Bigger and Bolder ITB Asia 2019

ITB Asia this year is all set to witness deliberations from thought leaders on trends in the travel industry. The event will kick off from October 16-18, at Sands Expo and Convention Centre at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore. Katrina Leung, Managing Director, Messe Berlin (Singapore), shares more…

TT Bureau

Could you share details about this year’s ITB Asia?
ITB Asia 2019 and MiCE Show Asia 2019 will be held concurrently. The theme for ITB Asia this year is ‘Bold Thoughts, Bold Moves’. Under this theme, the conference will bring together thought leaders from across the MiCE, Leisure, Corporate, and Travel Tech sectors for high-level discussions on the trends that are galvanising change in the travel industry.

How will this year be different?
For the first time this year, ITB Asia will be organising the inaugural MiCE Show Asia 2019, which will focus on Asia-Pacific’s burgeoning MiCE sector. ITB Asia has also introduced a new Buyers Elite Partner Programme (BEPP) this year. Under this new initiative, every partner that recommends 15 successful buyers to attend the show will receive complimentary hosting by ITB Asia.

What will be attractive to the Middle East?
ITB Asia 2019 features a conference track dedicated to Muslim Travel, discussing business strategies to cater to this growing group of travellers. Additionally, other conference tracks include Travel & Tech, Destination Marketing, where top practitioners in these sectors will share insider tips in sessions such as ‘Marketing to Millennials’, ‘Discovering Best Practices from Leading Travel Buyers’, and startup spotlight sessions, among many. In addition, both ITB Asia and MiCE Show Asia will feature exhibitors from various popular tourism destinations, including Thailand, South Korea, Europe, the Baltics.

Could you share the area covered for Middle East and the number of participants and their details?
This year, a total of 58 National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) from Asia, Russia and Europe have registered a year-on-year growth of 23.8 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.

What are the expectations this year in terms of business?
Building on the 2018 trade show’s record-breaking number of attendees of over 11,000, ITB Asia 2019 will see at least 19 new NTOs and RTOs, with strong participation coming from Indonesia, Russia and South Korea. Europe alone has seen a 37.8 per cent increase in the number of exhibitors due to an increase in interest from Southern and Eastern Europe.