The UNESCO World Heritage Site Bamberg, located in the Franconia region of Bavaria seems is a city that feels straight from an old location. Hilly scenes, Middle Age Architecture, Wooden fronts, narrow streets, it is no wonder the 80.000 inhabitant municipality is one of the prettiest in Germany. Good for a pub crawl, however, the famous Smoked Beer still needs to grow on me.
ITB Berlin Berlin arrived to the capital city today. The massive annual travel fair is the place to learn about new trends in the tourism sector.
The ITB Berlin runs until March 7th
Click below for this episode of Clipper Inspired on the African Nation Senegal. We met up with the Minister of Tourism, he gave us a quick view on the travel offerings.
Another place on the Main river, but Marktbreit wins the Picturesque Award. The romantic small town of around 3,700 sits in the middle of wine country with its old city wall and canal. I have never heard of the ancient Roman settlement until a recent quick visit on a warm German day. It was time well spent.
Marketbreit is located 136 km from Frankfurt and 30km from Wurzburg.
The Truffle experience is France is for everyone who wants to experience cuisine at a gourmet local level.
For this Clipper Inspired podcast we spoke to MooVeert CEO Pier Tognazzini, click below.
The last time I attended the ITB Berlin happened in 2019. It’s been a few years, the world of travel has changed. Restrictions, lock downs and a war gave travelers reasons to ponder.
March 2023, ITB Berlin welcomed back the tourism industry albeit on smaller scale. This time around, only professionals attended the three day trade fair from March 7th to 9th. After much discussion, public days were cancelled. However, that did not dull the pumped up feeling of being back for the big travel event.
Host country Georgia took front and center stage. The mountainous destination talked up offerings ranging from winter sports to distinctive cuisine. My view of the ancient country is a one with Georgian designers Demma, head of Balenciaga and London based David Koma both occupy prominent roles in the fashion industry as innovators. Hopefully, I’ll pay a visit the Caucasus nation.
Saudi Arabia made its presence felt with the biggest stand in Hall 2. The Middle East Kingdom has set an ambitious target of spending over $800 billion over seven years positioning itself as a travel destination with underwater resorts and promoting historic destinations such as Medina. A spokesperson for the travel office told me “We need to spend to get noticed.” Spending that amount of money, it will be impossible not to notice.
There were elephants in the room, traveling these days means turbulence. Going to an airport, a traveler can be forgiven for having a sense of dread. Labor shortages along with industrial actions have hindered travel schedules. Airline customer service is lacking. Horror stories of long delays, cancelled flights and lost baggage are common. Putting anything underneath the plane is a game of roulette, Good Luck! Recently, I was told about a flyer from Berlin to Lima, their luggage went into the Suitcase Black Hole, to be never seen again.
Staying with the times, Sustainable Travel topped several conferences. I am still uncertain how to approach this subject. Mass travel or accessible movement for all will leave an environmental footprint. Let’s face it, when on a holiday, most travelers want to leave the problems of the world behind. But during the Maldives conference, the low laying country expressed concerns about rising ocean levels. Saying “Responsible Travel” is easy, putting the concept into practice, that is still an answered question.
All and all, ITB Berlin like travel is making a recovery. My fingers are crossed.
Tune into the Clipper Inspired Podcast travel episodes.
We mothballed the travel podcast, but in celebration of the ITB Berlin returning, Clipper Inspired has been revived. From the German capital we’ll be reporting all the news about the travel world. The places to go. When to go? Where to go? How to go?
I did not anything about the Italian city Lucca. A German friend recommended the ancient Tuscany settlement calling it “Schon” meaning “Lovely”. Located thirty minutes from both Pisa and the beach by train, Lucca for any traveler would be a great stop off point to explore the region.
What struck me about the walled city were the picturesque settings of squares, narrow streets and towers. Strolling around looking up, forward, back or around there is a scene or architectural style ready for a photo. Blessed with many cafes and restaurants with authentic atmosphere, the morning cafe or dinner options are numerous.
Staying in Lucca for one day was not enough, next time, more.
A local staycation delayed over the past few months finally happened. A travel to North Germany in June, not exactly the warmest summer destination, but well worth it. I was not familiar with Stralsund. A medieval Hansa League Baltic port city in Mecklenberg Vorpommern 280 km from Berlin.
Having no expectations on my first visit, the surprise was genuine. A UNESCO World Heritage City, Stralsund, founded in 1234, offers a lot. Large churches, architecture, expressive color palette facades and cobblestone streets worthy of a few days of exploration.
Stay Tuned for Part 2. I have a lot of pictures to share.
Excitement is in the air. Or should we say on a lake. The next Black and Paper fashion production will take place in Northern Italy, at Lake Garda. Preparing the details, the team cannot help but feel excited. A location of spectacular scenery that inspires our imagination.
The collaboration born from a discussion at the ITB Berlin. We said “Yes” after the first 2 minutes of chatting.