The inaugural ITB Asia B2B travel show has closed in Singapore with 6,208 delegates joining the three-day event. The attendance was 24.2% more than the 5,000 anticipated by event organiser, Messe Berlin.The 651 exhibitor companies who took 10,600 square metres of space in the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre were 30.2% more than the targeted 500.

Buyers and trade visitors arrived from 70 countries. In total, there were representatives from 90 countries at the event.

The ITB Asia Convention, the Web in Travel event and the Association of Corporate Travel Executive forum attracted a total of 1,375 delegates, many of them concerned about the global economic situation and how the travel industry should respond.

“We are very impressed by the positive response from the travel industry,” said Dr Martin Buck, Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore). “This is proof we have met customer expectations by focusing exclusively on Asian source markets, following a B2B format, running a high quality hosted buyer programme, and putting our trust in the convenience and professionalism of Singapore as the host venue.

Initial survey results from delegates have shown an 86% overall approval rating for the inaugural event. Over 95% said they would recommend their business partners to attend ITB Asia. More than 94% said they would visit ITB Asia 2009.

“We are now in the process of negotiating expanded floor space for 2009,” said Dr Buck. “We will analyse the full survey results and make extra improvements to ensure an even better ITB Asia next year.”

The next ITB Asia takes place 21-23 October, 2009.

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