The presence of over 1,300 buyers as well as booking of 87 pc of the available exhibition space have propelled ITB Berlin 2024
ITB Berlin 2024 opened in Berlin on Tuesday with a record turnout of exhibitors numbering over 5,500 from 170 countries around the world. The exhibition organisers also say that as much as 87 pc of total exhibition area has been booked this year, another record performance.
World’s largest tourism fair ITB Berlin 2024 opened with a record number of 5,500 exhibitors representing 170 countries.
According to a press statement by the organisers, the presence of over 1,300 buyers as well as booking of 87 pc of the available exhibition space have propelled ITB Berlin 2024 to new heights.
The statement adds that taking as its slogan Beauty Has An Address, this year’s Official Host Country the Sultanate of Oman is strongly represented and is taking part in a wide range of activities and events, including at the ITB Berlin Convention, as sponsor of the ITB Blogger Base, and as partner of the ITB MICE Night. The Sultanate is presenting 5,000 years of history and its rich cultural heritage at the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show.
On March 6 at Philharmonie Berlin, the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hamdan Al Shuaili, will perform a concert spanning classical music and works from Oman.
The organisers say that the slogan of the ITB Berlin 2024 is Pioneer the Transition in Travel & Tourism. Together. Taking place with 17 theme tracks and on four live stages, 200 sessions featuring experts will discuss topics including travel technology, marketing & sales, future travel, MICE, sustainability, destination management, hospitality, social responsibility, business travel, future work, AI, web 3.0 and chatbots. Some 400 speakers representing big names such as Booking.com, Phocuswright, TUI, the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), Google, Trip.com and Microsoft will provide fascinating insights on the future of tourism, they add.
In cooperation with the leading management consultancy Dr Fried & Partner from Munich, the ITB Buyers Circle, a long-standing institution at ITB Berlin with its senior buyers, took part in a survey for the Global Travel Buyer Index (GTBI). A total of 1,000 handpicked buyers, selected for their purchasing volume, offered their insights in the latest survey, says the statement.
The majority of the first round of GTBI interviews took place between December 2023 and February of this year. The participation of several hundred members of the Buyers Circle offered an interesting look at the composition of the circle and the overall economic mood. Europe remained the leading source market, with Germany accounting for over 25 pc. Asia and North America made up around 7 and 5 pc respectively. The buying categories reflected a wide range of interests. Hotels dominated at around 81 pc, while activities and events and DMC services each accounted for around 50 pc. Transfers, flights, cruises and rental car services made up the remaining share of buyers’ interests.
The statement adds that clear favourites and trends were the hallmark of travel in 2023 as Spain was the most-visited destination again, while Dubai was the highest-rated. Among the five highest-rated destinations behind Dubai were the Maldives, last year’s winner, South Africa and Abu Dhabi. Sun & beach destinations were extremely popular, reflecting continuing desire for this type of vacation, while air travel continues to be the most popular form of transport. The year 2023 was characterised by a significant rise in travel spending. The figures point to a keen desire to travel and the industry’s recovery. IPK International offers an optimistic outlook and forecasts a full recovery by late 2024, indicating an upward trend and growing confidence among travellers.
