ITB India 2023, the three-day trade show and conference held in Mumbai, ended on a successful note bringing together major travel industry leaders and international exhibitors from various segments of Mice (Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), leisure, corporate and travel and technology sectors.
Held at the Jio World Convention Centre, this was the first time ITB India – a B2B event that acts as a bridge to the Indian and South Asian travel markets with quality buyers and international exhibitors – was organized as a live on-site event.
Co-located with MICE Show India, Travel Tech India, and the ITB India Conference, the annual trade show hosted top international buyers as well as high-profile exhibitors.
Supported by Messe Berlin (Singapore), ITB India is organized by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce. The show served as a framework for business facilitation, with attendees worldwide making more than 5,200 business appointments.
“We believe in building networks across borders and fostering mutually beneficial partnerships. Such partnerships can and should create a strong backbone for global sustainable economic growth and the development of new markets,” remarked Sonia Prashar, the Deputy Director General, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce.
“ITB India is a powerful motor that drives the growth of the travel industry and helps its actors adopt the best global practices,” she added.
ITB India 2023’s successful launch emphasized the increasing interest in the Indian and South Asian travel markets from suppliers, buyers, and trade visitors alike. ITB India will be back next year on September 11 and run until September 13.
On the successful event, David Ruetz, Senior Vice President, Messe Berlin, said: “2023 is seeing a strong revitalisation of the global travel market in all segments. We must capitalize on this trend and steer it towards the new, up-and-coming markets.”
“With buyers and exhibitors from diverse verticals and destinations, ITB India spearheads the effort of showcasing the Indian and South Asian travel market to the global audience,” he noted.
The exhibition showed a strong presence of national tourism organisations (NTOs) including Atout France India, German National Tourist Office, Saxony Tourism, Tourist Office of Roissy, Tourist Office of Spain, and Visit Sarajevo.
International airlines, hotels, travel agencies and tour operators were also highly represented with their products, including AVIS, Collinson Group, Fiji Airways, Mize, IDeaS, Prince Hotels & Resorts, TravelLine, Uzbekistan Airways, and Vietnam Airlines.
The ITB India 2023 Conference offered a holistic knowledge exchange hub for more than 120 thought leaders of the industry. With more than 80 sessions divided into three theme tracks unified under the motto “Connecting you to the Indian travel market”, the conference totaled 35 hours of insight-rich discussions on the topics critical to the future of Mice, corporate travel, leisure travel and travel technology.
Prominent speakers included representatives from Amadeus, BCD Meetings & Events, Cvent, CWT, FCM Travel India, Google, Hotelbeds, Indian Hotels Company Limited, ixigo, Kayak, MakeMyTrip, Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, SOTC Travel and Thomas Cook (India).
