Where is ITB Asia heading?

SINGAPORE ITB Asia, now an established fixture on the Asian B2B travel show calendar, is due to open at the Marina Sands exhibition centre , 29th October. Where is the show heading? Is it having an impact on travel sales and bookings in the region? We ask Nino Gruettke, Executive Director, ITB Asia for some insights on the role of the region’s premier trade fair.
Q&A
Q. Based on latest updates what are the latest space bookings, registrations from sellers and buyers and what are the dominant trends seen at this show compared with previous events?
A. We are currently working to finalise the number of exhibitors at this year’s ITB Asia, but we have seen huge growth in both first time and returning exhibitors. Last year, we had almost 9,100 attendees from 110 countries, and 825 exhibitor organisations from 73 countries and we expect another outstanding show this year.
inside no 2Q. There is considerable pressure on trade shows from alternative sales channels, plus more national trade shows in the region; where does ITB Asia fit and what role has it assumed since it was first started and what changes have been made in the business model?
A. ITB Asia, now in its seventh year, has earned its name as the Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market. Each year, we consistently look towards delivering a bigger and better show by attracting quality buyers and exhibitors, generating new business leads and delivering critical industry knowledge and invaluable networking opportunities for our delegates.
Constant communication and effective listening are the keys to our success. That’s how ITB Asia was able to lay a solid foundation from which we were then able to build the brand and adapt to industry trends and changes.
We know that our exhibitors want a one-stop shop without having to worry about scheduling, budgeting, and attending numerous national leisure, MICE, and corporate shows in a year which is why we seek to put together Asia’s most international travel trade show so the world can meet in three days here.
I believe that the key ability for a show is to connect buyers and sellers face-to-face. The personal interaction factor is one that can be facilitated but not replaced by technology and this is a strength that we’ve been building on year after year.
We also strive to improve the effectiveness of our match process in which we are able to connect regional buyers and decision makers with exhibitors. ITB Asia does this through its highly successful Hosted Buyers programme where we use a stringent screening process to evaluate all potential buyers to ensure that only the best will enter the pre-scheduled appointment system. Hosted buyers are then carefully matched to exhibitors using complex algorithms to ensure high-quality and productive meetings during the show. Each year, we’re able to improve our process with enhanced technology and I believe this aspect will keep on improving, facilitating business meetings at our show.
Q.Have you seen any changes in the kind of companies and organisations that join the show, especially in aviation where low-cost airlines are expanding fast and are now showing interest in B2B bookings?
A.Last year, we saw growth across all segments of the show and had 825 exhibiting companies from 73 countries participating. Over the three days, the show attracted close to 9100 attendees, representing over 110 countries. We have come a long way since our first show in 2008 which attracted about 6,200 delegates including 651 exhibiting companies from 58 countries. The inaugural ITB Asia actually exceeded our launch goals by around 20%.
inside no 2.1Our exhibitors are more diversified and international than ever before and our hosted buyers represent a very broad spectrum of leisure, corporate travel and MICE interests. We have been seeing stronger interest across the industry, in particular the tourism boards and aviation companies. Exhibitors showing a strong presence this year include the Spain Tourism Board, Brand USA, Philippines Tourism Board and Indonesia’s flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia.
Q.In the past there was talk that ITB Asia would follow the trend setting moves of ITB that established a gay tourism hall. Is this area of the business still not represented at the show and are their any plans to add niche travel zones — youth, students, volunteer tourism etc?
A.The travel industry is always evolving and we plan our show’s events and conference line-up around the trending topics within the rapidly expanding travel market segments in Asia, and seek to address them by bringing in speakers and professionals who are at the top of their respective industries.
This year, we have a conference on Asian LGBT Pride Events, which discusses the possibility of the LGBT demographic being a new valuable source of tourism Income. In addition, we will also be hosting our inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility day that will shine a spotlight on economically, social-ethically and environmentally responsible tourism.
This year also marks the third edition of our Future Leaders programme in partnership with Singapore Tourism Board to provide travel and tourism professionals access to some of Singapore’s brightest minds to build networks and future-proof their businesses. This is a platform that brings together local students and the industry in order to promote a better understanding of careers within the tourism sector and the needs and expectations of job-seekers.
We are always seeking to bring the latest insights and practical knowledge on the travel industry, and each year’s show boasts a host of tailored activities to address the latest developments, challenges and trends.
Q. Have you conducted any surveys or research that shows the position of ITB Asia, its importance and impact on travel bookings in the Asia Pacific.
A.According to the Trade Visitor Survey 2013, ITB Asia is rated very highly by visitors, exhibitors and buyers alike. Over 96% of visitors would recommend ITB Asia to their colleagues and business partners, over 97% of buyers would recommend the Buyer Programme to professional colleagues or business partners, and almost 94% intend to visit ITB Asia again. From these encouraging results, we can ascertain that ITB Asia successfully serves as a platform that brings together the entire travel industry value-chain at all levels to network and learn more about the industry and the latest trends.
Q. ITB Asia is supposed to be a two-way travel mart serving both inbound and outbound travel in Asia. Could you give some input on how the two sectors are performing at the show and which is now the predominant.
A. Asia is the driving force of growth in the travel industry in many parts of the world and in many segments of the travel industry. When we first established the show, ITB Asia attracted predominantly Asian exhibitors but the industry is evolving and today, 35% of our exhibitors, buyers and delegates are not from this region.
ITB Asia has a strong Asian focus and it’s because of our strong ability to bring together the Asian travel market that we are able to draw a diverse range of international participants looking to find partners to create business value in Asia.
According to the ITB World Travel Trends Report, the outlook for the both inbound and outbound travel is promising, and the strong growth in Asian travel is expected to continue in the coming years.
Q. China in the past was light in presence at the show, India was strong. They represent the two major travel markets of Asia. How are you addressing the needs of these two markets and how will you build representation to reflect the volume of business they deliver?
A. Both countries are key markets for the travel and tourism industry to focus on in the coming years. China and India are both experiencing a rise in business and leisure travel, both in inbound and outbound tourists, and are keen to invest in their tourism industries.
The increasing prominence of ITB Asia in the travel industry allows us to attract new exhibitors at our show each year. China is definitely very well-represented at ITB Asia 2014, with the increased participation of both returning and new exhibitors. There has always been strong representation by the Indian contingent at ITB Asia, and with the growth that the Indian travel market is experiencing; we can surely expect this trend to continue.
Taking into account the potential in these travel markets, we have developed conference sessions aimed to keep our delegates at the top of travel-tourism developments so they can manage their businesses accordingly.
China’s booming travel sector will provide significant growth in the travel industry and we must be ready to manage this shift in customer profile. A session on ‘Winning the Chinese Travelers from Secondary Cities’ will feature a panel of prominent travel and tourism industry leaders who will share valuable insights and ideas on harnessing the market potential of Chinese travellers from secondary cities. The panel will also draw reference to a research report commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board in partnership with the China Tourism Academy (CTA), tourism think tank of the Chinese government.
One other new session that visitors can also look forward to gaining valuable insights is the Business Travel Day held in partnership with Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). Brazil, Russia, India and China represent about one-third of business travel worldwide and are some of the fastest growing economies. This session will give insights into the current economic condition and the outlook for business travel spending over the next two years.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia