Arrival, transfer from Munich airport to Merano, accommodation

Registration, The Meran Kurhaus

Plenary Session: The Development of Inter-state Railway Traffic as a Factor for Growth in the Tourist Market

• Key trends in rail tourism in Europe. Competition factors in the market.
• Advantages of railway routes for tourism. How can we increase the competitive gap between rail and other means of transport?
• The likelihood of setting up international consortia to develop high-speed routes across Eurasia.
• Key factors of demand. Pros and cons of long-distance trips for railway and tourist businesses.
• The future of old routes in remote corners of Europe. Will the comfort and mobility of modern railways win over the customers?
• The prospects of the night city trains. What should the market expect?

Moderator:
Vladimir Yakunin, President, Russian Railways

Speaking:
Hans Berger, Vice-Governor, Bolzano Province, Minister of Tourism and Agriculture
Alexey Meshkov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Italy
Stasys Dailydka, General Director, Lithuanian Railways
Vincenzo Soprano, Chief Executive Officer, Trenitalia
Ignacio Barron de Angoiti, Director of Passengers and High Speed, International Union of Railways

Coffee break

Panel Discussion: Setting up International Railway Tours: Challenges and Prospects

• Traveling without borders: advantages of Eurail and InterRail Pass.
• Marketing tools. How can we attract more tourists to traveling by train?
• Building partnerships between carriers and tour operators.
• How can we ensure regular tourist flows on major routes in the teeth of seasonal factors?
• New avenues in rail tourism. How can we ensure they are profitable and attractive enough against the backdrop of traditional routes?
• New opportunities for health and spa resorts in Russia.

Moderator:
Ignacio Barron de Angoiti, Director of Passengers and High Speed, International Union of Railways

Speaking:
Rieck Gottfried, Founder and General Director, Majestic Imperator Train
De Luxe Wagon Charter GesmbH
René de Groot, Managing Director, Eurail Group G.I.E.
Marina Linke, Operations Director, GW Travel Limited
Alexander Shamshiev, General Director, RZD-Travel
Dmitry Vetchinka, General Director, Telecom-Express

Lunch

Panel Discussion: Integrating Russian Routes into the European Tourism Network

• Moscow-Nice train: a project for the European business
• Prospects for extending broad gauge to Vienna to help boost tourism flows between Russia and Europe.
• Tourist trips between Russia and Finland as an example of integration of the Russian routes into the European tourism network.
• The role of national cultures in tourism.
• Tariff optimization for railroad passenger transportation.
• Prospects for more tourist railway routes managed by Russian tourist operators and new ways of distribution.

Moderator:
Mikhail Akulov, Vice-President, Russian Railways – General Director, Federal Passenger Company

Speaking:
Galina Andreeva, Deputy Director, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
Ermanno Chizzali, President, Igna’s Tour
Dmitry Gorin, General Director, V.I.P. Service
Yury Karadjov, Travel & Transportation Sales Leader, IBM in Eastern Europe and Asia
Nurlan Mukash, Executive Director, Lernidee Trains & Cruises
Günther Januth, Mayor, Merano

Round table
Raising Opportunities of Selling Russian Tourist Routes and Tickets in Europe

Moderator:
Andrey Kaliberdin, Deputy General Director, Federal Passenger Company

Speaking:
Dmitry Gorin, General Director, V.I.P. Service
Alexander Ledenev, Deputy Head, Sales Department, Federal Passenger Company
Marina Linke, Operations Director, GW Travel Limited
Frederic Parde, Plenipotentiary for Russia International Development Direction, SNCF
Werner Pietsch, Senior Partner, DB Autozug
Christiani Raimon, Global Leader, Travel & Transportation Center
of Competence, IBM
Christophe Ritter, Senior Partner, Sabre

Reception on behalf of Luis Durnwalder, Governor of Bolzano, and Vladimir Yakunin, President of the Russian Railways. The Meran Kurhaus

Departure, transfer to Munich airports