ITB Berlin 2024 opens its doors with excellent reservations

At 87 percent, international participation at the world's leading travel fair is at a record level. The ITB Buyers' Circle, with 1,300 senior buyers, serves as a barometer of the sector and underlines the global importance of ITB Berlin. Strong growth in the mobility, travel technology and cruise segments and the presence of the host country, Oman, and other Arab states reflect the diversity of the more than 5,500 exhibitors from 170 countries and territories. The ITB Berlin Convention, the industry's leading think tank, examines global trends and highlights best practices with industry experts, including booking.com, TUI, Phocuswright and Google, to shape the tourism of tomorrow.

Dr. Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin: "ITB Berlin is the meeting place for the entire value chain of the tourism industry, once again underlining its global importance as a leading international trade fair. The excellent quality of our senior buyers and excellent bookings reflect optimistic travel demand. Once again, ITB Berlin is consolidating its position as a global expert forum and center for innovations and trends. Despite the growing demand for travel, our industry is also facing many challenges such as climate change, an energy crisis, the advancement of AI and skills. Shortages. They can only be overcome together. That is why it is so important for us to bring together all actors in Berlin so that we can benefit from mutual inspiration, learn from each other and work together on solutions.

Taking as its motto "Beauty has a direction", this year's official host country, the Sultanate of Oman, is strongly represented in Halls 2.2 and 4.1 and participates in a wide range of activities and events, including the ITB Berlin Convention , as a sponsor. of the ITB Blogger Base, and as a partner of the ITB MICE Night. The Sultanate presents 5,000 years of history and its rich cultural heritage at the world's leading travel fair.

Among the highlights of Oman is the opening event on the eve of the fair. A tour of the beauty and many facets of the country in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula awaits some 3,000 guests at the event, including numerous prominent figures in politics and the tourism industry. Political representatives Kai Wegner, mayor of Berlin, and Dieter Janecek, federal government coordinator for the maritime economy and tourism, will welcome the host country and those present. The travel industry will be represented by Julia Simpson, President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (United Nations Tourism). Dr. Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin, will represent ITB Berlin. On March 6 at the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hamdan Al Shuaili will perform a concert covering classical music and works from Oman. Additional information about Oman can be found in a portrait of the host country titled "A Sultanate Full of Surprises", available for download as a PDF file.

The motto of the ITB Berlin Convention, the industry's leading think tank, is "Pioneering the transition in travel and tourism." Together' . With 17 topics and four live scenarios, 200 sessions with experts will discuss topics including travel technology, marketing and sales, travel of the future, MICE, sustainability, destination management, hospitality, social responsibility, business travel, work of the future, AI, web 3.0 and chatbots. Some 400 speakers representing big names such as Booking.com, Phocuswright, TUI, the World Tourist Cities Federation (WTCF), Google, Trip.com and Microsoft will provide fascinating insights into the future of tourism.

Presentation of the latest results of the Global Travel Buyer Index

In collaboration with the leading management consultancy Dr. Fried & Partner from Munich, the ITB Buyers Circle, a long-standing institution at the ITB Berlin, participated with its senior buyers in a survey for the Global Travel Buyer Index (GTBI). A total of 1,000 carefully selected shoppers, selected by their purchasing volume, offered fascinating insights in the latest survey.

The majority of GTBI's first round of interviews took place between December 2023 and February of this year. The participation of several hundred members of the Buyers' Circle offered an interesting look at the circle's composition and the general economic mood. Europe remained the largest source market, with Germany accounting for more than 25 percent. Asia and North America accounted for about 7 and 5 percent respectively. Purchase categories reflected a wide range of interests. Hotels dominated with about 81 percent, while activities and events and DMC services each accounted for about 50 percent. Transfers, flights, cruises and car rental services made up the remaining portion of buyers' interests.

Regarding the economic situation, the mood among the members of the ITB Buyers' Circle was optimistic. Over the past six months, most reported higher order volumes year over year. Forecasts for the next six months were also optimistic: around three-quarters expected order volumes to increase.

ITB Innovation Radar: focused on industry visionaries

Following the launch of the platform in 2023, the second ITB Innovation Radar has been expanded and features 16 innovations. The innovations presented include B2B services for the hospitality sector and travel professionals, new services and sustainable concepts, and offer a preview of the upcoming trends of tomorrow.

GauVendi introduces Inventi-Flow, an artificial intelligence feature to improve hotel reservation allocation. WorldLine is working on AI-powered automatic payments and Lato introduces a new AI-based Trip Reader for quick digital trip listing. GoodID Scanner offers mobile ID scanning and remote verification and check-in solution for hotels and accommodation providers. This innovation speeds up registrations by 70 percent.

Mastercard presents its Tico Treasures platform that connects tourists and artisans. The Adventure Travel Trade Association's Tomorrow's Air offers travelers and tour operators information on the importance of supporting sustainable, carbon-neutral aviation fuels. Yoummday hosts a technology platform to manage remote workers. Hotel Social by 80 DAYS is a training initiative for the hospitality industry, and HiJiffy's Guest Communications Hub now features enhanced features including mood analysis, self-learning artificial intelligence, and the first language assistant developed specifically for the hospitality industry.

Tour operators and agencies are focusing on innovative technologies. They include Camino Messenger from Chain4Travel, a blockchain platform, and FastSearch from ISO Travel Solutions, which makes searching and calculating travel deals more efficient and easier to use. FacilitaTrip markets an easy-to-use tool for organizing complex trips, while WeTravel has introduced a multi-currency payment feature. Kiosk by Sharebox and Game Rentacar market innovative car rental solutions that include automatic key security systems. Mara Solutions introduces MARA, a review management tool that suggests AI-based responses to visitor ratings.

Large global increase in outbound travel in 2023

The latest findings from the IPK International World Travel Monitor® show that, with double-digit growth, foreign travel in 2023 is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. Travel from Asia saw a 140 percent increase, while travel from Europe and America also increased. The return of outbound travelers to Asia is a positive development and, despite rising travel costs, interest in outbound travel remains high.

Clear favorites and trends marked travel in 2023: Spain was once again the most visited destination, while Dubai was the best rated. Among the five highest-rated destinations behind Dubai are the Maldives, last year's winner, South Africa and Abu Dhabi. Sun and beach destinations were very popular, reflecting the continued desire for this type of holiday, while air travel remains the most popular means of transport. 2023 was characterized by a significant increase in travel spending. The figures point to a great desire to travel and the recovery of the sector. IPK International offers an optimistic outlook and forecasts a full recovery by the end of 2024, indicating an upward trend and growing confidence among travelers.

Networking and events in perfection

In 2024, ITB Berlin is once again setting the pace in networking and event options to encourage face-to-face meetings between all fair attendees. “The wide range of events taking place at exhibitor stands, in meeting rooms, at evening events and at the ITB Berlin Convention make ITB Berlin a true meeting place for business. This is where synergies focus exclusively on the core business, networking and content activities,” said Deborah Rothe, Director of ITB Berlin.

This year, the ever-popular ITB Speed ​​Networking event will take place on Thursday, March 7 from 9 to 10 a.m. It gives buyers and exhibitors the opportunity to meet at a pre-arranged eight-minute time to generate leads and strengthen business. This optional service is free: only exhibitors with a confirmed schedule using the Matchmaking tool can participate in the ITB Speed ​​Networking event. Subsequently, in addition to members and friends of the ITB Buyers Circle, ITB Berlin invites all exhibitors to an hour-long open networking event at the CityCube Berlin. "There is no Zoom conference in the world that can replace face-to-face dialogue. ITB Berlin is the industry's most important platform for meeting in person," added Rothe. In addition to the popular ITB Speed ​​Networking event, ITB China Night and ITB MICE Night are also taking place again.

For those unable to attend in person, a fully digital ticket offers access to the ITBxplore virtual support platform and the opportunity to participate in ITB Berlin from the most remote parts of the world. ITBxplore introduces new features to ensure everyone has a successful visit to the show. The platform focuses on preparations, including the event program, an interactive map of the grounds, and bookmarking and networking. Users will be able to make their profiles visible, search for exhibitors and also contact them and the rest of the attendees through the online chat function. Improved scheduling features and the ability to check availability, as well as improved visibility with tagging for Buyers Circle members make ITBxplore even easier to use.

The ITB app complements ITBxplore and offers optimal orientation with an exhibitor search function, interactive hall maps and all elements of the ITB Berlin program at a glance. Ticket holders can register using the same email they used to purchase their ticket, can easily save the ticket with the app, and use ITBxplore profile sync for seamless networking. The digital companion for smartphones features a QR code reader for exchanging contact details at the trade fair and a QR code generator for networking.

New are the closed Meeting Cubes at CityCube Berlin, which exhibitors can reserve hourly for confidential meetings, while the Hybrid Stage in Hall 5.3 is once again a perfect option for live streaming of exhibitor events via ITBxplore. Exhibitors and trade visitors can book Business Satellites by the hour at different locations on the exhibition grounds, for example in hub27 sponsored by A-ROSA or in halls 3.1, 8.2 and 18. They offer additional spaces to meet and work. and this year there are also catering options available.

ITB Berlin is once again the global meeting place for the industry

In 2024, five more pavilions will be reopened (pavilions 8.2, 10.1, 10.2, 11.2 and 18), allowing a complete circular route to be carried out again. The attention paid to German-speaking countries stands out at hub27, the multipurpose hall at Messe Berlin, where Germany, Austria and Switzerland are presented, along with Slovenia and Liechtenstein. In Hall 1.1, ITB Berlin saw high demand: more than 170 exhibitors from Greece participated, including numerous individual exhibitors. Italy, Malta, Croatia, Kosovo and Bosnia are represented in Hall 1.2, while Turkey has considerably increased its presence in Hall 3.2. The Arab world has a prominent representative in Oman, the host country. Other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, are also doing well this year at ITB Berlin. Asia and Oceania will be represented in three pavilions, while pavilion 5.2a, with India, New Zealand and Australia, is fully booked. In pavilion 26, dedicated to Asia, China is recovering impressively after the pandemic. Halls 20 and 21 house African countries, including the island nations of Mauritius and the Seychelles, as well as the French overseas department of Réunion. South Africa, which is strongly represented, will also be present here, along with Namibia and Zambia, which for the first time occupy a larger stand. A large number of American and Caribbean countries also participate in pavilions 3.1, 22a, 22b, 23a and 23b, including the USA, Canada, Mexico and Dominica.

Source: ITB Berlin.