The ITB Berlin 2020 does not take place. Due to the increasing spread of the new type of coronavirus COVID-19, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Economics have decided to cancel the ITB Berlin. The responsible health department of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in Berlin has increased the requirements for holding the event this evening (6:27 p.m.). Among other things, the authority orders: Every trade fair participant must prove to Messe Berlin that they do not come from the defined risk areas or that they have had contact with a person from the risk areas. All of the conditions cannot be implemented by Messe Berlin.

Star Alliance welcomed THAI Smile Airways as a Star Alliance Connecting Partner at an official ceremony held today in Bangkok. The auspicious occasion was celebrated with a traditional Thai performance at THAI Airways International headquarters in the presence of member airline representatives.
THAI Smile became the second Connecting Partner of Star Alliance. The Connecting Partner Model was first introduced in May 2017 allowing airlines to connect to the Star Alliance network without becoming a member airline.This collaboration is the first of its kind in Thailand.

Great honor for the small but fine Phuket, Thailand, hotel group Aksara Collection with the hotels SIS Kata and Kata Sea Breeze as well as the apartment hotel Patra Mansion. Aksara Collection is a privately owned family company. Hotel specialist Matthew C Hindmarch, who is known far beyond the borders of Phuket, manages the three hotels for the owners. The name Aksara is an artificial name derived from the names of the three owners.
Matthew C. Hindmarch will attend the coming ITB

The Ramada Plaza BKK with General Manager Willem Pentermann, received the “ASEAN MICE Venue Standard 2020-2022.” The tribute is organised by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and audited by the Management System Certification Institute (Thailand) (MASCI).

Outrigger Hospitality Group Honolulu, Hawaii, is pleased to announce Brent Shiratori as vice president, global brand group and Oswaldo D. Lopez as vice president, construction and project management.“Growth is an integral part of Outrigger’s strategic business plan, so having expertise in branding and
construction is critical to our success; Brent and Oswaldo are both leaders in their respective fields and we’re fortunate to have their skills in our team,” said Sean Dee, executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

Berlin attracts increasing numbers of visitors: 13.96 million visitors (+ 3.4 %) and 34.12 million overnight stays (+ 3.8 %). Visitors from Germany up by almost five per cent over the previous year. Prognosis 2020: Innovative Tourism Plan, new airport and strong congress sector ready to meet global challenges
Berlin’s tourism sector starts 2020 with a growth of 3.8 % in the number of overnight stays. From January to December 2019, around 14 million people visited Berlin – an increase of 3.4 % over 2018. The number of overnight stays rose to 34.1 million, representing an increase of approximately 1.25 million overnight stays and around 460,000 guests.