WHL Group Finds Promising Warmth at ITB 2010, Both in the Main Space and at the Fringe Travel Event

Luke Ford
16 March 2010

A bitterly cold Berlin welcomed the WHL Group to this year’s ITB Berlin, along with the representatives of 14 destinations from within the whl.travel network, including Antigua & Barbuda, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Colombia, Cook Islands, Ecuador, Greece, Malaysia, Malta, North Cyprus, Oman, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine.

The WHL Group's Europe and the Middle East office team meet at ITB with Murat Boranalp (right) of Marjinal Travel, the whl.travel local partner for Ephesus, Turkey

It was no surprise that there was so many participants from around the world as ITB is one of the world’s leading travel industry trade shows. It did seem somewhat quiet compared to previous years, but that certainly wasn’t the case according to official visitors’ statistics, with a total of 11,098 exhibiting companies from 189 countries, and almost 110,900 trade visitors. In fact, there were almost double the number of exhibitors from Asia and Africa on last years figures, a sign that the markets are recovering following the global financial downturn.

The WHL Group team made the journey to ITB this year to meet with the various whl.travel local connections present, as well as to discuss new partnerships with others interested in joining what is now the world’s largest local-travel network.

Will Plummer of Alanka Tours, the whl.travel local partner in Oman, commented that “The value of [the WHL Group] network becomes very evident at events like ITB, when you can meet with other whl.travel partners and have an instant trust and friendship with people you’re meeting for the first time. You know they’re a good company and can trust their products are going to be of high quality.”

Fringe Travel Event

Hosted by The Blue Yonder (a tour operator leading the field in local, sustainable travel experiences in India), along with Green Circuit, the Fringe Travel Event was by all accounts a big success. The goal of the gathering was to bring together travel companies in an informal atmosphere to meet, discuss and share their ideas. Held within ITB’s Trends and Events stand – a space dedicated to companies doing something a little bit different in tourism – and listed as an official gathering on the ITB programme, the Fringe Travel Event generated some real interest, drawing an impressive 150 participants to the room.

Klaudija Janzelj presents the WHL Group at the Fringe Travel Event of ITB Berlin

With such a diverse group of people, the conversation was guaranteed to flow well into the evening (and morning for some!). The WHL Group team was fortunate to be able to present at the event to the various tour operators, and travel and development agencies present. Ms. Klaudija Janzelj of the WHL Group’s Europe and the Middle East office commented, “It was so nice to meet with so many passionate travel professionals all dedicated to responsible tourism, it was the highlight of the trade show this year.”

At a massive show like ITB with over 110,000 exhibitors, it is difficult to sift through those that actually offer unique travel experiences that focus on responsible tourism. That’s what makes the networking and connections encouraged through the Fringe Travel Event so beneficial.

For more information about Fringe Travel, their events and their get-togethers at major travel trade shows, read about their event at the WTM 2009 and visit http://fringetravel.ning.com.