DAY 1 3 MARCH 2026 THE ITB NEWSPAPER 60TH ANNIVERSARY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ITB BERLIN! Suddenly under fire: Destinations such as Dubai used to be perceived as safe. PIX123.DE/DAVID VASICEK ITB Berlin is celebrating its 60th anniversary with new innovative formats. But there is also space for nostalgia. Page 6 Iran war hits global travel ITB BERLIN Regional conflict impacts travellers worldwide and ITB participants. PAUL NEEDHAM The dramatic escalation of the war against Iran has quickly hit the international travel industry with flights cancelled throughout the Middle East and countless travellers stranded at airports, in hotels and on cruise ships. There are now travel warnings for many destinations across the region. In parallel, the airspace closure has prevented the arrival of many ITB participants from the region or due to fly via air hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. Top officials are likely to be missing from many delegations. But so far only Israel has officially cancelled its participation at ITB due to the conflict. According to Messe Berlin, most ITB events and activities will go ahead as planned. Speakers at the ITB opening press conference on Monday ex- pressed their concern about developments but could not make any forecasts. Its still too early to make any predictions. Were monitoring the situation very closely, said Albin Loibl, president of the German Travel Industry Assocation (DRV). He stressed that the safety of travellers and local partners has top priority at the moment. About 30,000 Germans are stranded in the Gulf region at the moment (see p.4). According to DRV figures, the UAE and Egypt are among the fastest-growing booked destinations on the German market so far this year. CONSUMER TRENDS GERMANS KEEP TRAVELLING The outlook is good for the German outbound market this year, surveys show. Popular destinations remain in demand and spending is rising. Page 7 Daily 1 your way to the e-paper Just scan the QR code with your mobile phone and start reading. Where to find us Editorial: Hall 6.3, Room 207 redaktion@fvw.de All news daily on fvw.com DAY 1 3 MARCH 2026 THE ITB NEWSPAPER 60TH ANNIVERSARY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ITB BERLIN! Suddenly under fire: Destinations such as Dubai used to be perceived as safe. PIX123.DE/DAVID VASICEK ITB Berlin is celebrating its 60th anniversary with new innovative formats. But there is also space for nost #fvwkongress All information can be found here! 15. / 16. SEPTEMBER 2026 PENTAHOTEL LEIPZIG Your Gateway to Global Travel Insight Join as Partner, Sponsor, or Attendee. Partner performed by 3 3 Dear ITB Visitor, ITB Berlin has been affected by the impacts of many international conflicts as well as natural catastrophes and not least a pandemic over the course of its 60 years. This year is no different. The attacks on Iran by the USA FVW MEDIEN/MAJ and Israel have already had many con 4 12:45 7.1A ORANGE STAGE JOSCHKA FISCHER ON GEOPOLITICS Amid the Middle East crisis, former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer discusses geopolitical shifts, the new world order and the implications for tourism. 15:35 7.1A ORANGE STAGE LEAD TOURISM INTO BALANCE Industry leaders discuss top 6 WEAK JANUARY BUT NO SLUMP German holiday bookings weakened in January against a strong previous year, the latest monthly figures from Travel Data + Analytics (TDA) showed. Although January is traditionally the strongest holiday sales month of the year, booked travel revenues for summer 2026 were 7 Germany, 42% plan to travel elsewhere in Europe, 20% to other continents, and 13% are still undecided. Within Europe, Spain continues to lead, followed by Italy, Scandinavia, Turkey, Greece, France, Austria, and Croatia. BAT SURVEY Germans are travelling more than they have in 20 years and tra 8 A step onto the big stage CONSUMER TRENDS AI TOOLS ENTER TRAVEL SEARCH More Germans are using AI tools to research travel but the technology does not play a significant role in booking travel yet, according to a survey by RTK, Germanys biggest travel agency cooperation. This found that 14% of r 9 Not only leisure travel OLIVER GRAUE The Business Lounge will be the meeting place for everyone involved in business travel on all days of the ITB. Travel managers can talk to industry colleagues here, as well as to the 18 exhibiting providers. On 3 and 4 March, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Home 10 Organised travel grows faster GERMAN AIRLINES CAPACITY CUTS FOR ALGARVE The Algarve, the top holiday destination in Portugal for Germans, is seeing capacity cuts as Condor withdraws and TUIfly scales back. Eurowings, however, is adding seats. Condor cites the financial viability of these route 11 The results show that Germans are still keen to travel in 2026, despite economic uncertainties. They want to travel but they want to plan well and focus clearly on value for money, safety and comfort. This is a good sign for suppliers at home and abroad, says Sören Hartmann, President of the Fe