ITB Asia 2026 opened in Singapore on October 21, bringing more than 1,000 exhibiting brands and over 1,500 qualified buyers together for three days of business meetings, industry discussions and travel product showcases. The event, which runs until October 23 at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands, introduces a new Experience Zone, complimentary guided exhibition tours and expanded networking opportunities for the international travel industry.
Organised by Messe Berlin Asia Pacific, the 19th edition of ITB Asia takes place alongside MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia, creating a combined platform for tourism organisations, hotels, attractions, corporate travel providers, event planners and travel technology companies. More than 18,000 participants are expected to attend, with organisers anticipating approximately 60,000 targeted business appointments between buyers and exhibitors.
This year’s event is built around the theme “Experiences in Motion: Human-Centred Design in Travel & Tourism”, reflecting an industry-wide focus on changing traveller expectations, personalised experiences and the growing influence of technology on how people plan and purchase travel.
The opening ceremony was attended by Guest of Honour Gan Siow Huang, Singapore’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Energy, Trade and Industry, alongside representatives from the international tourism and business events sectors.
Darren Seah, executive director of Messe Berlin APAC, said the event was designed to help travel businesses turn their understanding of travellers into commercial opportunities. He pointed to the new Experience Zone, guided tours, expanded MICE exhibition and stronger technology focus as key features of the 2026 edition.
One of the main additions is the Experience Zone, which brings together businesses offering activities, attractions and other travel experiences. The space is intended to help exhibitors present their products to buyers looking for new ways to respond to changing consumer preferences. The Experience Pavilion by Tripadvisor is also located within the zone, giving visitors another opportunity to discover travel products and potential business partners.
ITB Asia has also introduced complimentary curated Guided Tours for the first time. Supported by official guided tour partner Woopa Group, the tours are designed to help attendees navigate the exhibition, identify relevant exhibitors and explore products and services that could lead to new commercial relationships.
Another new initiative is an invitation-only Association Executive Networking Session. The gathering provides association executives with a dedicated setting to exchange views, discuss shared challenges and explore cooperation across the travel and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sectors.
Cultural programming is also part of the event. Performances and showcases featuring Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan and China, alongside Apsara dance and acrobatic presentations, introduce visitors to different cultural traditions. The programme includes contributions supported by Ancient Sound of Dunhuang, the event’s official cultural heritage partner.
MICE Show Asia is another major focus this year, with its exhibition space increasing by 184 per cent compared with 2025. The expansion reflects greater participation in the business events sector and demand for opportunities to connect international suppliers with corporate travel buyers, meeting planners and event organisers.
More than 200 confirmed MICE buyers are expected to attend, including representatives from American Express Global Business Travel, ConferenceDirect, FCM Meetings & Events and HelmsBriscoe. Buyers and industry representatives also include members of organisations such as the Asian Pacific Digestive Week Federation, the European Society for Medical Oncology, the World Aquaculture Society and the World Psychiatric Association.
The larger exhibition gives destinations, hotels, venues and event service providers more opportunities to meet procurement decision-makers and develop relationships with international clients. Participating exhibitors include Evintra Pavilion, Hotel Tentrem, South African Tourism and Sun PhuQuoc Airways.
The wider ITB Asia exhibition brings together tourism boards, hospitality groups, attractions, transport providers and tour operators from across Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. Organisers report that more than 80 per cent of exhibitors represent international markets, giving buyers access to a broad range of destinations and travel products.
Participating tourism organisations include the Bangladesh Tourism Board, German National Tourist Board, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hokkaido Tourism Organization, Malta Tourism Authority, Sarawak Tourism Board, Singapore Tourism Board, Tourism Fiji, Visit Finland and Visit Norway.
Other exhibitors include Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention and Visitors Bureau, Korea Tourism Startup Center and Visit Almaty. Hospitality and attraction brands include BWH Hotels, Mandai Wildlife Group, Pan Pacific Hotels Group, Resorts World Sentosa and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Additional participating organisations include Agoda, Tourism Fiji, Turespaña, Trip.com Group, Uganda Convention Bureau, EVA Airways, PROMPERU, Radisson Hotel Group, Resorts World Sentosa and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
For participating destinations and tourism businesses, the event offers an opportunity to present products to buyers, investigate new source markets and establish partnerships that can support future business. For buyers, the international exhibitor base provides a setting to compare offerings and identify potential suppliers across leisure, hospitality and corporate travel.
Travel Tech Asia focuses on the technology reshaping travel distribution, connectivity and customer engagement. Participating companies include Airbnb, China Mobile International, DerbySoft, Dragonpass, Exely, Juniper Travel Technology, Maya Mobile, Sunrate and Trip.com Group.
Artificial intelligence, automation and digital transformation feature prominently in the technology programme. Sessions examine how travel companies can adopt new tools, improve operations and remain competitive as digital capabilities become more widely available across the industry.
These questions also feature in the wider ITB Asia conference programme, which includes 160 speakers and more than 100 sessions across three dedicated theatres. Organisers have scheduled 4,500 minutes of conference content over the three-day event, covering market intelligence, destination development, corporate travel, business events, consumer behaviour and emerging technologies.
The Knowledge Theatre focuses on market developments and the future of leisure and corporate travel. The MICE Show Asia Theatre addresses meetings, incentive travel and business events, while the Travel Tech Asia Theatre examines artificial intelligence, digital transformation and travel technology.
The opening keynote sessions address two issues facing travel businesses: changes in global demand and the challenge of standing out as artificial intelligence becomes more accessible.
Lovrenc Kessler, senior partner at Simon-Kucher, is scheduled to speak on “The Global Travel Outlook: What’s Next for Asia-Pacific”. His session examines changing travel demand, emerging markets and consumer behaviour, as well as the region’s role in global tourism growth.
Brett Henry, president for Asia-Pacific at WebBeds, addresses the question “When Everyone Has AI, Who Wins?” His session considers how wider AI adoption could reshape competition and why businesses may need to develop advantages beyond simply adopting new technology.
Other conference contributors and participating organisations include representatives from Access Hospitality, Cvent, Disney Cruise Line, FCM Travel Asia, Jack Morton, Sabre and Trip.Biz. The programme is supported by industry and research organisations including the Adventure Travel Trade Association, China Business Event Industry Committee, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Tourism Economics, uncommon conferences and the World Tourism Cities Federation.
The event is also supported by a group of official partners and sponsors. Resorts World Sentosa is the official integrated resort partner, Ancient Sound of Dunhuang is the official cultural heritage partner, Maya Mobile is the official connectivity partner, Trip.com Group is the official delegate bag and lanyard sponsor, and Woopa Group is the official guided tour partner.
ITB Asia 2026 runs through October 23 at Marina Bay Sands, reinforcing Singapore’s position as a meeting point for international travel businesses and tourism organisations. The next edition is already open for exhibitor interest, with ITB Asia 2027, MICE Show Asia 2027 and Travel Tech Asia 2027 among the opportunities available to companies planning future participation. Organisers have set October 31, 2026, as the rebooking deadline and March 31, 2027, as the deadline for early-bird rates.
