Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia, has announced Japan will be the partner country for the annual show.

Held from October 19th–21st in Singapore, the event positions itself as ‘The Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market’.

The partnership is a multi-agency initiative made possible with the support of Messe Berlin, Singapore Tourism Board and Pico.

ITB Asia will provide a strategic platform for Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) to showcase the country’s impressive recovery from the March 11th, 2011, earthquake and promote the destination to over 6,000 attendees expected at the three day trade show.

“Japan is a key player in the global travel industry and tourism is a major contributor to the nation’s economy,” said Nino Gruettke, executive director of ITB Asia.

“By rallying the support of the regional travel industry through ITB Asia, we hope to spur on a faster recovery and contribute towards its overall social and economic growth.”

According to PhoCusWright, Japan was the largest total and online travel market in Asia Pacific in 2009, contributing gross bookings amounting to US$75.5 billion, or 34 per cent of the region’s total travel market.

“The Asian markets play a very significant role in contributing to Japan’s inbound and outbound tourism,” said Hiroshi Mizohata, commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency (JTA).

“Tourist arrivals from Asian countries accounts for almost 70 per cent of Japan’s international visitors.

“Despite the challenging post- earthquake recovery plans which Japan is spearheading, we aim to continue our support for the travel industry,”

ITB Asia is a unique international platform that unites the travel and tourism industry to exchange valuable insights and business leads; attracting 6,605 attendees and 720 exhibitors from over 60 countries in 2010.

ITB Asia is also a partner event of TravelRave, a mega travel and tourism festival week organised by the Singapore Tourism Board to be held in Singapore in October 2011.