“India’s strong economic growth, young population, and rising middle class make it a very lucrative market for outbound tourism.” said Katrina Leung, Managing Director, Messe Berlin (Singapore) and organizer of ITB Asia, ITB India, MICE Show Asia, Travel Tech Asia & Travel Meet Asia.
Q. Shed some light on ITB India 2023 and new trend which we can witness in ITB India.
ITB India 2023 will be held as a 100% physical event from 26 – 28 April 2023 at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, India.
During the three-day event, visitors will have the opportunity to be inspired by leaders in the tourism industry and learn from their experiences. ITB India will feature a series of C-Suite Talks where C-Level Executives are invited to speak about the industry’s latest trends and forecasts; a conference track dedicated to Travel Technology gathering leaders in the travel space to share some of the most exciting innovations and trends; a MICE & Corporate focused track to address the key challenges on MICE in India and beyond.
Co-located within ITB India, delegates can expect on-floor seminar of MICE Show India and Travel Tech India as well.
Q. Do you have hosted buyer programme for ITB India?
ITB India has a Buyer’s Programme to ensure that our customers meet the most relevant buyers for their business. Our Buyer’s Programme comprises both hosted and locally-based buyers who are strictly validated based on criteria such as procurement track record for the Indian outbound market, buyer’s rating for similar ITB series of shows attended and more. A strict validation process is in place to ensure all attending buyers are serious decision-makers.
In addition to the Hosted Buyer Programme, ITB India will be implementing a Buyers Elite Partner Programme (BEPP) which taps into the network of regional associations and industry partners to recommend top quality MICE, Leisure and Corporate travel buyers to ITB India 2023.
Q. How important is the Indian market for ITB?
India's outbound travel market is a growth area for us. ITB shows have always had a strong presence of Indian customers. There is high interest to meet Indian buyers and they are one of the most sought-after source markets. India’s strong economic growth, young population, and rising middle class make it a very lucrative market for outbound tourism. Experts estimate that India’s travel industry will be worth an overall 56 billion US dollars. The World Tourism Organization UNWTO forecasts a figure of 50 million outbound travellers by then.
Q. Please shed some light on ITB Asia? Share some of the key features of the same for upcoming year?
ITB Asia 2022 is scheduled to take place as an in-person event in Singapore from 19-21 October 2022, at Sands Expo & Convention Centre.
Celebrating its 15th 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. ITB Asia’s past edition saw huge success with over 1,300 exhibitors, over 1,250 quality buyers, more than 7,000 minutes of conference and more than 13,000 attendees.
The annual 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 MICE and corporate 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.
ITB Asia 2022 will be co-located with MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia.