29 July 2010

ITB Asia looking good, say organisers

Floor space sales are up and new exhibitors are jumping onboard ITB Asia, which takes place October 20-22 at Suntec Singapore.

More than 30 percent of exhibitors are new participants at the show, which is in its third year.

Guangdong Tourism Authority, Bhutan Department of Tourism, the Moscow Exhibition and Convention Agency and Israel will exhibit their destinations for the first time.

From the private sector, the Chilean carrier LAN Airlines and the Small Luxury Hotels of the World have joined for the first time, along with travel companies from Kenya, Uzbekistan and Armenia.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has more than doubled its floor space and the Czech Tourist Authority, Santos Leisure Group, Frasers Hospitality, Fairmont Raffles Swissotel, Furama Hotels International Management, the Nepal Tourism Board, and the German Tourism Board (DZT) have all booked larger floor space this year.

Nino Gruettke, executive director of ITB Asia, said, Ã¢â¬ÅâœThereÃ¢â¬â¢s no other show in Asia where travel buyers convene so easily to find out about the new products and travel experiences available in diverse destinations such as Chile, Armenia, Kenya and Uzbekistan.Ã¢â¬~

He said ITB Asia is on track to attract about 650 exhibiting organisations and host 21,000 buyer-seller meetings.