ITB Asia News 2018 - Review Edition

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
11
ITB Asia 2018 ITB Asia 2018 - Conference
and how to better connect
with Muslim travellers.
At ITB Asia, we have the
scope to cover Muslim
travel – both Indonesia and
Malaysia were exhibitors.
One of the key things that
we interact with as Asian
is that we meet Muslim
travellers and they have
their needs. It’s a very
important discussion
point because you can’t
disregard it – it’s a huge
market and they come in
groups as well. There is
a clear demand for and
no other event in Asia
has really pushed Muslim
travel – we’ll definitely
continue it for the next few
years.
The entire hall seemed
very busy throughout
the show, how much has
ITB Asia grown since its
launch?
We had to expand our space
this year because if we had
stayed at the same size as
last year’s show, it simply
would haven’t been a big
enough space. We had a lot
of new exhibitors and new
destinations who are very
interested in accessing
the Asia market. We are
getting a lot of rebooking
from our exhibitors and a
number of enquiries for
new companies who wish
to join ITB Asia 2019.
Since ITB Asia’s launch
the attendance has almost
doubled since the show’s
inception in 2008. And
with the growing interest
in the Asia market, we are
definitely looking forward
to a bigger ITB Asia in
2019.
How important is it to
be part of the global ITB
brand?
The advantage of the ITB
brand is that it is known
globally and ITB Berlin is
the market leader for the
travel industry worldwide.
This really helps in terms
of branding and being able
to work together across
three well-known brands
– ITB Asia, ITB Berlin and
ITB China. Being part of
the ITB brand helps a lot
in terms of cross-selling,
cross-marketing and
having these connections
all together.
Being part of one global
brand is something that
is really beneficial for
all of us and I think on a
customer level being able
to see that ITB Asia, ITB
Berlin and ITB China are
really good events, helps
the perception that if it’s an
ITB event, it will be good.
In the future, if there is
expansion, for example,
we would want people
knowing that with an ITB
brand, you are assured of
the quality and how good
the event is.
How did the conferences
perform this year and
what changes will you
make for 2019?
We had 260 speakers this
year, which is 100 more
than last year and we really
changed the topics, which
made the conferences a
little more refreshing. We
also had new topics that we
hadn’t previously covered,
such as sports tourism, as
well as including topics
that were a little bit quirky,
and topics around digital
and mobile.
We definitely plan to keep
the same theatres that
we had this year, but the
topics will change for next
year. We will keep the
Presentation Hub, which
was mainly focused on
the destinations, and the
Knowledge Theatre, which
is a little more strategic and
WE
HAD 260
SPEAKERS
THIS YEAR,
100 MORE
THAN IN
2017
high level. Travel & Tech
and the MICE Corporate
Hub will return next year,
as will the Muslim Travel
Pavilion, which we might
have to expand. In 2019,
we’ll be looking at new
areas, which will include
a little more focus on
airlines and aviation. We’ll
push MICE a little as there
is huge demand from our
buyers to look at MICE
technology. Travel & Tech
will also be a key focus.
Can you whet our appetite
for what else we can
expect to see at ITB Asia
2019?
Following yet another
successful edition, the
show is already receiving
high exhibitor re- bookings
for ITB Asia 2019, more
than 50% of exhibitors had
rebooked before the doors
closed on this year’s event
– that is the litmus test of a
show. A lot of people want
to expand their booths too.
As early as now, the
surge in interest for next
year’s show has been
seen from hotel groups
such as Amara Hotels
& Resorts, Best Western
International, Frasers
Hospitality, Resorts World
Sentosa, WorldHotels AG
and many more.
ITB Asia sees continued
strong support from
destinations in the ASEAN
region as well as Abu
Dhabi, Turkey and Jordan
in the Middle East and
exhibitors such as Austria
and Lufthansa City Centre
amongst others. Eastern
European exhibitors such
as Hungary and Poland
have also confirmed their
stand bookings for the
2019 show.
ITB ASIA NEWS • Friday 26 October 2018