The eastern Costa del Sol town of Torrox is being promoted in Hamberg which is hosting the Berlin International Tourism Fair
Torrox has taken advantage of the celebration of the Berlin International Tourism Fair (ITB), which is being held from March 7 to 9, to promote itself in Hamburg, the second most populous city in Germany.
The mayor, Óscar Medina, and the Councilor for Trade and Development, Sandra Extremera, have been warmly received in Hamburg by the local media, including the popular German newspaper Bild.
The municipality of Torrox has come to have one of the most important German communities in the Iberian Peninsula.
In his first statements, the councillor from Torrox highlighted that there are currently thousands of residents and tourists from German cities such as Hamburg and Bremen who are enjoying the good weather in Torrox these days, “where you can even walk in short sleeves” he added, while in Germany it is currently snowing.
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport is also participating Berlin International Tourism Exchange, accompanied by around 80 companies from the region with the aim of reinforcing the air connectivity of the community with the markets international markets, consolidating its position among the major operators in the market and lay the foundations to attract new generations of travellers.
This was announced by the sector’s counsellor, Arturo Bernal, during the presentation in Malaga of this event, where he stated that the ITB “is the best possible scenario to attract international tourists” and highlighted the importance of an edition in which the attendance in a contest that accentuates their professional profile, focused exclusively on business by reducing the days of duration and eliminating the sessions for the general public.
In addition, he stressed that the appointment “arrives at a key moment, at the beginning of 2023, which should be the consolidation of the German market in Andalusia”, the second international issuer for the destination and of special interest “due to its greater stay and spending daily average and its deseasonalizing capacity».
At this point, he assessed the recovery experienced by this market in the community, standing 2022 only 18% below the number of tourists received in 2019. It is expected that this year the levels of travellers will recover and even increase by 10 % overnight stays compared to the year prior to the pandemic.
The boost in demand should also contribute to the generation of new flights to the destination, so attention will also be paid to improving the community’s air connectivity in the meetings that are expected to be held with airline managers.
The planned appointments will also make it possible to convey to intermediaries in the German market the Ministry’s intention to attract new generations of travellers, young people from Generation Z between the ages of 18 and 25 who are “the future of tourism” and who will be influenced to continue to gain share in traditional issuers for the destination.
Thus, within the framework of this objective, the Andalusian offer is being analyzed to adapt the services to the demands of these customers and the needs and products that arouse the most interest among this generation are being investigated through a national focus group, to those that must be considered “a new way of approaching”.
1,500 PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS
The Board’s investment in this fair will reach 430,000 euros (VAT included) and will affect the generation of business and the possibilities offered by the complementarity of the destination to attract visitors outside of the high season.
Andalusia will have its own exhibitor of 500 square meters at the ITB, with the presence of the whole offer through the eight provincial boards. In addition, there will be a work area with 38 tables for professional meetings and around 80 companies from the region will be present, holding some 1,500 appointments.
The image of Andalusia will also be disseminated in different relevant advertising media at the Messe Berlin venue to guarantee the attendance of the exhibitor. In addition, their attractions and proposals will be presented to prescribers and creators of tourist content.
The action of the Board in Berlin will extend beyond the tourist event itself, with a promotional event focused on the cultural offer and, in particular, on flamenco. The event will be held in the Umweltforum event space and the attending German agents will be able to contact Andalucian companies and enjoy the folklore of the destination.
