A total of 90 127 people from more than 180 countries attended ITB Berlin last week, cementing the trade show’s position as the leading platform for the global travel industry.
Back for the first time in three years as an exclusively B2B show, the three-day event from March 7-9 welcomed around 5 500 exhibitors from 161 countries.
The overarching sentiment was that the industry expects 2023 to be a record year for global travel, despite considerable economic challenges.
“Over the past few days the tourism industry has displayed incredible confidence despite the difficult overall situation and geopolitical crises,” said Dirk Hoffmann, Managing Director of Messe Berlin, where the event was held.
Exhibitor numbers were especially high in the Travel Tech and Cruise segments, and among individual regions, Arab countries were particularly well represented.
Panel discussions bear fruit
The ITB Berlin Convention saw high-profile figures offering wide-ranging orientation on specialist subjects.
Across 18 theme tracks, 400 internationally recognised top speakers took part in a total of 200 sessions and discussed highly pressing topics as well as current trends, including digitalisation, transformation, artificial intelligence and the skills shortage. A total of 24 000 attendees visited the lectures, panels and discussions.
There was acknowledgment that the travel industry still faces enormous challenges, and that growth could only be achieved by taking all aspects of sustainability into account. Socially responsible tourism was therefore a central focus of the convention activities.
Face-to-face events crucial
Hoffman said this year’s ITB Berlin was a reminder of the vital need for members of the travel industry to meet face-to-face.
“Our industry is a people’s business, and not without reason – everyone at ITB Berlin agreed with that.”
The desire to meet in person was illustrated by the success of numerous networking sessions, including the ITB Speed Networking event, get-togethers and events on exhibitors’ stands, as well as evening events on the exhibition grounds and in Berlin’s city centre.
The next ITB Berlin will take place from March 5-7, 2024 on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.
