60 years of ITB Berlin
How one trade show changed the world of travel COMMENT
David Ruetz , Senior Vice President, Messe Berlin, the home of ITB Berlin, reflects on the trade show’s six decades of innovation, connections, and milestones, and looks ahead to the future of tourism
I ’ve been with Messe Berlin for a quarter of a century now, and ITB Berlin has been part of my life almost as long, and let me tell you, I’ve seen a lot. I remember sitting by one of the beautiful lakes surrounding Berlin, where Prof Manfred Busche, the founder of ITB Berlin, once lived, and talking with him about the vision that started it all. I had joined ITB Berlin in the early 2000s, when travel was a very different world: digital tools were rare, information moved slowly, and the idea of a truly global marketplace for the travel industry seemed almost impossible. Yet even then, ITB Berlin had a clear purpose: to bring the world together, to share ideas, and to imagine what the future of travel could look like. Over the decades, ITB Berlin has grown from a local trade show into a truly global brand. Its expansion beyond Berlin, with international spin-offs in Singapore, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Guadalajara, Mexico, mirrors the growth of the travel industry itself and underlines the need for a global platform that sets trends and shapes the conservation in travel worldwide. But ITB’s role goes beyond the show floor. It’s a place where ideas spark, collaborations blossom, and
latest tech that makes journeys smoother, and connecting innovators with the partners who can turn their ideas into reality. Celebrating 60 years of ITB Berlin is not just a milestone, but a launchpad into the future. What began as a simple idea – to connect people through shared knowledge and passion – has evolved into a global movement. For six decades, ITB Berlin has inspired, connected, and transformed the travel industry, and it will continue to do so, embracing challenges, seizing opportunities, and revealing surprises along the way. That, ultimately, is the journey that excites me the most.
impossible becomes reality. Some of my most memorable moments at ITB Berlin are surprisingly small. I’ve shaken hands with robots like Pepper on the exhibition floor, marvelling at today’s technology. I’ve watched a previously overlooked destination finally receive the international attention it deserves like Albania or Botswana. I’ve seen young entrepreneurs pitch bold new ideas, such as sustainable travel apps that change the way we think about exploration. But above all, it’s the people, the xploration. all, it’s the people, the built over decades, that y believe I have the best rld. Moments like these niversary of ITB Berlin – at what started as an relationships built over decades, that make me truly believe I have the best job in the world. Moments like these – the 60th anniversary of ITB Berlin – remind me that what started as an exhibition has evolved into a stage for stories, for connections, and for ideas that send waves far beyond the halls of Messe Berlin. Looking ahead, the travel industry remains as lively and unpredictable as a bustling airport terminal. Travellers navigate new routes, digital tools help plan trips in an avigate new routes, elp plan trips in an instant, and destinations experiment with ways to welcome visitors more responsibly. In this evolving destinations experiment welcome visitors more n this evolving s evolved into a stage for nnections, and for ideas ves far beyond the halls in. ead, the travel industry ely and unpredictable as port terminal.
world, ITB continues to bring people together: ntinues to together:
hosting debates over sustainable tourism practices, showcasing the tes ble ices, he
innovation takes the spotlight. It’s where newcomers meet
professionals, bold ideas collide with experience, and what once seemed
10 | ITB GLOBAL TRAVEL COLLECTION
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