According to an analysis by STR Global, hotels in Milan, Italy, reported record-breaking performance in October and significant performance increases across the six months of Expo Milano 2015. Aggregated data for Milan from May through October showed a 51.1 per cent lift in revenue per available room when compared with the same six months from 2014.

Astana EXPO 2017 has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s flag carrier, to become a partner in the exhibition. Under the deal the airline will hold the exclusive status of Official Air Carrier of EXPO 2017. The official signing ceremony was held in Astana earlier, with the signatories being Astana EXPO 2017 chairman, Akhmetzhan Yesimov, and Air Astana president, Peter Foster.

Germany’s pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 takes the form of a ‘Fields of Ideas’ and greets guests under the motto ‘Be active’. The world exposition’s theme is ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’, with the German pavilion clearly orientating itself to this leitmotif - vividly illustrating just how important dealing respectfully with nature is to future human nutrition. Here Breaking Travel News editor Chris O’Toole speaks with Marion Conrady to find out more.

Switzerland was the first country to join Expo Milano 2015, presenting a pavilion which reflects on the scarcity of food resources in specific areas around the world. The pavilion is made up of four towers, full of local food products which the visitor can take away. But there is a limit to the resources available; to exceed that limit is to deprive other visitors of the same opportunities. Breaking Travel News editor talks with pavilion director Manuel Salchli to find more about the eye opening concept.

Dassault Systèmes and Expo Milano 2015 have unveiled the enhanced virtual tour, a 3D-immersive, real-time experience that brings the Expo Milano 2015 to life with new levels of realism and features for millions of visitors.  The enhanced virtual tour blends virtual reality and 3D realistic pictures with gamification and educational techniques to share the World Expo in an interactive way.

Vladimir Putin has been welcomed to Expo Milan 2015 by Italian president prime minister Matteo Renzi. He is the latest in a long line of international leaders to attend the event, with the Russian president in Milan for Russia’s national day celebrations. While at Expo 2015 he toured the Russian pavilion, which is focused on the sustainable food industry.