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ITB Asia 2023 has returned for its 16th edition occupying two full floors of the Sands Expo & Convention Centre!
Proving that it is the largest travel trade show in the continent, ITB Asia kicked off with over 1,838 international exhibitors, a 35% increase in new exhibitors, a 38% increase in MICE, and more than 200% growth in travel technology. Over 1,300 global top-tier buyers, and over a hundred conference speakers.
From October 25-27, ITB Asia 2023 promises networking opportunities with international exhibitors with insightful conference sessions. Guest of Honour Alvin Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore, opened the show together with Melissa Ow, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board and David Ruetz, Senior Vice President, Messe Berlin, who inaugurated the show.
“I am delighted about the noticeable rise in the number of international exhibitors. The ITB global brand family is making a strong case in 2023 as the travel industry resurges. Coming back to the live format in 2022, ITB Asia has established itself as a trendsetter for the entire branch. As the world keeps changing at an unprecedented pace, we expect it to become the cradle for the industry’s cutting-edge trends, the cultivating space of free idea exchange and sustainable cooperations,” says Mr Ruetz.
Insightful talks
Adopting the theme “Accelerating Growth: Paving the Way for New Opportunities in Travel & Tourism”, the ITB Asia Conference will become a hotspot for new ideas and networking. Over 160 speakers will deliver 4,000 minutes of speeches in over 100 sessions spanning 3 days. The attendees will discuss topics critical to the future of MICE, corporate travel, leisure travel, and travel technology.
Hermione Joye, Sector Lead, Travel and Vertical Search APAC, Google, and James Liang, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Board, Trip.com Group will deliver the opening keynotes of the conference. The Knowledge Theatre conference track runs in parallel with MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia.
The Startup Arena within the Travel Tech Asia Hall will offer an exciting opportunity for startup exhibitors to showcase their innovations to the expert audience.
Focus on Destinations
This year’s ITB Asia exhibition boasts an impressive selection of over 80 National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs). The show features exhibition sponsors, including Busan Tourism Organization, Japan National Tourism Organization, Korea Tourism Startup Center, Penang Global Tourism, Sentosa Development Corporation, Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines, and Visit Finland.
The State of Palestine’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is one of the exhibitors this year despite the ongoing war. Majed Ishaq, Director General of Marketing, Palestine Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said that they showed up at ITB Asia 2023 due to two reasons. “We already paid a lot of money from the government to be here before the war happened; and to show that we exist.”
Mr. Ishaq stressed how tourism is very important for Palestine. When asked if there are flights flying to Palestine, Mr. Ishaq said that there are no flights at the moment. However, he hoped that the conflict would be resolved soon, so Palestine could welcome tourists back to the holy land. I looked at the photos of Palestine in the brochure he handed to me. It looked very different from the image that I saw in the news earlier.
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