The 18th edition of ITB Asia took place at Singapore’s Marina Bays Sands Expo and Convention Centre from October 21 to 23, bringing together more than 1,000 brands, 1,500 buyers, 160 speakers and around 18,000 participants.
Organised by Messe Berlin Asia Pacific and running under the theme Experience in Motion: human-centred design in travel and tourism," MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia took place alongside the three-day travel fair and conference.
Speaking to TTN, Darren Seah, Executive Director of Messe Berlin Asia Pacific, summarised the benefits the event offered for the Middle East’s travel industry: "The growing presence of buyers from the region at ITB Asia this year demonstrates the many opportunities that it presents to strengthen business links with Asia. As travel demand and traveller preferences continue to evolve, connecting markets and developing partnerships will become increasingly important. ITB Asia provides a valuable platform for the industry to exchange perspectives, connect with existing and potential partners, and gain a clearer understanding of the trends shaping the future of travel. “
During his opening keynote speech, Seah to emphasised how much the event has grown in just a few years.
"Since 2023, exhibition space at ITB Asia has expanded by 184 per cent. This reflects the growing importance of MICE and corporate travel, and the demand for a dedicated platform such as ours," he said.
Experiential tourism and emerging technologies emerged as the top themes, with the Experience Zone and the Experience Pavilion by TripAdvisor being amongst the new inclusions for the 2026 edition.
"Travellers are increasingly looking beyond simply where they go and more about how travel makes them feel, what they can experience and the connections they can create along the way. This year, you can see this shift reflected on our show floor,” continued Seah.
“Bringing together attractions, activities, and experience providers, our new Experience Zone gives buyers a dedicated space to discover differentiated travel products and new partnership opportunities in one space.”
In one of the opening talks of the conference, Lawrence Kessler, Senior Partner at marketing consultant Simon-Kuche, reminded the audience that last year the global travel and tourism industry contributed $11.6 trillion to global GDP, and revealed that the Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the world.
“The Asia Pacific is not in a period of recovery,” he argued. “Instead, it is simply relocating. Demand is moving so quickly between countries, corridors, price points, and channels it can be hard to keep up. The question is no longer whether the Asia Pacific will grow, but where delivers the highest value.”
Mentioning China, India, Singapore, Japan and Korea as some of the key countries to watch, he also displayed studies that indicated that AI tools are being used increasingly.
“Particularly in the Middle East and Asia, social media trends and AI tools are becoming more influential than traditional methods such as word-of-mouth recommendations or advertisements. They are now often used as sources of travel inspiration,” he said.
Another notable feature of the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ITB Asia and the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA). The agreement marked the formation of ITB Asia Select Indonesia, the first event in the new ITB Asia Series.
Designed to bring the international reach of ITB Asia to specific regional markets through locally endorsed events, the first ITB Asia Select Indonesia will take place in Jakarta from June 23 to 24, 2027, acting as a rebranding of the existing Travel Meets Asia Jakarta.
Addressing the audience during the signing ceremony that was attended by TTN, Seah stated that ITB had chosen to kick off the series in Indonesia as the nation is one of the most important travel markets in Southeast Asia, both as a destination, and as a growing outbound market.
Budijanto Ardiansjah, Secretary General of the ASITA Central Board, added that the move is not simply a change of name, but an opportunity to further elevate Indonesia's presence in the international tourism landscape.
He said: “For ASITA, this partnership is particularly crucial because our members represent the federal-level part of Indonesia's tourism industry. Through ITB Asia Select Indonesia 2027, we hope to create greater opportunities for Indonesia travel agencies and tourism businesses and let them to connect with international buyers, explore new markets, and develop sustainable business relationships.”
Across the fair floor, the outlook was generally optimistic yet realistic about travel in the Middle East.
Mario Enzesberger, Founder & CEO of global DMC network Liberty International Tourism Group based in Salzburg, Austria, told Travel & Tourism News: "It would be wrong to pretend that 2026 has been anything other than a very difficult year for the Middle East. Travellers, and the planners who send groups and events to the region need to feel confident before they commit, and that confidence comes back more slowly than flights do.”
“However, demand for the Middle East hasn't disappeared. Instead, it has been postponed. Clients are asking about late 2027 and 2028, and intra-regional travel has kept the industry going. The destinations that recover fastest will be the ones that communicate honestly, keep their partners informed week by week, and are ready with products when long-haul markets return.”
Meanwhile, Lynda Ganesaguru, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Kuala Lumpur-based bespoke travel agency Lush Escape Travel told Travel & Tourism News that Dubai remains an attractive destination for Malaysian travellers, and that the country is receiving increasing numbers of visitors from the region.
“We are seeing growing numbers of enquiries about Malaysia from luxury travellers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. After all, our diverse attractions, warm hospitality and wide availability of halal cuisine are especially appealing to those coming from the Middle East,” she explained.
“The conversations I had at ITB Asia also show that interest in personalised, bespoke luxury travel also remains strong, and that travellers are continuing to seek out authentic and meaningful experiences.”
Finally, Lana Carls, Senior Portfolio Manager of Tourism for Wesgro (the official tourism, trade, and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape) added that South Africa is partnering with Emirates to encourage Middle Eastern travellers to visit during the summer months.
“Three direct Emirates flights run from Dubai to Cape Town per day,” she said.
“We are working very closely with the airline to create awareness of South Africa in the UAE and promote the cooler weather, whaling season and beautiful wildflowers that come during June, July and August.”
The next event on the ITB schedule is ITB Americas in Guadalajara, Mexico, from November 10 to 12, with ITB Berlin following from March 16 to 18, 2027.