the other Spanish exhibitors. As on previous issues of the travel trade show, a special "Day of the Balearics" was initiated to promote the region. It took place on Thursday 8th March and generated additional interest among travel trade professionals attending the show on that day. The Balearic delegation that had come to Berlin for the "Day of the Balearics" was headed by Jaume Matas, President of the Government of the Balearic Islands. Mr Matas was accompanied by the Balearic Minister of Tourism, Joan Flaquer Riutort, as well as the President of Menorca´s Consell Insular, Joana Barceló. As Jaume Matas explained, 12.57 million tourists visited the Balearic archipelago last year, an increase of 7.9% over 2005. Germany remained the region´s most important source market with 3.9 million visitors, the United Kingdom followed in second position with 3.3 million tourists and the Spanish domestic market took rank three with 2.4 million tourists.

Vast media attention (both from local Balearic media as well as from German press and TV stations) was not only given to the prominent Balearic guests but also to four German celebrities who gathered at the "Day of the Balearics" activities. Tim Mälzer, a celebrity chef frequently spotted on German TV programmes, gave a cooking performance using olive oil from Mallorca whilst Boris Becker and Carl-Uwe Steeb (two former world-class tennis players) joined with the German top model Claudia Schiffer in a press conference promoting the ŒMallorca Classic´ Golf Course taking place in October. Referring to this event, President Jaume Matas described it as important to promote the variety of tourist offers available on the Balearic Islands "apart from the sun and the beaches". The announcement of a new conference centre for Palma, which will be set on the city´s waterfront and provide capacity for 2,000 delegates, gained much interest especially among conference travel trade professionals attending the ITB.

Menorca Presentation

Visitors entering ITB´s exhibition hall 7.2 were immediately greeted by a huge stand with an illuminated background displaying a Menorcan beach. Another eye catcher was an illuminated placard showing a typical fiesta scene with the Menorcan horse. The stand could hardly be overlooked and attracted numerous visitors, both travel trade professionals and interested public, who were able to gather vast information about Menorca from a team of local tourism professionals who had travelled to Berlin. The delegation was headed by Francisco Tutzó Bennasar (President, Fundació Turisme Menorca), Bartomeu Riudavets (Managing Director, Fundació Turisme Menorca), Nicolás Bordoy (President, Fomento del Turismo) and the Delegate of the Government of the Balearic Island on Menorca, Juan Domínguez. Moreover, several hoteliers and incoming agents from Menorca attended the ITB. Among the last-named group was, for example, Gabriel Pons Cardona, the Managing Director of Viatges Magon. The Menorcan delegates had numerous meetings with representatives of leading international tour operators and even talks regarding cruise ship calls in order to further develop this segment. Many visitors approached Menorca´s stand in order to obtain general information material or even to ask specific questions.

A wide selection of multilingual brochures featuring Menorca was distributed at ITB. This material included a new brochure issued only recently by the Fundació Turisme Menorca. Concentrating mainly on the use of excellent photos, the professionally created 24-page publication features all aspects of Menorca and therefore serves to give a thorough first impression of the destination. The new brochure carries Menorca´s new official logo and the "Menorca ­ Delight Your Senses" slogan which were unveiled only last November at the World Travel Market.

Challenge for Menorca

Germany appears to remain a difficult market for Menorca despite the very committed and professional presentation delivered at ITB this year. Generally, German tour operators are in a good mood, not at least since the country´s economy has recently developed well and contributed to stimulate private spending. According to Klaus Laepple, President of the German Travel Association, expenditure of the world leaders in foreign travel amounted to 60.5 billion euros in 2006 and is expected to increase even further this year. However, Menorca appears not to benefit from this trend. Hanover-based TUI AG, for Menorca one of the most important German tour operators, has so far registered a 6% decline in bookings for both Menorca and Mallorca this year. Travellers´ increasing price-sensitivity is unfavourable for Menorca and beneficial for cheap destinations such as Turkey which is currently among the fastest growing destinations on the German market. Also Portugal, Greece and Egypt haveseen significant increases.

However, not all German tour operators report declining booking figures for Menorca. Positive news come from smaller suppliers such as FTI-Touristik GmbH and Schauinsland-Reisen GmbH who deliberately go beyond traditional arrangements to focus on new, less price-sensitive segments. Such efforts are paying: in its current catalogue, Munich-based FTI-Touristik has devoted no less than 26 pages to Menorca, and the company has so far seen a 50% increase in bookings over the figures of 2006; a particular increase was noted for May. Duisburg-based Schauinsland-Reisen has devoted 20 pages to Menorca in its catalogue and placed it ahead of Mallorca and Ibiza; booking figures are understood to be 10% higher than in 2006. "Unfortunately, most Germans have just a vague idea of Menorca these days", an experienced German travel trade professional commented upon the ITB, "and because of that they have no chance to realise that the island could be their tailored destination. After all, Menorca boasts a combination of unspoiled flair, activities, cultural and natural richness. That is what many travellers are looking for". The professional added that travel agents are rather a part of the dilemma: "Many agents believe that Menorca is just an island for families with small children. Contrary, a young couple entering a German travel agency and asking for a Spanish destination other than Ibiza or Mallorca will mostly be recommended a holiday on the Canary Islands, probably on Lanzarote. Few agents recognise Menorca´s potential to offer precisely what these clients demand". He added that rapidly growing niche segments (such as agrotourism) bear a chance to increase the number of tourists on the island.

The Fundació Turisme Menorca will make efforts to increasingly penetrate the German source market in the months to come. This includes a promotion campaign which is due to be launched at Germany´s most important airports in April.