The ITB Asia Conference 2026 took place from October 21 to 23 at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Organised by Messe Berlin Asia Pacific, the event centred on human-centred travel strategies aimed at addressing evolving traveller expectations and technology-driven business models across the Asia-Pacific region.
Conference Scale and Theatres
More than 150 industry leaders participated in the three-day programme, spreading across three specialised theatres: the Knowledge Theatre, the MICE Show Asia Theatre, and the Travel Tech Asia Theatre. This multi-theatre format offered a platform for diverse discussions and presentations relevant to the region’s travel sector.
Key Session Topics
The conference addressed
a wide range of subjects including leisure travel, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), corporate travel, and travel technology. Market trends such as Chinese outbound tourism and luxury travel were examined alongside sustainability efforts. Emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), data utilization, and experience design also featured prominently.
Industry Leaders and Participating Companies
Senior executives from major companies and organisations took part in panels and presentations. Notable participants included Sarah Fox of Disney Cruise Line, Wen Ciu Lee from Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services, and Isha Goyal of STIC Travel Group on cruise leadership. Digital reputation discussions featured Gary Bowerman of High-Yield Tourism and Daniel
Cheng from MDS Collective. Sustainability sessions included Preethi Sanjeevi of Greytt.ai, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt of Meaningful Tourism Centre, and Mark Wong from Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Other contributors spanned HOL Experiences, Discova, Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Uganda Convention Bureau, Cvent, Chase Travel, FCM Travel Asia, Encore, Agoda, Booking.com, and more.
Technology, Sustainability, and Experience Design
Artificial intelligence emerged as a core theme, highlighted in sessions on AI’s role in events and travel marketing, involving speakers from Cvent, Booking.com, D-EDGE Hospitality Solutions, KAYAK, Traveloka, Trip.com, and RateGain. Other sessions explored the future of cruise holidays, embedding sustainability into travel products, and storytelling
as a tool to enhance meaningful traveller experiences. These discussions reflected how the Asia-Pacific travel industry is adapting to new behavioural trends and digital transformation.
Partnerships and Industry Dialogue
The conference benefitted from partnerships with leading associations including the Adventure Travel Trade Association, Global MICE Collaborative, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics), uncommon conferences, and World Tourism Cities Federation. These collaborations underlined the conference’s role as a major knowledge exchange and networking platform for the Asia-Pacific travel, tourism, and MICE sectors.
Organiser’s Statements
Darren Seah, Executive Director of Messe Berlin Asia Pacific, emphasised that business meetings and networking remain the core of ITB Asia,
while the event’s value also lies in sharing market intelligence and practical insights. He described the theme “Experiences in Motion: Human-Centred Design in Travel & Tourism” as a reflection of evolving traveller needs alongside technological and business model shifts. The conference enabled the sector to explore new opportunities across travel, tourism, and business events.
