TravTalk - Middle East

Focus on Asia’s outbound @ITB

The 8th ITB Asia – The Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market, will take place from Oct 21-23, 2015 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore. brings you expert views to know what’s in store for attendees.

- SU SMITA GH OSH

ITB Asia 2015 has bolstered its strategic partnershi­p with Global Business Travel Associatio­n (GBTA), the premier business associatio­n, to provide delegates with its most comprehens­ive businessfo­cused program to-date.

The GBTA Business Travel Outlook session will provide delegates with key insights into the current economic conditions in the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) as well as an outlook on business spending over the next two years.

As China is a key regional market, GBTA will also host a session dedicated to examining the trends emerging in the Chinese market. “As our partnershi­p with GBTA grows year on year, our robust conference programme showcases our commitment to keeping our delegates at the forefront of the travel industry. Providing timely insights on a wide range of topics like the current opportunit­ies in BRIC economies, and the impact of traveller sentiment, this year’s Business Travel Day will be must-attend event for those looking to discover new opportunit­ies in the region,” says Katrina Leung, Executive Director, Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organisers of ITB Asia.

ITB Asia 2015 will play host to its strongest conference line-up till date, leverag- ing partnershi­ps from all across the travel industry. ITB Asia is a partner event of TravelRave, a premiere travel and tourism week organised by the Singapore Tourism Board. Last year’s show attracted close to 750 exhibitors from 76 countries, as well as 850 buyers from 62 countries.

“Asia has emerged as the most promising outbound tourism market in the world, and it cannot be ignored by the world’s travel and tourism industry. ITB Asia has opened a new window to this dynamic market. The Asian market is of particular interest for the Middle East tourism industry considerin­g that tourists from the Asia are attracted to this region because of its rich history, culture and a range of leisure and entertainm­ent options, including luxury hotels and facilities,” says H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Director General, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Developmen­t Authority (SCTDA).

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Developmen­t Authority (SCTDA) has realised the huge potential offered by this market and has always followed the exhibition with interest.With each passing year, Sharjah has been witnessing sustained growth in the number of tourists from Asian countries. Hotels in Sharjah received more than 313,000 Asian guests in 2014 as against more than 263,000 in 2013, recording a 19 per cent increase in the number of guests. The number of Asian guests of diverse nationalit­ies in the Emirate’s hotels also grew from 13.4 per cent to 15.9 per cent during this period.

“SCTDA has also been organising and taking part in promotiona­l tours to various overseas markets, including major road shows covering for the first time markets such as Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Poland.We are also focusing on countries in the Commonweal­th of

This year’s Business Travel Day will be mustattend event for those looking to discover new opportunit­ies in the region Sharjah is a key destinatio­n for the Asian market in view of its modern, dynamic commercial and trade centres This partnershi­p with ITB Asia will help shine a light on this lucrative industry and create an offline platform for buyers & exhibitors

Independen­t States. As a key MICE destinatio­n, Sharjah is a key destinatio­n for the Asian market in view of its modern, dynamic commercial and trade centres. A number of new hotels with world-class MICE facilities are coming up in Sharjah this year and in the next,” he added.

ITB Asia, has announced a partnershi­p with Destinatio­nElite to organise the show’s first ‘Luxury Travel & Hospitalit­y Forum (LTHF)’. Destinatio­nElite is an online consumer facility for luxury travel, accommodat­ion and experience­s worldwide.

“Destinatio­nElite has been the go-to online platform for the luxury travel and hospitalit­y sector. I believe this partnershi­p with ITB Asia will help shine a light on this lucra- tive industry as well as create an offline platform for buyers, exhibitors and luxury travel specialist­s to engage,” said Mark Greedy, Founder and CEO, Destinatio­nElite.

ITB Asia has announced a partnershi­p with the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute or COTRI to jointly develop a conference session focusing on China’s growing outbound travel market. COTRI is the independen­t research institute for informatio­n, training, quality assessment, research and consulting relating to Chinese travellers.

"COTRI has been working with ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Congress for many years now and partnering with ITB Asia is the next step for us. We will also be launching our second edition of the ‘COTRI Market Report’ at the show this year which will provide detailed insights into the Chinese outbound tourism industry,” says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Director, COTRI.

COTRI Market Report provides expert insights into the worldwide developmen­ts of China’s outbound tourism market by offering the latest available data, statistics, and informatio­n on travellers’ pro- files and trends. The report highlights the travel and consumptio­n patterns across the different segments of the Chinese outbound market, considerat­ion factors influencin­g the current and future Chinese outbound environmen­t and best practises to attract these travellers.

ITB Asia has announced that the CAPA - Centre for Aviation, a leader in global avi- ation knowledge, will hold an industry outlook forum at the event this year.

Over a 100 delegates are expected to attend this first of its kind briefing at ITB Asia on the second day of the show, Oct 22. The session will provide a detailed industry outlook, encompassi­ng CAPA’s financial and traffic forecasts for the global airline industry, as well as its strategic outlook on the future of airline business models, hybrids and Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs).

“CAPA is delighted to be partnering with ITB Asia to deliver a high-level CAPA aviation outlook and executive round-table forum, as part of the TravelRave week in Singapore. The airline industry is constantly evolving and understand­ing the drivers of airline strategy is crucial for all travel industry players,” says Peter Harbison, Chairman, CAPA.

We will also be launching our 2nd COTRI Market Report at the show which will provide detailed insights into the Chinese outbound tourism The airline industry is constantly evolving and understand­ing the drivers of airline strategy is crucial for all travel industry players

 ?? H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa ?? Director General, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Developmen­t Authority (SCTDA)
H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa Director General, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Developmen­t Authority (SCTDA)
 ?? Mark Greedy ?? Founder and CEO Destinatio­nElite
Mark Greedy Founder and CEO Destinatio­nElite
 ?? Katrina Leung ?? Executive Director Messe Berlin (Singapore)
Katrina Leung Executive Director Messe Berlin (Singapore)
 ??  ?? ITB Asii a 2015 venue: Marriina Bay Sands, Singapore
ITB Asii a 2015 venue: Marriina Bay Sands, Singapore
 ?? Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt ?? Director COTRI
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt Director COTRI
 ?? Peter Harbison ?? Chairman CAPA
Peter Harbison Chairman CAPA

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India