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Germany warms to Wykeham McNeill at ITB Berlin
BY EILEEN FERGUSON Observer writer ferguson.munich@yahoo.com
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
BERLIN, Germany — Jamaica is hoping to reap the benefits of Tourism Minister Dr Wykeham McNeill's visit to the recently concluded ITB in Berlin, Germany, the world's largest tourism policy summit and the world's largest meeting place for international policy decision makers.
Dr McNeill was among more than 100 ministers of tourism and state secretaries from across the globe, and leading representatives from the public as well as the private sector. The trade show was attended by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel; the President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; representatives of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, (PATA); the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
At the annual exhibition which was opened exclusively to trade visitors from March 5-9 and then to the general public from March 8, Minister McNeill met with key tourism industry partners such as leading tour operators as well as airlines from Germany, the rest of Europe and from other regions across the world.
For the first time, visitors to the exhibition were able to book their trips directly at the ITB and, according to a poll of visitors conducted by the ITB, one in three visitors had the intention of booking a trip during their visit.
One of the high points of the visit of the Jamaican delegation, which also included John Lynch, Jamaica's director of tourism, was a 'Jamaican evening' at Juleps Restaurant hosted by the Jamaican Tourist Board whose representation in Germany is headed by Patricia Samuels, attaché for tourism and culture. This event was attended by more than 120 guests including German tour operators, the media and co-exhibitors who enjoyed the chance to sample Jamaican food and music, and interact with the
visiting Jamaicans.
Another highlight for Jamaica was the announcement by Minister McNeill and Condor airline's head of planning and international relations, Herwig Oberhuber, that Condor would be increasing its number of flights from Germany to Jamaica from one to three weekly. Condor currently flies once weekly from Munich to Montego Bay and two additional flights will link MoBay to Frankfurt, beginning in November of this year.
McNeill expressed his joy at Condor's latest plans, which will further enhance tourist arrivals from the German-speaking market to Jamaica. He announced the upcoming visa-waiver programme for visitors from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, some of the most recent entrants to the European Union.
While in Germany, the minister also participated in the 2nd WWF 'High-level Dialogue on Measures to Control GHG Emissions from International Aviation', a workshop hosted by the World Wide Fund for Nature in Berlin. Dr McNeill was also a presenter during a panel discussion on "The Intersection between Aviation, Tourism, Trade and Mitigating Climate Change".
Just over a week before the ITB, the Jamaica Tourist Board also participated in the annual f.re.e trade fair, dubbed the interactive fair for leisure and travel, which took place in the southern German city of Munich over a period of five days and was attended by 110,000 visitors.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2PPuaneD4
BY EILEEN FERGUSON Observer writer ferguson.munich@yahoo.com
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
BERLIN, Germany — Jamaica is hoping to reap the benefits of Tourism Minister Dr Wykeham McNeill's visit to the recently concluded ITB in Berlin, Germany, the world's largest tourism policy summit and the world's largest meeting place for international policy decision makers.
Dr McNeill was among more than 100 ministers of tourism and state secretaries from across the globe, and leading representatives from the public as well as the private sector. The trade show was attended by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel; the President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; representatives of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, (PATA); the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
At the annual exhibition which was opened exclusively to trade visitors from March 5-9 and then to the general public from March 8, Minister McNeill met with key tourism industry partners such as leading tour operators as well as airlines from Germany, the rest of Europe and from other regions across the world.
For the first time, visitors to the exhibition were able to book their trips directly at the ITB and, according to a poll of visitors conducted by the ITB, one in three visitors had the intention of booking a trip during their visit.
One of the high points of the visit of the Jamaican delegation, which also included John Lynch, Jamaica's director of tourism, was a 'Jamaican evening' at Juleps Restaurant hosted by the Jamaican Tourist Board whose representation in Germany is headed by Patricia Samuels, attaché for tourism and culture. This event was attended by more than 120 guests including German tour operators, the media and co-exhibitors who enjoyed the chance to sample Jamaican food and music, and interact with the
visiting Jamaicans.
Another highlight for Jamaica was the announcement by Minister McNeill and Condor airline's head of planning and international relations, Herwig Oberhuber, that Condor would be increasing its number of flights from Germany to Jamaica from one to three weekly. Condor currently flies once weekly from Munich to Montego Bay and two additional flights will link MoBay to Frankfurt, beginning in November of this year.
McNeill expressed his joy at Condor's latest plans, which will further enhance tourist arrivals from the German-speaking market to Jamaica. He announced the upcoming visa-waiver programme for visitors from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, some of the most recent entrants to the European Union.
While in Germany, the minister also participated in the 2nd WWF 'High-level Dialogue on Measures to Control GHG Emissions from International Aviation', a workshop hosted by the World Wide Fund for Nature in Berlin. Dr McNeill was also a presenter during a panel discussion on "The Intersection between Aviation, Tourism, Trade and Mitigating Climate Change".
Just over a week before the ITB, the Jamaica Tourist Board also participated in the annual f.re.e trade fair, dubbed the interactive fair for leisure and travel, which took place in the southern German city of Munich over a period of five days and was attended by 110,000 visitors.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2PPuaneD4
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