The outlook is exceptionally good for ITB Berlin, with final preparations underway for the event which beings on March 9th.

Overall, host Messe Berlin expects around 11,000 exhibiting companies and organisations from more than 180 countries to be present in the 26 halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.

The focus for this, the 45th incarnation of the event is on Poland - the partner country of ITB Berlin - which is organizing the opening ceremony at the fair.

“Compared with 2010 the number of bookings at ITB Berlin 2011 has remained consistently high,” said David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin.

“Thus the world’s largest travel trade show will live up to its reputation as the industry’s leading international platform, and will also send out an important message for the future.”

Around the World

More Asian countries will be represented at ITB than ever before.

India also reports strong growth, a trend underlined by the fact that Hall 5.2b is completely booked up.

Every available space has been taken in Hall 26, which even boasts two-tier stands, where exhibitors from the Far East and South-East Asia can be found.

Among the exhibitors from the Pacific region the Fiji Islands and Papua New Guinea will be occupying larger stands (Hall 5.2a).

The markets in Central America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East are displaying particularly strong growth, and a substantial number of exhibitors from these regions will be present at ITB Berlin.

In Hall 3.1 the joint display of Central America has grown significantly in size, in fact by 40 per cent.

The stand space occupied by exhibitors from Colombia has risen by 35 per cent, reflecting a large increase here too.

The booming tourism regions of Eastern Europe are increasingly making their way onto the market.

Thus in Hall 2.1 the stand area occupied by exhibitors from Ukraine has grown several fold, from 70 to 400 square metres. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan und Kyrgyzstan (Hall 7.2b) will be prominently represented.

More countries from the Middle East are now also taking part. Iraq (Hall 3.2) as well as Pakistan (Hall 7.2b) with the local Gilgit-Baltistan region will also be exhibiting.

For the first time Iran (Hall 7.2a) will be represented directly next door to the “Countries of the Silk Road” in (Hall 7.2b) at the “Silk Road Pavilion”.