With over 1,300 global top-tier buyers and 1,838 international exhibitors, ITB Asia began in Singapore today opening the gateway to Asia’s travel trade sector with a strong start, advancing the theme of “Accelerating Growth: Paving the Way for New Opportunities in Travel and Tourism”.

ITB Asia, Asia’s leading travel trade show, officially launched today at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. According to a press statement by the organisers, co-located with MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia, the event promises three days of networking opportunities with international exhibitors and insightful conference sessions. Key players including  1,838 international exhibitors were noted on the opening day. The statement adds that a 35 pc increase in new exhibitors, 38 pc increase in MICE and 200 pc growth in travel technology was witnessed.

With over 1,300 global top-tier buyers, and over a hundred conference speakers participating, ITB Asia 2023 is off to a strong start, adds the statement.

Adopting the theme “Accelerating Growth: Paving the Way for New Opportunities in Travel and Tourism”, the organisers say that 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.

It says that Guest of Honour Alvin Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore, opened the show together while Melissa Ow, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board and David Ruetz, Senior Vice President, Messe Berlin, did the honour of inaugurating 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 corporations”, says Ruetz.

According to the organisers, this year’s ITB Asia exhibition boasts a selection of over 80 National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs). They add that headlined by the exhibition sponsors, including Busan Tourism Organisation, Japan National Tourism Organisation, Korea Tourism Startup Center, Penang Global Tourism, Sentosa Development Corporation, Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and Visit Finland, the show will foster hundreds of cooperations between destinations, buyers and service providers.

The statement adds that 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 organisers say that 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. The booth registration for ITB Asia 2024 is open now, with Super Early Bird rates available until October 31, 2023. Registration is available online as well as at the Sales Booth during the show.