The 5th Silk Road Ministers’ Meeting, community empowerment through tourism and creative industries and the 30th meeting of World Tourism Network on Child Protection are UNWTO’s main activities during the ITB Travel Trade Show 2015 (Berlin, Germany, 4-8 March, 2015).
ITB Berlin Opening Ceremony (3 March, 18.00 – 20.00, CityCube Berlin Hall B)
UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, will deliver the opening speech at the ITB opening ceremony.
5th Silk Road Ministers’ Meeting: Strengthening Cooperation through Transnational Route Development (4 March, 11.00 – 13.00, Hall 7.3, Berlin Room)
The 5th UNWTO Silk Road Ministers’ Meeting will bring together Ministers of Tourism and high officials to discuss important developments regarding trans-boundary routes along the Silk Road, including the inscription of the first Silk Road Heritage Corridor on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Verotour project, the Maritime Silk Road and the Spice Route project.
4th Tour Operators’ Forum on the Silk Road: Unlocking the Silk Road's Adventure Travel Potential
This year’s Silk Road Tour Operators Forum, organized in cooperation with the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), will provide an opportunity for adventure travel experts and Silk Road tour operators to discuss opportunities for joint product development and cooperative marketing activities. It will look at how stakeholders can work together to raise the profile of the Silk Road as a world class adventure travel destination.
Community Empowerment through Creative Industries and Tourism: Special focus on Women, Youth, Indigenous Communities and People with Disabilities (6 March, 10.00-12.00, Room A5 CityCube Berlin)
Tourism and creative industries can contribute to socio-economic inclusion and empowerment of local communities, particularly vulnerable groups. Participants will share good practices to improve the livelihoods of communities through concrete business opportunities and an inclusive tourism value chain linked to creative industries and the hospitality sector.
30th Meeting of The World Tourism Network on Child Protection (6 March, 14.00-16.00, Room A5 CityCube Berlin)
Join UNWTO, governments, the tourism sector, international organizations, NGOs and media associations in the meeting of the World Tourism Network on Child Protection to curb the exploitation of children in the tourism sector. This year’s Special Session will focus on policing and law enforcement, while the Reporting Session is an open platform for exchanging good practices in the protection of children and youth in tourism.
The meeting will be led by the new chair of the Network, Former Executive Director of UNICEF, Carol Bellamy.
UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai will also join a number of other events during ITB, including the ITB Ministers’ Roundtable where he will discuss how to maximize the benefits of sport mega-events in a destination, together with the Minister of Tourism of Brazil, Vinicius Nobres Lages, the Minister of Tourism of South Africa, Derek Hanekom, the State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany, Iris Gleicke, and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of Poland, Tomasz Jedrzejczak.
ITB Minister’s Roundtable: Opportunities and Risks of Sport Mega-Events in cooperation with UNWTO: 5 March, 16.00 – 17.30 (Hall 7.1a Auditorium New York).
