Debut for ITB Berlin’s LGBT Academy in Japan
On 23 and 24 August 2017 the World's leading Travel Trade Show ® will host two workshops on lesbian and gay travel in Tokyo and Kyoto
On 23 and 24 August 2017 the World's leading Travel Trade Show ® will host two workshops on lesbian and gay travel in Tokyo and Kyoto
For the first time in Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun, ITB Berlin will host an LGBT Academy with two workshops in a row on lesbian and gay travel. On 23 August 2017 the World's leading Travel Trade Show ® will invite participants to a half-day event in Tokyo, and a day later visitors can find out more about the globally expanding LGBT market in the Imperial City of Kyoto.
Important partners of the workshops include Kyoto Convention & Visitors Bureau (www.kyoto.travel/en), Hotel Granvia Kyoto (www.granviakyoto.com), the Japanese publisher Ohta Publications (www.ohtapub.co.jp), All Nippon Airways (www.ana.co.jp), Out Japan (www.out-japan.com), Out Asia Travel (www.outasiatravel.com) and The Capitol Hotel Tokyu (www.capitolhoteltokyu.com/en/). Other sponsors include the Japan Association of Travel Agents JATA (www.jata-net.or.jp/english/), the Japan Hotel Association Kyoto Branch (www.j-hotel.or.jp/en/) and IGLTA (www.iglta.org), the world's leading global travel network dedicated to connecting and educating LGBT travelers.
ITB Berlin's CSR officer Rika Jean-Francois will welcome the guests. ITB Berlin is a strong supporter of human rights in tourism, both of travelers and local residents. Thomas Bömkes will introduce the LGBT segment of ITB Berlin. As general manager of Diversity Tourism in Munich he is also advises the trade show on LGBT matters.
He will be followed by Tom Roth, president of Community Marketing in San Francisco who, taking current market surveys, best practices and case studies into account, will show how companies and regions can actively attract LGBT tourism. Other scheduled events include the presentation of the 2nd UNWTO Global Report on LGBT Tourism, which besides many other international examples, notes ITB Berlin's role as the leading trade show for this market. Visitors can also gain an insight into the work of IGLTA Japan, into case studies by Hornet Media, who specialize in gay social networks, and Gay Travel Nepal. Q&A panel discussions will round off the events in Tokyo and Kyoto respectively.
About ITB Global Brand Family
For more than 50 years the name ITB has stood worldwide for the travel industry knowledge 365 days a year, networking and trendsetting events - in a virtual, in-person, or hybrid format alike. As the travel industry resurges, the ITB brand family is among the first to come back to offering on-site in-person events. ITB Asia will be held in Singapore from 15 to 17 October 2025, covering the broader regional market. ITB China, the premier marketplace for China's travel industry, is scheduled for 27 to 29 May 2025, in Shanghai. ITB India will take place in Mumbai from September 2 to 4, 2025. ITB Berlin, the world's leading B2B trade show for the travel industry, will take place in Berlin from March 3 to 5, 2026. The inaugural ITB Americas will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, from 10 to 12 November 2026, covering the American market.
Media Contact
Emanuel Höger
Press Spokesman and Press and Public Relations Director, Corporate Communication - Messe Berlin Group [email protected] +49 30 3038-2270