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13 : 03 : 18

Youth travel played an important part in this year’s event, with many talks and stands representing the market. A key theme that emerged was parent-free travel among Generation Z, who are becoming increasingly independent.

Ruf, a supervised travel group for children aged 11 to 23 years, promoted its new programs at ITB Berlin's Youth Travel pavilion. The established German company organises European, long distance and ski packages for teenagers to experience travel without the rules of parents or the structure of school trips. In 2018, Ruf will expand its portfolio to include cruise trips, allowing those of over 16 years to embark on cruises around the Mediterranean, Adria and Cuba. Typically associated with the much-older Baby Boomer generation, the cruise programs will be youth-focused, including pools with water slides, evening entertainment, trips to street food markets and dedicated party tours.

Youth and student travel organisation WYSE also addressed how young people are funding their travel experiences in a panel discussion. While youth travel has long been associated with privilege, in the US 75% of trips among young people are self-funded and parental funding is also on the decline in the UK.

According to the show, 2018 saw a record number of exhibitors at the Gay & Lesbian Travel Pavilion, with destinations such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Bilbao and Chicago all vying for the LGBT tourist.

A country that stood out among the list was Thailand, who were endorsing LGBT tourism for the first time as the official presenting partner for ITB Berlin, following a 2018 advertising campaign entitled Open to New Shades. Thailand has unofficially enjoyed popularity among the gay community for years, but critics considered this partnership a milestone for a country that has been slow to openly promote the segment.

The show also highlighted the tour operators willing to take a stand in destinations that are less LGBT-friendly. John Tanzella, head of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), said his company created a foundation to help ‘emerging LGBT destinations in difficult contexts’. This includes Uganda, a country where homosexuality is illegal, where Tanzella has a local team working to encourage safe LGBT travel.

One of the biggest keynotes from the event was delivered by Nathan Blecharczyk, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Airbnb.

In his talk, Blecharczyk discussed how Airbnb has a home for everyone, but just too many options. This problem stems from the website design - Airbnb was created to feature a small number of homes as opposed to the millions it now offers. To tackle this, he announced the launch of categories, subcategories and collections.

Right now, navigating the website's 4.5 million listings can only be filtered based on three categories: shared room, private room or entire place. With the upcoming categories, users will be able to search according to a large range of preferences, such as the uniqueness of the home, architectural style and the option to stay with someone with a specific personality. Homes suitable for families, honeymoons, work and dinner parties will also be easier to find with its dedicated collections.

The co-founder also presented the Airbnb's plans for its forthcoming luxury expansion. Alongside awarding its top users discounts and perks as a Superhost or Superguest, Airbnb Plus will collate listings verified by a specialist team for their quality, ensuring they have a rating of over 4.8, a stocked kitchen, comfortable bedding and good wifi.

Meanwhile, on the east side of the city, the Berlin Travel Festival celebrated its inaugural year. At the weekend event, the trusty guide book got a much-needed update. As a travel essential that hasn’t changed in years and has struggled to compete with digitalisation, numerous exhibitors presented their modern alternatives to the show.

Publishing house The Gentle Temper brought its range of Take Me to the Lakes books, a series of minimally-designed guide books that highlight Germany’s lesser-known lakes. Its Berlin edition enables people living in the city to escape to serene spots as close as twenty minutes away. By clearly outlining routes by public transport and providing Google Maps co-ordinates, the books acknowledge that most young people looking to venture on day or weekend trips don’t have easy access to a car, and encourages serendipitous getaways.

Also taking a youthful approach to the physical guide book was Carl Goes, an independent publisher with city guides for travelling entrepreneurs. In its Berlin, Leizpig, Amsterdam, London and Kassel editions, the book provides information on how travellers can fit into the city as a local, find a job, an apartment and make friends. By interviewing local residents from different backgrounds, those intending to live in the city short-term or long-term can bypass the feeling of being a tourist.