The ninth edition of ITB Asia opened in Singapore on Wednesday 19 October, promising more content, countries and appointments than ever before.
Addressing the opening media briefing at Singapore’s Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Dr Martin Buck, senior vice president of Messe Berlin, said that ITB Asia 2016 would be “biggest and most exciting” edition since the trade show began in 2008.
Several firsts for this year include three full days of keynote conferences, a halal tourism summit organised by CrescentRating, and new partnerships with Singapore Airlines and International SOS.
This year’s event will also see more than 15,000 pre-arranged buyer-seller appointments – a new record. More than 60% of the buyers attending the show were recommended by exhibitors and other show partners.
“As we are witnessing a rise in travel demand amongst Asian buyers, we are constantly working with our exhibitors and partners to create new frontiers and provide the best business platforms for them to connect with the key decision-makers in the MICE, corporate and leisure travel industry,” explained Katrina Leung, executive director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia.
There will also be more countries represented at this year’s ITB Asia, with Panama and Taiwan exhibiting for the first time. Other nations have increased their exhibition space for 2016, including Japan and partner country Finland, both of which have 60% more floorspace than last year. Indonesia meanwhile, has increased its floorspace by 70%, and its 400m² exhibition stand is now the largest in the event’s history.
A three-day event, ITB Asia continues on 20 and 21 October.
Comments are closed.