The ITB Asia Conference 2026 convened more than 150 travel industry leaders from 21 to 23 October at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, focusing on human-centred design in travel and tourism across the Asia-Pacific region.
ITB Asia Focuses on Traveller-Centric Innovation in Asia-Pacific
Organised by Messe Berlin Asia Pacific, the event’s theme, ‘Experiences in Motion: Human-Centred Design in Travel & Tourism’, addressed evolving traveller behaviour, new technologies, and shifting business models. The programme included presentations, panel discussions, case studies, and showcases covering leisure travel, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions), corporate travel, and travel technology.
Darren Seah, Executive Director of Messe Berlin Asia
Pacific, emphasized the conference’s role in knowledge and market intelligence exchange beyond networking, helping industry stakeholders identify new opportunities within travel, tourism, and MICE sectors.
Knowledge Theatre Delivers Insights on Cruise, Sustainability, and Digital Travel Reputation
The Knowledge Theatre featured sessions on Asia-Pacific market growth drivers, Chinese outbound tourism evolution, and impacts of digital natives on travel. Cruise sector discussions included a panel with senior representatives such as Sarah Fox of Disney Cruise Line, Wen Ciu Lee of Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services, and Isha Goyal from STIC Travel Group.
Digital reputation was examined by Gary Bowerman of High-Yield Tourism and Daniel Cheng of MDS Collective, focusing on generative AI, social
content, and user-generated reviews in shaping trust in travel brands.
Sustainability was addressed in a panel moderated by Vinita Penna of Global Sustainable Tourism Council, featuring Preethi Sanjeevi of Greytt.ai, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt of the Meaningful Tourism Centre, Mark Wong of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and Dr. Kaewta Muangasame from Thailand’s Green Plan 2030 Project and Sustainable Tourism Action Center.
Other topics included storytelling’s role in immersive travel experiences presented by Angeline Tong of HOL Experiences and a call for slower, purposeful travel from Suyin Lee of Discova.
MICE Show Asia Explores Business Events, AI, and Destination Competitiveness
The MICE Show Asia Theatre addressed business event
trends including design, return on investment, AI adoption, corporate travel, and destination attractiveness. The Sri Lanka and Uganda Convention Bureaus were represented by Chairman Dheera Hettiarachchi and CEO Juliana Kagwa, respectively, participating in discussions on attracting new-generation international events.
The impact of AI on event technology was covered by Navodit Srivastava, representing Cvent. Buyer perspectives included Florian Jacque of Midstay & MicePro, while corporate travel panels featured Pom Corpuz of Chase Travel Corporate Solutions and Choon Seng Ng of FCM Travel Asia, moderated by Sunil Sharma of Ancalima Lifesciences.
Future event formats and engagement were discussed by Scott Nodsle of
Encore and Sharmaine Rose Selvakumar of S&P Global Ratings, moderated by Adam Piperdy of UPGroup Asia.
Travel Tech Asia Theatre Addresses AI, Automation, and Digital Discovery
Sessions in Travel Tech Asia Theatre covered AI applications, aviation automation, multimodal transport, and digital discovery trends. Speakers included Lee Siew Kit of Singapore Cruise Centre on digital transformation in travel experiences and Timothy Hughes of Agoda, Kei Shibata of TRAVEL.jp & Trip101, and Brett Henry of WebBeds challenging industry assumptions.
AI’s practical value was debated by Laura Houldsworth of Booking.com, Léa Vernet of D-EDGE Hospitality Solutions, Masahiro Yamashita of KAYAK, and Umang Choudhary of Traveloka, with moderation by Mehereen Agha Suharwardy from Go
City®. Edmund Ong of Trip.com discussed AI’s role in transforming traveller journeys, while Anurag Jain of RateGain & Sojern focused on AI’s impact on hotel marketing.
The conference leveraged partnerships with industry associations including the Adventure Travel Trade Association, Global MICE Collaborative, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Tourism Economics (an Oxford Economics company), uncommon conferences, and the World Tourism Cities Federation, supporting its position as a regional forum for travel innovation, sustainability, and market intelligence.
