The upcoming annual conference of the Association of German Tour Operators and Travel Agencies (DRV), scheduled for October 28 to 31 at the Costa Navarino resort in Greece’s Messinia region, southwest Peloponnese, ranks as one of the most significant tourism industry events for the European and international markets.
The conference comes as a yet another exceptional opportunity for Greece to project its tourism product in Germany, one of Europe’s biggest tourism markets. Also, this event’s staging at the Costa Navarino resort promises to further enhance Greece’s reputation as a host for major-scale conferences of international reach, while also contributing to the promotion of conference tourism.
The registered participants, numbering over 450, include Germany’s biggest tour operators, travel agents, influencers, German travel writers, as well as journalists representing German media.
The conference motto, “We are the journey, departure for the new today”, reflects the new era in German politics, following the recent change of government, as well as the pandemic-related difficulties persevered by the country’s tourism industry, now completing two of the most challenging years in its history and seeking a brighter future. DRV president Mr. Norbert Fiebig, commenting on the conference, stressed that emphasis is being placed on tourism’s restart and the major challenges of the future.
The conference’s proceedings will begin October 28 with a detailed presentation of Greece’s diverse tourism product, while Greek tourism minister Mr. Vassilis Kikilias is expected to deliver a speech.
On October 29, the conference’s main day, particular attention will be paid to three subjects, politics, environmental protection and sustainability, as well as a shortage of qualified personnel in tourism. The subjects will be analysed in speeches and discussions involving officials from the political, research, academic, health, media and travel industry spheres.
During the first part of a conference section titled “Politics and industry together for the future”, involving Thomas Bareiß (CDU), the government’s commissioner for tourism and small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as Wolfgang Bosbach (CDU) and Volker Wissing (FDP), discussion will focus on how political decisions impact the travel industry and what can be expected of the new German government.
Also, well-known German virologist Dr. Alexander Kekulé will discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, its impact on political decisions, as well as the prospects for the travel industry and travellers.
Mr. Heimke Mansfeld of the HOPE Mallorca Foundation, a support group for tourism-dependent Mallorca, devastated by the pandemic, will present the Spanish island as a case study in his analysis on how areas are affected when tourists stop arriving.
Views on environmental protection and sustainability will be presented by Mrs. Antje Boetius, Scientific Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research; Alexander Held, Senior Expert at the European Forest Institute (EFI); and Dr. Andreas Matzarakis of DWD, the German Meteorological Service.
A conference section theme to focus on the shortage of qualified personnel in tourism, as well as the efforts needed to stop the exodus of skilled workers and find and retain new skilled workers and trainees, will feature Mr. Bodo Janssen, CEO of the Upstalsboom hotel chain and a best-selling author, along with travel blogger Mrs. Jana Kalea Schauff and representatives of Stepstone and LinkedIn. Changing work values will be at the nucleus of their discussion.
On October 30, specialised workshops to be staged within the framework of the conference will focus on the travel industry as well as the Peloponnese as a destination. Issues to be examined and presented through these workshops will include changes in business travel; entrepreneurial model and product changes for tourism enterprises; as well as the German Travel Insurance Fund’s (DRSF) new insolvency protection.
In addition, conference participants will be offered a presentation of the Peloponnese through a workshop, while the conference will be brought to an end by Andrea Grießmann, presenter of the television travel show “Wunderschön” on WDR, who, based on her experience, will discuss the beauty and importance of travel.
Eight prize winners of this year’s tourism-related Young Talents competition organised by DRV, the German travel association, will also be taking part in the conference. The eight winners, who won prizes for tourism-related videos, are: Jennifer Däbritz, Loreen Friedrich, Alina Otterbach, Amalia-Rebecca Pascu, Ben Aaron Redlin, Lea Reiners, Marie Charlotte Wintgen and Linda Wustmann.
Commenting on their efforts, Mr. Fiebig, president of DRV, noted: “It is very encouraging to see and sense the excitement of new talents. With their creative and exciting videos, they showed, in an impressive way, that we really do work in the world’s most beautiful industry. With their passion, they are brilliant ambassadors for the diverse career opportunities offered by tourism. The lack of skilled workers is and will be one of the biggest challenges, but with such talent, we are not concerned about the future of our industry.”
Finally, to get to know the Messinia region better, conference participants will be able to select from six different excursions covering the castles of Pylos and Methoni, or ancient Messinia, all between three and four hours long. Attendants will also be given the opportunity to participate in olive oil production or grape harvest, as well as trekking.
