This ITB World Travel Trends Report tracks trends in outbound travel demand for the first eight to nine months of 2008, with estimates for the full 12 months of the year and preliminary forecasts for 2009.¹

Now more commonly known as the Pisa Forum – the 'think tank' of the annual tourism calendar – this two-day annual event was this year held on 6-7 November in San Giuliano Terme, near Pisa, Italy. As usual, the Forum was organised in cooperation with the European Travel Commission (ETC), attracting more than 60 participants from around the world.

All authorities on world tourism, the participants comprised heads of marketing and research of international tourism bodies such as the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), as well as national tourism organisations from Europe, the Americas and Asia, regional tourism associations, international research institutes and private companies from travel and tourism and related sectors.

Representatives of the private sector included the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), the Philadelphia-based economic forecasters Tourism Economics; HIS Global Insight Boston, Synovate Censydiam; the Department of Travel & Tourism Management at the Worms University of Applied Sciences; the Japan Travel Bureau (JTB) Foundation; the World Youth Student & Educational Travel Confederation; and ADV, the German Airports Association.

The participants, who came from around 30 countries, represented all regions of Europe, plus North and South America, and Northeast and Southeast Asia – as always, a multi-national, multi-disciplinary group of experts, who have given the Pisa Forum a growing reputation as the annual 'think tank' of the global tourism industry.

This summary report, commissioned by ITB Berlin, can only provide a brief overview of the wealth of information on travel and tourism demand exchanged by the participants in Pisa, but it highlights the main conclusions of more than two days of intensive discussion and debate.

ITB Berlin is delighted to be closely associated with the Pisa Forum for the fourth consecutive year and, in co-operation with IPK International, we will be looking more closely at the development of travel and tourism demand over the next few months, in the run-up to ITB Berlin in March 2009.

Meanwhile, we hope you will all find this report useful.

Dr Martin Buck Director ITB Berlin
Rolf Freitag, President & CEO IPK International

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¹ - Commissioned by ITB Berlin from IPK International, organisers of the 16th annual World Travel Monitor Forum.