Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) announced the closing of a management contract with Primrose Capital (UK) involving the first newly built Waldorf Astoria hotel in Europe. The Waldorf Astoria Berlin will presumably open in 2011 and comprise 242 luxurious rooms and suites. It will be built in the so-called „Zoofenster“.

The conclusion of the contract is an example of HCC’s growth in the luxury segment. Not long ago, the Rome Cavalieri and the Trianon Palace Versailles became part of the Waldorf Astoria collection. The collection will grow further with The Bentley in London in 2009 and The Palace Jerusalem, scheduled to open in 2010.

Berlin presents itself as partner state of the German Pavilion for Children’s and Youth Travel

Jubilees in the youth travel segment will be celebrated at ITB Berlin: 20 years fall of the wall, ten years Youth Travel Center, five years „YIG-Deutschland-Pavillon“. YIG is an abbreviation for Youth Incoming Germany. The governing mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, acts as this year’s patron. He will open up the special exhibition area in hall 4.1 on March 11. The YIG Germany Pavilion will present its partner state Berlin inside the Youth Travel Center. The German capital seeks to attract more visitors with their offers of children’s and youth travel to German and international experts.

Leading figures discuss key topics of the air travel industry – Lufthansa Group board member Stefan Lauer grants insight into the strategies of the global player

The air travel industry will be facing tough challenges in 2009: highly fluctuating oil and kerosene prices, capital markets shaken by crises, over-capacities and forced climate protection. On March 13, 2009, high profile representatives of air carriers and aircraft manufacturers will be discussing the current topics on the international air travel industry during Aviation Day on the occasion of the ITB Berlin Convention.

The MS Columbus was built in Holland in 1910 and is a living example of maritime history. It used to serve as host for heads of state and wealthy people from all over Europe and led them through the famous waterways of the world.

Today, the ship is part of Sutera Harbour Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. It is 31.14 meters in length and can accommodate 70 passengers.

The financial crisis has started to show significant impact on the business travel behavior of the German economy. While in a survey of „Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement“ (VDR) in October 2008, only 14% of respondents had declared that all but the most necessary trips had been cancelled, the percentage climbed to 32% in January. And while almost half of respondents (49%) reported no changes to their travel behavior a quarter of a year ago, the figure has now dropped to a fifth (22%). A mere 2% are defying the crisis with increased mobility.

The east of Germany is gaining popularity in the travel market. According to the tourism barometer of „Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband“, for example, 63 million over-night stays were counted for 2007, trending upward. This is not surprising, as the New States shine not only with their cultural highlights, but also with their geographical location in the middle of Europe and their modern infrastructure.