Can travel be sustainable? Industry charts new future at ITB Berlin

euronews (in English)

With global travel and tourism expected to make a full recovery this year after the pandemic, the industry faces mounting pressure to deliver on its sustainability pledges.

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 Hello from Berlin, where the world is coming together

00:10 for the ITB Travel Trade Show.

00:13 We're here to explore the latest trends and talking points

00:17 shaping the industry and the holidays and experiences

00:21 of tomorrow.

00:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:26 From Thailand to Turkey, India to Italy,

00:29 all sorts of destinations are here competing for attention

00:34 from the crowds.

00:35 This is the year global tourism is expected to fully recover

00:39 after the pandemic, despite economic and geopolitical

00:44 challenges.

00:45 But it comes with mounting pressure

00:47 to deliver on sustainability.

00:50 We see that people want to travel,

00:52 and they actually diversify much more.

00:54 So there are more countries in the spotlight,

00:57 even more than before.

00:58 And of course, sustainability and responsibility

01:01 is a very important topic.

01:03 People are more mindful now, and they

01:05 see that there is a responsibility

01:07 in using sustainable options.

01:10 For Italy, a favorite on Europe's tourism map,

01:13 sustainability is a crucial issue.

01:16 It's one of many countries taking action

01:18 to manage flows of visitors and to protect cultural heritage

01:23 and the environment.

01:24 In Venice, there's a new entry fee

01:27 for day trippers during peak times of the year.

01:31 It won't reduce by itself tourism flows,

01:34 but it certainly will give much more awareness, on the one

01:37 hand, to the city, to the citizens,

01:41 and also to the tourism sector of Venice,

01:44 but also to the tourists.

01:45 They should be both responsibly taking care of these issues.

01:49 And I think it's a question of really of awareness,

01:52 which is changing completely.

01:54 Sustainability is also on the mind of Oman,

02:01 as it looks to grow annual tourist numbers to 11 million

02:04 by 2040, putting quality over quantity,

02:09 as it works to diversify its economy.

02:13 Sustainability is a call for our tourism industry.

02:16 We don't look for mass tourism, because we

02:19 are aware of footprint.

02:20 When we promote our destination, we

02:22 promote as a premium destination,

02:23 so we look more on quality.

02:27 Japan is a country encouraging tourists

02:29 to go off the beaten track, to not only visit the hot spots,

02:33 but also to discover lesser-known places and nature,

02:38 and to connect with communities, something

02:40 it hopes visitors will do when they flock to the World

02:43 Expo in Osaka next year.

02:47 One of the key themes of the Expo

02:49 is sustainability and also designing the future.

02:53 And this also relates to tourism.

02:56 We hope that visitors will travel to Japan,

02:59 enjoy a couple of days at the Expo in Osaka,

03:02 and travel beyond Osaka.

03:04 Osaka is a very good hub to travel throughout Japan

03:07 from north to south.

03:10 Algeria is looking to grow visitor numbers to 10 million

03:14 a year by 2030.

03:16 Health and wellness tourism based around thermal waters

03:20 is a focus, along with adventures in the Sahara.

03:23 [SPEAKING FRENCH]

03:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]

03:47 Thailand has long attracted travellers

03:49 with its natural beauty and vibrant culture

03:52 and traditions.

03:54 But it too is developing health and wellness tourism.

03:57 Countries reporting a 20% rise in demand since the pandemic.

04:03 The destination itself can be regenerative.

04:06 And we also have to try authentic procedure

04:11 for health and wellness.

04:12 For example, like Thai massage, we have a lot of demand

04:15 from all over the world.

04:17 Tech is also a big talking point amongst the crowds

04:20 here at ITB, artificial intelligence in particular.

04:26 When we talk about the shortage of skills to workers,

04:29 it's a great option to fulfil skills and work that

04:33 has to be done.

04:34 But the people are missing for that.

04:35 So AI can definitely jump in that and can help out.

04:39 And we see it in basically, for example, customer services.

04:42 You can use AI for customer service, definitely.

04:45 Travel is an industry that's in buoyant mood

04:49 as it navigates its way to a new future.

04:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]

04:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]

04:58 (upbeat music)

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