Far left: Guadalajara, Mexico, is the home of ITB Americas Left: Shanghai is the host of ITB China
high-quality, purely B2B platform within China to effectively engage with this vast market. ITB China was created to address this critical gap.” From the outset, the show positioned itself as a highly curated, business-focused platform, tailored to the specific dynamics of the Chinese market. As Li notes: “It aimed to move beyond traditional trade shows by establishing a bespoke, industry-focused gateway designed exclusively to connect global tourism suppliers with elite Chinese travel buyers and professionals.” Today, ITB China plays a dual role, facilitating both outbound and inbound tourism while providing the industry with valuable market intelligence. Li highlights the importance of insight-driven programming: “Each year, we deliberately define the event and conference agenda to reflect China’s most relevant trends, from niche travel segments to digital tourism services.” And when it comes to milestone moments, there are many, but Li is proud of the “record-breaking 2025 edition”, with more than 700 exhibitors from 85-plus countries and regions, plus 1,400 buyers. Together they attended 38,800 business meetings. “This scale was not an isolated achievement,” says Li, “but the result of strategic groundwork laid in earlier years: the launch in 2017, the creation of the elite ITB China Buyers Circle in 2018, the
Singapore Tourism Board, and other associations amplify our impact across Asia,” he says. “A major milestone was expanding into India with a regional office to support partners and reps. Travel Meet Asia, our focused B2B platform in Jakarta, has become a trusted marketplace, facilitating thousands of pre-scheduled meetings across Leisure, MICE, and Corporate sectors, and proving the show’s ability to generate tangible business outcomes.” ITB China: A strategic gateway Following ITB Asia’s resounding success and the fast-paced evolution of a vast region, ITB China was launched in Shanghai in 2017, addressing the rapid rise of China as one of the world’s most influential travel markets. The event was conceived as a specialised, dedicated platform, recognising that the scale and complexity of the Chinese market required deeper, more tailored engagement than a broader regional show could provide. As Lydia Li, Director of ITB China, explains: “The launch of ITB China in 2017 was driven by the global recognition that China had become one of the world’s most powerful and transformative travel markets. The opportunity was clear and compelling: while Chinese travellers were increasingly exploring the world, the international tourism industry lacked a dedicated,
Lydia Li DIRECTOR, ITB CHINA, MESSE BERLIN CHINA
“ITB China stands as the leading travel industry platform in China, engineered specifically for the market’s unique dynamics.”
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