Berlin  - Italy's first ever state secretary for tourism emphasised the role of the travel industry to combat the deepening global recession during a visit Wednesday to the world's biggest travel fair (ITB) in Berlin.

Tourism Secretary Michela Vittoria Brambini said that, at times of economic hardship, "it is all the more important to encourage those branches of the economy that generate wealth and create possibilities in the short term," adding that Italy was well positioned to do so.

The fair opened its doors Wednesday amid signs of falling demand, as both consumers and business cut back their travel plans in the face of the biggest downturn in the global economy since the Great Depression.

As a result, the number of exhibitors setting up shop at the ITB has slipped from 11,147 in 2008 to 11,098 this year from 187 nations. Last year 177,900 visitors passed through the ITB's turnstiles.

Nevertheless, Italy showed optimism, unveiling a 6-million-euro (7.6-million-dollar) advertising strategy aimed at boosting visitor numbers.

The 30-second advert is due to hit television screens in Germany, Austria and Switzerland early April.

The head of Italy's tourism agency (ENIT), Matteo Marzotto, said half the investment for the campaign was targeted at Germany, considered "Italy's No. 1 Customer," when it comes to tourist trade.

Brambini was keen to emphasise that Germany's interest in Italy is mutual. "It is nice to realise that it really is a two-way street, and that this exchange works in both directions," she said.

"This is especially important for our economies in these times of crisis," the Italian tourism secretary added.

Brambini explained that her role, created in May 2008, was to further develop Italy's tourist infrastructure, and ensure that standards were consistent in areas such as hotel star ratings.

At a press encounter during the ITB, as an agitated journalist demanded to know from Brambini why Italian museums and cultural institutions failed to recognise his press pass, as was customary in other European countries.

"I no longer write about Italy," the Swiss-based journalist said, "because it takes me three months to get into a museum."

Brambini said she was familiar with the problem and said, "we intend to improve this situation."

Despite the bleak economic times, Germans appears set to retain their title as travel champions, not just in Italy but across the world.

While a survey revealed that the travel plans of every seventh German were impacted by the financial crisis, this only led to a three per cent drop in people planning a holiday this year, bringing the figure to 73 per cent.

The travel research agency (FUR) said, since vacations were important to Germans, people were more likely to cancel short trips, rather than their main holiday.

A third of all Germans prefer to holiday in their own country. The most popular foreign destination is Spain, followed by Italy in second place.

However, the European destinations are facing competition from Mediterranean countries such as Turkey and northern Africa, experts predict. (dpa)