SINGAPORE, 25 August 2022: ITB Asia, organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore), has announced the line-up of conference and keynote sessions for this year’s ITB Asia Conference.
Alongside MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia, ITB Asia will be held as an in-person event from 19 – 21 October at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
Go Big & Go Forward: Travel Industry on the Road to Recovery and Growth will be the overarching theme for this year’s conference.
“Tourism reopening across countries worldwide has been having a positive impact on global travel demand, and the Asia Pacific is seeing a strong and growing pent-up demand for travel. Travel and MICE businesses need to go big to tap on and maximise the growth potentials created by various trends in specific industry sectors and go forward to overcome the challenges in the market, including the competition and also the global economy,” said Messe Berlin (Singapore) managing director Katrina Leung.
The 2022 conference programme will have over 3840 minutes of high-powered content over 90 sessions during which over 160 leading industry leaders and innovators in three conference theatres discuss topics critical to the future of MICE, corporate travel, leisure travel and travel technology.
Conference Partners
The 15th instalment of the annual trade show and conference also welcomes several new and established conference partners, including Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO), Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE).
Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA): Day Three, 21 October 2022
10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Knowledge Theatre
International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE): Day One, 19 October 2022,
3.30 p.m. – 4.30 p.m. and Day Two, 20 October 2022, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m., MICE Show Asia Theatre
International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO): Day Three, 21 October 2022, 12.30 p.m. – 1.30 p.m., MICE Show Asia Theatre
Meeting Professionals International (MPI): Day One, 19 October 2022,
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. and Day Two, 20 October 2022, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., MICE Show Asia Theatre
Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE): Day One, 19 October 2022,
12 p.m. – 1 p.m., MICE Show Asia Theatre
Keynote presentations
On Day One, 19 October, ITB Asia’s keynote presentations focus on what’s happening in Asia Pacific’s travel, tourism and MICE markets and discuss strategies driving the industry forward.
At 0900. Michael Dykes, Vice President, Market Management (APAC), Expedia Group will kick off with his keynote presentation named “Travel in Action, Digitally”, where he discusses how technologies transform products, enabling a seamless traveller journey, as well as empowering the travel industry for greater efficiency and creativity.
The following keynote address at 0915 will be delivered by Rajeev Menon, President, Asia Pacific (Excluding Greater China), Marriott International, who will be talking about “Rebuilding Confidence: How COVID-19 Fostered a More Resilient Future for Travel”. The morning keynotes conclude with a Fireside Chat on “Looking Toward 2025: Where Travel Will Be” at 0930 with the keynote speakers Michael Dykes and Rajeev Menon, offering a glimpse into the future.
Knowledge Theatre: Session Highlights
The Knowledge Theatre features an address by Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Booking.com, titled: “Adapt and Pivot: Delivering Authentic Experiences While Prioritising Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Growth”. Houldsworth will highlight the real opportunity for the industry to realise its potential as a key sector in the transition towards a greener economy and how to rebuild with a renewed focus on sustainability.
The series of NTOs’ Talks will feature leaders from National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) across APAC and beyond, discussing ideas and setting actions for destinations to come back stronger than before. The NTOs’ Talks “Destination Rediscoveries” will be led by senior executives from the South African Tourism, Tourism Australia, Saudi Tourism Authority, Spain Tourism Board and Visit Maldives, who will identify the changing behaviours, priorities and preferences of travellers to pay attention to.
“Recovery and Opportunity” is the name of the Hotel Leaders’ Panel which will be moderated by Kwee Wei-Lin, Senior Vice President, Hotels, Pontiac Land Group, President, Singapore Hotel Association. Together with C-level speakers from Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), Pan Pacific Hotels Group, and The Ascott Limited, they will discuss how the post-pandemic psyche affects the way people travel in 2023 and their choice of accommodation.
As international tourism resumes, it is time for the travel industry in Asia to quickly seize the opportunities to recover in the new contexts. In the Travel Associations’ Talks, titled, “Where to Next? The New Adaptive Strategies”, Nigel Wong, Honorary Treasurer, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), Eddy Soemawilaga, President, ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) and Tadashi Shimura, President, Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) will discuss how the industry can reinvent itself. What strategies it needs to reopen and expand connections with international markets and other issues will be addressed by a variety of C-level speakers and experts from Agoda, Austrian National Tourist Office, BWH Hotel Group, Collinson, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, The Travel Corporation, TUI Musement and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
(Source: ITB Asia)
