ITB Asia 2026 opened on 21 October in Singapore at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands. The 19th edition of the event runs until 23 October and expects over 18,000 participants, more than 1,000 exhibiting brands, and upwards of 1,500 qualified buyers. Organised by Messe Berlin Asia Pacific, ITB Asia incorporates three concurrent shows: ITB Asia, MICE Show Asia, and Travel Tech Asia.
New Experience Zone and Guided Tours Introduced
The 2026 event introduced the Experience Zone, a new area dedicated to travel experiences, activities, and attractions. The Experience Pavilion by Tripadvisor is housed within this zone, showcasing curated travel experiences. For the first
time, ITB Asia also offered complimentary curated Guided Tours supported by Woopa Group, the Official Guided Tour Partner, to facilitate structured exploration of exhibitors and business opportunities. An invitation-only Association Executive Networking Session was also launched, targeting association executives for peer-to-peer industry engagement.
MICE Show Asia Exhibition Space Grows 184%
MICE Show Asia expanded its exhibition space by 184% from the previous year. The event expects over 200 confirmed MICE buyers, including major corporate travel buyers such as American Express Global Business Travel, ConferenceDirect, FCM Meetings & Events, HelmsBriscoe, Medical Meetings, and TMA Australia. International associations like the Asian Pacific Digestive Week Federation and the European Society
for Medical Oncology also participate. The expanded exhibition connects venues, destinations, and service providers with international event planners and corporate travel buyers.
Across the three days, more than 4,500 minutes of conference programming takes place, including over 100 sessions with 160 speakers. These sessions cover trends in travel demand, human-centred experiences, artificial intelligence, and corporate meetings.
Official Opening and Key Participants
The opening ceremony featured Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Energy, Trade and Industry, as Guest of Honour. Opening keynote speakers include Lovrenc Kessler of Simon-Kucher and Brett Henry of WebBeds, addressing topics such as the global travel outlook
and AI’s impact. Official partners and sponsors comprise Resorts World Sentosa (Integrated Resort Partner), Ancient Sound of Dunhuang (Cultural Heritage Partner), Maya Mobile (Connectivity Partner), Trip.com Group (Delegate Bag & Lanyard Sponsor), and Woopa Group (Guided Tour Partner).
Event Theme and Focus on Culture and Technology
The theme of ITB Asia 2026 is “Experiences in Motion: Human-Centred Design in Travel & Tourism.” Cultural showcases feature heritage performances from Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, China, and others, supported by Ancient Sound of Dunhuang. Travel Tech Asia highlights technological innovation with exhibitors like Airbnb, DerbySoft, Exely, Sunrate, China Mobile International, Dragonpass, Juniper Travel Technology, Maya Mobile, and Trip.com Group. The focus is
on artificial intelligence, automation, digital transformation, and enhancing customer engagement in travel.
Industry Outlook and Business Opportunities
According to Executive Director Darren Seah of Messe Berlin APAC, the event aims to foster business opportunities rooted in human-centred travel design and technology. ITB Asia 2026 is expected to enable 60,000 targeted business appointments between qualified buyers and exhibitors. The diverse international exhibitor roster covers destinations such as Bangladesh, Germany, Hong Kong, Hokkaido, Malta, Sarawak, Singapore, Fiji, Finland, and Norway. The event supports industry networking, knowledge exchange, and market access across Asia-Pacific and beyond.
