ITB Asia 2024
ITB Asia is Asia’s largest business to business travel show where many deals are initiated and signed between buyers and sellers of travel related services and products. Tourism authorities, destination management companies, tour operators, airlines, hotels, travel technology companies all attend. It will be held at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre in Singapore in late October.
I’m hoping to attend this year’s event, my first since 2019, again as a member of the media. My interest in the trade show lies mainly with the individual national tourism boards and with some of the DMCs. Especially if there are any new destinations, products and services that need media attention. Anything the travel consumer would find appealing and tour operators and travel agents would snap up and re-sell. Also the speakers at the event to hear their thoughts, ideas, trends and expectations. If any data is shared. Numbers of travellers, where they travel too, what they get up to, what their preferences are and how politics, climate, conflicts and epidemics threaten future travel.
Travel keeps evolving, new products, destinations, events and technology. Sellers will be doing their best to entice buyers they need what they have. A hard task to achieve in a crowded market. To me this seems harder and harder every year how can you market travel so that a buyer will take that risk? Travel is not a necessity, more a luxury so to speak unless of course you are a business traveller. The rest of us we look for relaxation and time away from our daily worries, perhaps an immersive, cultural or food and wine experience. Even as a side trip when visiting family. Religious travel too has its niche, so do cruises of all sorts, then terrestrial outings like hiking, trekking and adventure travel that combine what the world has given us in geography and animal life.
There’s plenty for everyone and plenty of scope for someone like me to write endlessly on all kinds of travel subjects. Hopefully ITB Asia will be the platform to garner more ideas and angles. One thing is for sure you meet a lot of interesting people from all over the world all trying to share their culture. I’ll do my best to be there and of course, be inspired.
Cheers
