ITB Asia will increase its exhibition floor space by 15 per cent next year after a record show in October 2011.
The fourth ITB Asia attracted 7,511 trade visitors representing 91 countries, up 14 per cent on last year. There were 746 exhibitors from 70 countries, an increase of 3.2 per cent.
Japan was the official partner country and exhibitors attended from as far away as Botswana, Finland, Croatia and Iraq.
A major theme of the three-day event at Suntec Singapore, was the importance of business travel in Asia. Adam Sacks, managing director of Tourism Economics, presented research findings commissioned by the World Travel and Tourism Council.
He said research found that 29 per cent of companies’ new sales depended on business travel (38 per cent in China), more than two thirds of executive travellers believed travel to be “extremely” or “very” important to innovation, a 10 per cent increase in international business travel would increase world trade by an average 3 per cent, and business travel improved corporate productivity, yielding an average 10:1 overall return globally on investment.
Other topics ranged from sustainability, association events and boutique hotels to online travel content, women in action and the challenges facing travel agents.