ITB Asia 2023 kicks off with a record–breaking 35% jump in international exhibitor numbers

ITB Asia 2023 opened in Singapore, 25 October, with 1,838 international exhibitors and 1,300 global buyers. Marina Bay Sands is hosting the event, which is co-located with MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia, for three full days of networking opportunities and conference sessions. Guest of honour Alvin Tan, minister of state at the ministry of trade and industry, Singapore, opened the show together with Melissa Ow, chief executive, Singapore Tourism Board and David Ruetz, senior vice-president, Messe Berlin. “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 co-operations”, said Ruetz. Focus on destinations This year’s ITB Asia exhibition boasts a selection of over 80 National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs). Headline sponsors include Busan Tourism Organisation, Japan National Tourism Organisation, Korea Tourism Startup Center, Penang Global Tourism, Sentosa Development Corporation, Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and Visit Finland. ITB Asia Conference Adopting the theme ‘Accelerating Growth: Paving the Way for New Opportunities in Travel & Tourism’, the 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 three days. The attendees will discuss topics critical to the future of MICE, corporate travel, leisure travel, and travel technology. 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. You can find the complete conference agenda here. The Start-up Arena within the Travel Tech Asia Hall will offer an opportunity for start-up exhibitors to showcase their innovations to the expert audience. Registration is available online as well as at the Sales Booth during the show.