750.000 Chinese visitors to Expo Milano. Alessandro Rosso Group, nominated by the Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Commerce (CCPIT) which is the official partner of the Chinese Pavillion at Expo Milano 2015 for the organisation of events, logistics, travel and hospitality services, participates at an important roadshow organised by CCPIT and Expo Milano 2015 to promote the Universal Exhibition in China.

From our colleague IMTIAZ MUQBIL, Managing Editor of Travel Impact Newswire , Bangkok
When Ms Neeta Lachmandas-Sakellariou, Assistant Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, addressed the opening press conference of ITB Asia on Oct 29, she dwelt extensively on the opportunities of a booming Asia-Pacific tourism industry, as well as the challenges. She made no mention of any threats. Not that she, a well-trained Singapore government executive, and Messe Berlin, the German organisers of ITB Asia, are unaware of the looming threats. However, as is the case in travel industry events in Asia and beyond, they are swept under the carpet. Whether such dumbing-down serves the best interests of the industry at large, especially its rank-and-file workers, is worth pondering.

Four new ITB Academy webinars offer a wealth of knowledge for the New Year – the focus of the free online seminars is on wellness, travel trends and information for exhibitors and proprietors of travel agencies. The ITB Academy has four new webinars that will be offering concentrated knowledge with quick updates in one-hour sessions for tourism managers and other participants. The wide-ranging list of topics in November and December includes wellness in the future, the latest travel trends and valuable information for exhibitors.

airberlin celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin wall at the weekend of November 9, 2014 up in the air and also on the ground. On Saturday evening, the airberlin guests of the three round trips enjoyed an exceptional view of the LICHTGRENZE, made up of 8,000 luminous balloons, and the former route of the border. Captain Michael Thiess and his crew operated the round trips departing from Berlin-Tegel with a Bombardier Dash Q 400 in a flying altitude of approximately 1,000 metres over Berlin’s city center. Please scroll to the end to see our Gallery.

Participants at the UNWTO & World Travel Market (WTM) Ministers’ Summit stressed that “immense synergies” between mega-events and tourism should be used to generate long-time benefits for the destination and its people (London, United Kingdom).The impact of public exposure during international events, coupled with investments in infrastructure, represents one of the key long-term potentials of mega events. This was the key message coming out of the eighth UNWTO & WTM Ministers’ Summit under the theme, “Tourism and Mega-Events: building a lasting legacy”, moderated by CNN International’s Max Foster.

At the Closing Session of the 53rd ICCA Congress, held in Antalya, Turkey, ICCA President Nina Freysen-Pretorius announced that the ICCA Board of Directors had selected Dubai as the host destination for 2018, saying: “Not only did this bid fully meet our business objectives and logistical requirements, the Board considered it to be a truly exceptional proposal.” ICCA CEO Martin Sirk added: “Dubai is positioning itself as the Middle East hub for association development, and the potential for ICCA membership growth is very exciting, so there are very compelling business opportunities for both ICCA and our members.”