The World's biggest travel fair, the ITB, drew to a close in Berlin on Sunday with record number of visitors and sales totalling billions of euros, according to dpa. Some 177,000 people attended the five-day showcase of the global tourist industry, which attracted nearly 11,000 exhibitors from 184 countries. Organizers reported sales of more than 5 billion euros (6.5 billion dollars), with 97 per cent of the exhibitors reporting good to very good business - 5 per cent more than last year, the ITB said. India was the partner country of this year's fair, which also played host to a series of seminars on eco-tourism and the effects of low-cost airlines on travel habits. The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said worldwide arrivals had grown more than 20 per cent in the past three years to 842 million and would increase at an annual rate of about 4 per cent. A spokesperson for Indian exhibitors, who booked a whole hall to show off their cultural and tourism attractions, said business was better than last year. On Tuesday evening, India showed off its rich cultural diversity at a gala attended by German Economics Minister Glos and Indian Tourism Minister Ambika Soni.
