ITB China to take place in person

The B2B travel trade show will welcome visitors in Shanghai this November

ITB China, a key event in the B2B travel trade show calendar, is set to take place as an in-person event at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre from 24 to 26 November 2021. Its virtual extension will follow from 8 November until 31 December 2021. 

The news comes despite organisers of ITB Asia, which takes place just a month before, announcing their event will be held virtually from 25 to 29 October 2021, with the physical exhibition returning to Singapore in 2022.

Elsewhere, it seems confidence within the industry is continuing to grow. With the positive development of travel markets and vaccine promotion around the world, the return of international travel is steadily increasing.

ITB China general manager David Axiotis said: “In these dynamic times the combination of a physical event and a virtual platform is indispensable and offers our customers maximum planning security. ITB China 2021 will support global travel companies and suppliers with comprehensive and flexible solutions – both offline and online – to re-engage the Chinese market in a unique and hybrid format and actively boost the recovery of the industry. Adding to the face-to-face meetings and in-person experience, the virtual extension of ITB China 2021 will bring extra value by providing even more meeting and networking opportunities for both physically and virtually participating exhibitors.”

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Physical exhibitors will benefit from a complimentary virtual booth package as part of their attendance at the hybrid event. Exhibitors who opt for purely virtual attendance will receive a comprehensive digital presence and access to the same buyers and travel professionals from all over China.

Before the pandemic, Colliers International predicted that China would maintain its position as a top source market across the GCC, particularly in the UAE, where Chinese visitors were the second and fourth highest ranked source markets for Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively.

Data released by Colliers in December 2019 predicted that the number of Chinese tourists travelling to the GCC was expected to increase 54% from 1.4 million in 2018 to 2.2 million in 2023 and the same study projected that the total Chinese tourism spend in the GCC was estimated to reach US$3.48 billion by 2023.

For more information, visit www.itb-china.com