Marine biodiversity, sharks and tourism – which is the aggressor?

Press Release ITB Berlin March 2011

Adventure tours and eco-tourism are among the fastest growing markets in the tourism sector, a trend accurately mirrored by events at ITB Berlin this spring.

In the Trends & Events Hall a total of 123 tour operators, tourism boards and organisations representing 31 countries are presenting their latest Adventure Eco, Youth Travel and Economy Accommodation products, with information on expeditions, diving holidays and nature tours, as well as sustainable tourism. Numerous international exhibitors can be found in the Adventure Eco section in particular, among them Tourism for Peace Jenin & Gilboa, a tourism project from Israel and the Palestinian territories.

On 11 March, for the first time at the world’s leading travel trade show, a Shark Day organised by SHARKPROJECT will be taking place at ITB Berlin 2011, sponsored by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit. According to a survey by the North Atlantic Dalhousie University in Halifax, over the past six years the number of deep sea sharks has fallen by 80 per cent. At a podium discussion representatives of international tourism organisations as well as the celebrity figure and actor Hannes Jaenicke, who for years has been championing wildlife conservation, will discuss ”Marine biodiversity, sharks and tourism – which is the aggressor?“

Next weekend at ITB, visitors will also be able to see the MS Haitanic exhibition and the film entitled “Hannes Jaenicke im Einsatz für Haie“.