Leading Markets at Berlin's Tourism Exhibition

Adventure tours and eco-tourism are among the fastest growing markets in the tourism sector, a trend accurately mirrored by events at ITB Berlin.

In the Trends & Events Hall (4.1) a total of 123 tour operators, tourism boards and organisations representing 31 countries are presenting their latest Adventure Eco, Youth Travel and Economy Accommodation products, with information on expeditions, diving holidays and nature tours, as well as sustainable tourism.

Numerous international exhibitors can be found in the Adventure Eco section in particular, among them Tourism for Peace Jenin & Gilboa, a tourism project from Israel and the Palestinian territories.

SHARKPROJECT

On March 11th, for the first time at the world’s leading travel trade show, a Shark Day organised by SHARKPROJECT will be taking place at ITB Berlin 2011, sponsored by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.

According to a survey by the North Atlantic Dalhousie University in Halifax, over the past six years the number of deep sea sharks has fallen by 80 per cent.

At a podium discussion representatives of international tourism organisations as well as the celebrity figure and actor Hannes Jaenicke, who for years has been championing wildlife conservation, will discuss Marine biodiversity, sharks and tourism – which is the aggressor?

Next weekend at ITB, visitors will also be able to see the MS Haitanic exhibition and the film entitled Hannes Jaenicke im Einsatz für Haie.

(Source Breaking Travel News)

Dinning in style when you flying!

In order to control their costs many Airlines have been rudely attacked the meals served to passengers. Maybe this could sound like a cost effective idea but had affected consumers preference into the long run.

Flight search engine Skyscanner has released a list of the top 10 airlines for in-flight meals - and not one Australian or US airline made the cut.

So which airline should you pick if you want a tasty mid-air treat?

Emirates came out on top in the survey, with the eastern flavour also proving to be popular with six of the top 10 airlines based in the Middle East and Asia.

Four European airlines made the grade, with Lufthansa coming second and Russian carrier Aeroflot scoring fourth place.

“Emirates is passionate about providing great in-flight cuisine and we see it as a crucial part of our product offering. Individual menus are carefully planned for each route we serve to ensure we cater for the diverse cultures and preferences of our international customers,” Robin Padgett, Emirates' Vice President - Aircraft Catering, said.

More than 1200 people were asked to rate their in-flight meals based on taste, presentation and choice.

An overall calculation was then made for each of the 35 airlines featured in the survey.

Skyscanner Director Barry Smith said that airlines are placing more importance on the quality of food they serve.

"Although there are some notable exceptions, airlines are making huge efforts to provide good-quality meals, with many even appointing celebrity chefs as consultants," Mr Smith said.

“It is interesting to see these Middle Eastern and Asian airlines ranking so highly.

"Airline food is notorious for being bland and perhaps it is the use of these strong eastern flavours and spices that is contributing to their popularity. Possibly it’s also because exotic flavours get people in a holiday mood.”

The top ten highest scoring airlines were:

1. Emirates

2. Lufthansa

3. Singapore Airlines

4. Aeroflot

5. Qatar

6. Malaysia Airlines

7. Thai Airways

8. Etihad

9. KLM

10. Air France

(Source Travelnews.com)