Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Mr. Michael Glos, today opened the European Tourism Conference in Berlin with more than 500 international guests from the political, economic and scientific fields.
The Bulgarian EU Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Ms. Meglena Kuneva, also spoke at the Conference on "Tourism - Growth Engine of the Future", which was initiated by Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism, Mr. Ernst Hinsken, and organised by the German National Tourist Board.
Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Michael Glos: "The growth prospects of tourism are good. It is worth discussing also within the European framework how to make optimum use of these potentials."
Various groups of experts discussed particularly interesting growth sectors of the European tourism industry in the Berlin Estrel hotel. The Mayor of Stuttgart, Mr. Wolfgang Schuster, reported on the city's experiences with the FIFA World Cup and its impact on tourism in the region. Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism, Ernst Hinsken: " Europe is very interested in our experiences in this area. Making use of mega sports events in the tourism industry currently is an exciting topic."
Other groups dealt with business tourism, cooperation between cities taking special account of border-free marketing of art and culture and the impact of demographic change on the European travel industry.
Federal Minister Glos: "Owing to the combination of the Conference with the Germany Travel Mart we offer to the world of tourism a comprehensive platform not only to exchange opinions, but also to establish new business contacts."
Government representatives of all Member States of the European Union also attended the Conference. They will meet tomorrow, on 16 May 2007, during an Informal Ministerial Meeting of the EU Tourism Ministers in Potsdam.
