• ITB Asia 2018 has seen a record number of new exhibitors signing up for the show this year with more than 85% of the show floor already booked
• Ministry of Tourism from Republic of Indonesia to join ITB Asia 2018 as this year’s largest exhibitor
ITB Asia, ‘Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show’ is already exceeding expectations on exhibitor numbers, recording a 20.8% increase in new exhibitors signing up for the show, versus the same period last year. This comes after the enormous success of last year’s 10th anniversary show which saw record-breaking numbers with 113 countries exhibiting at the event.
ITB Asia 2018 has seen a surge in exhibitor demand from National Tourism Organisations (NTO), Regional Tourism Organisations (RTO), hotels and travel and technology sectors. Such impressive growth has called for the necessary expansion of the show space to cater for these new exhibitors. The show welcomes new NTO exhibitors from Abu Dhabi, Botswana, Croatia, Mauritius and Papua New Guinea and as well as new RTO exhibitors such as Fukuoka, Kansai, Lviv, Marianas and Rovaniemi. In a bid to strengthen the show’s focus on travel technology, key travel and technology exhibitors including the likes of Klook, Sabre and TripCreator are set to feature during ITB Asia 2018 as well.
Asia continues to be a major growth region for the travel and tourism industry worldwide. Whilst worldwide outbound trips grew by 3.9% in 2017, Asia is leading this growth figure by a staggering 11%.1 Outbound visitor growth is expected to increase by 4 – 5% over the next year, led primarily by US and Asian travellers.
In addition to Asian dominance for the show floor this year, Europe will continue to feature heavily during ITB Asia 2018 as well, with participation from Austria, Bulgaria, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Spain. The surge in European presence, which has increased by 13.8% versus the same period last year, is attributable to ITB Asia’s pole position as a key platform for the travel and tourism industry in Asia, during which European exhibitors can best capture the growing Asia outbound travel and tourism market.
“We are hugely grateful for the ongoing support and commitment from our many exhibitors, who are crucial in driving the growth and success of ITB Asia. Each year we work hard to strengthen our leadership in the travel trade show industry and focus on growing ITB Asia’s success in the coming years” said Katrina Leung, Managing Director, Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia.
The remarkable success of previous years has resulted in the continued partnerships between ITB Asia and Marina Bay Sands as the Official Partner Hotel, as well as Singapore Airlines as the Official Partner Airline.
The tenth instalment of ITB Asia was a hugely successful milestone event last year, having reported record-breaking numbers with over 11,000 delegates in attendance, the largest exhibitor showcases from 113 countries as well as over 22,000 business appointments recorded during the show.
ITB Asia 2018 will take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, from 17 – 19 October 2018. It is organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. The annual three-day B2B trade show and convention will feature hundreds of exhibiting companies from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, covering not only the leisure market, but also corporate and MICE travel. Exhibitors from every sector of the industry, including destinations, airlines and airports, hotels and resorts, theme parks and attractions, inbound tour operators, inbound DMCs, cruise lines, spas, venues, other meeting facilities and travel technology companies are all expected to attend. Now in its eleventh year, ITB Asia is the premier meeting place for the travel trade industry for forging new partnerships and strengthening existing business relationships with the most important players in the region. Whilst celebrating a decade of ITB Asia, last year, its huge success saw 940 exhibitors, 951 quality buyers, 6,140 minutes of conference, more than 11,000 attendees and 22,000 business appointments.
