MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions)

European Union travel agencies may be suffering somewhat financially, but for the moment the repercussions from the September terrorism attack are not near as bad as first anticipated, said Carl Axel Rheborg, president of ECTAA, which is the group of national agents and tour operators’ associations within the European Union.

An International Conference on Air Transport and Airports and their evolution in the 21st Century takes place next month at the University of Patras on December 3 and 4. Organizers expect to welcome some 300 experts in air transport from the European Union, including Greece, and other countries of the region (Southeastern Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East).

Greece’s tourism heads were optimistic after their contacts with UK’s most important tour operators during the International World Tourism Market in London last month. General Tourism Secretary Dimitrios Georgarakis and Hellenic Tourism Organization President Evgenios Yiannakopoulos said everything looked very positive for a good tourism period next year.

Congress and convention specialist, Wolfram D. Svoboda, the head of marketing at the International Congress Center Berlin, said he’s very optimistic on the future of congresses as people always will have the demand for personal contacts and personal exchange of thoughts.

Official reaction to Greece’s tourism sector, in light of the September 11 events, was more than optimistic during this year’s Philoxenia travel fair held last month in Thessaloniki. The country’s new development minister, Akis Tsohatzopoulos, did more than his part by attending almost every side event related to the trade with his usual effervescent personality.

If anything was crystal clear at the last month’s Destination Greece conference organized by the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, it was that Greece has a fantastic opportunity to develop its tourism sector. All that’s needed is the decision.

The International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin (March 16-20, 2002) has launched a virtual market place with more than 2,500 exhibitors on its site, www.itb-berlin.de. The virtual fair provides a 24-hour means of communication and information between exhibitors and visitors throughout the year.

As seen in the article on Greek cuisine, local wines, spirits, soft drinks and culinary specialties play an integral part in international travel and tourism. To acknowledge this, and as a celebration of the 11 years that World Travel Market has been based at Earls Court, the organizers of this year’s fair (November 12-15) have created a new Discovery initiative “Savor the World”.

The International Exhibition “Ports 2001” for the construction, development and management of ports in view of 2004 took place on September 27-28, 2001 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

World Travel Market 2001 (12-15 November) in London, is to turn the spotlight on the latest ‘buzzword’ for the industry – effective customer relationship management (CRM). In partnership with KPMG, one of the world’s leading professional services firms, World Travel Market will lead the industry one step beyond e-travel with a high profile debate ‘Who Cares?’