ITB Asia conference 2026 sets the stage for human-centred travel across Asia-Pacific

More than 150 top speakers, including leaders from Agoda, Cvent, Disney Cruise Line, FCM Travel Asia, Simon-Kucher, Trip.com, WebBeds and many more, will take the stage at the ITB Asia Conference 2026, running alongside ITB Asia from 21–23 October in Singapore. Under the theme “Experiences in Motion: Human-Centred Design in Travel & Tourism”, the conference will explore the trends reshaping travel across APAC. 

How are changing traveller expectations, new technologies and shifting behaviours reshaping the future of travel across Asia-Pacific? How are destinations, hospitality and business events adapting to meet these changes? And where will the next opportunities for growth emerge across Asia-Pacific?

These questions will take centre stage at ITB Asia Conference 2026, taking place from 21–23 October 2026 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Under this year’s theme, “Experiences in Motion: Human-Centred Design in Travel & Tourism”, the programme will examine how the travel industry is responding to changing consumer behaviour, new technologies and evolving business models – with a focus on putting people and their experiences at the centre of innovation.

Organised by Messe Berlin Asia Pacific, the three-day conference will bring together more than 150 industry leaders across the Knowledge Theatre, MICE Show Asia Theatre and Travel Tech Asia Theatre. The programme will feature presentations, panel discussions, case studies and showcases, covering key topics across Leisure, MICE, Corporate Travel and Travel Technology: from market trends and Chinese outbound tourism to sustainability, luxury travel, AI, data, emerging technologies, experience design and the future of business events.

Darren Seah, Executive Director, Messe Berlin Asia Pacific, said: “Business meetings and networking are at the heart of ITB Asia, but the value of the show also lies in the knowledge and market intelligence that the industry can take away from it. ‘Experiences in Motion: Human-Centred Design in Travel & Tourism’ reflects how traveller needs and expectations are evolving alongside technology and changing business models. Our conference brings the industry together to exchange insights, share practical knowledge and explore new opportunities across travel, tourism and MICE.”

Global outlook and the next chapter of connected travel

The ITB Asia 2026 Conference will kick off on the morning of Day One, 21 October, with two opening keynotes setting the tone for three days of discussion on the forces shaping travel’s next chapter across Asia-Pacific. Lovrenc Kessler, Senior Partner, Simon-Kucher will present The Global Travel Outlook: What’s Next for Asia-Pacific , exploring shifting demand, emerging markets and changing traveller behaviours, and what these developments mean for the region’s travel industry.

Brett Henry, President APAC, WebBeds, will follow with The Next Chapter of Travel: Technology, Transformation and the Future of Connected Travel , examining how AI, data and evolving traveller expectations are moving the industry beyond digital transformation towards more connected, personalised and meaningful travel experiences.

Knowledge Theatre: From cruise and sustainability to the changing traveller

At the Knowledge Theatre, senior industry leaders will examine the forces driving growth across the Asia-Pacific travel economy, the evolution of Chinese outbound tourism and how digital natives are changing the travel journey. Key sessions include Shaping the Future: Key Drivers of Growth in the Travel Economy in Asia Pacific , The Evolution of Chinese Outbound Tourism and the New Rules of Destination Marketing and How Digital Natives Are Shaping the Future of Travel and How Insurance Can Cater to This 

The programme will also look at the future of cruise, with Sarah Fox, Vice President and Regional General Manager, Southeast Asia, Disney Cruise Line, Wen Ciu Lee, Head of Asia Pacific, Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services, and Isha Goyal, Director & CEO, STIC Travel Group, joining the Cruise Leaders’ Panel: The Future of Cruise Holidays in the New Travel Landscape.

Digital reputation will be another focus. In Rethinking Reputation in the Age of Digital Travel , Gary Bowerman, Co-Founder, High-Yield Tourism, and Daniel Cheng, Founder & CEO, MDS Collective, will discuss how generative and agentic AI, social content and user-generated reviews are changing how travel brands build and protect trust.

Sustainability will also feature prominently in The Next Decade of Sustainable Travel , where industry leaders will discuss embedding responsible practices into travel strategy, product development and destination management, while creating meaningful experiences for travellers. Speakers include Preethi Sanjeevi, CEO & Co-Founder, Greytt.ai, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Executive Director, Meaningful Tourism Centre, and Mark Wong, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Assistant Professor Dr. Kaewta Muangasame, Project Director, Thailand Green Plan 2030 Project, Department of Tourism of Thailand (DOT), and Director, Sustainable Tourism Action Center (STAC), moderated by Vinita Penna, Marketing Manager, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

Other highlights include Angeline Tong, Chief Experience Officer, HOL Experiences, who will explore how storytelling can transform immersive attractions and destinations into meaningful, memorable experiences in From Spectacle to Meaning: Storytelling as a Strategic Asset for High-Value Travel Experiences . Taking a different perspective, Suyin Lee, Managing Director, Discova, will challenge the industry’s traditional focus on volume in The Guest Mindset: The Case for Slower, More Purposeful Travel , examining how more purposeful travel can empower communities and create lasting value beyond visitor numbers.

MICE Show Asia: Rethinking Events, Technology and Buyer Expectations

The MICE Show Asia Theatre will focus on the changing business events landscape, from event design and ROI to AI, corporate travel and destination competitiveness. The programme includes Engaging Association Audiences: Designing Events for Learning, Community and Value , Redefining Event ROI: Moving from Square-Meter Sales to Performance-Based Engagement and The Experience Equation: Designing Business Events That Leave a Real Impact .

In the MICE Destination Leaders’ Panel: Asia on the Global Stage: Attracting the Next Generation of Business Events , Dheera Hettiarachchi, Chairman, Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, and Juliana Kagwa, CEO, Uganda Convention Bureau, will join moderator Banu Kannu, Founder – Designer & Facilitator, uncommon conferences, to discuss how destinations can attract the next generation of international business events. AI will take centre stage in The AI-Ready Event Professional: What MICE Buyers & Suppliers Need to Know About the Next Wave of Event Technology , with Navodit Srivastava, Hospitality Cloud Leader Asia Pacific, Cvent.

The buyer perspective continues with Florian Jacque, Co-Founder & CEO, Midstay & MicePro, who will present What Happens Between RFP and Yes – A Buyer’s-Eye View of Where MICE Deals Actually Die . In a separate session, the Corporate Travel Panel: Meeting Corporate Travel Demands: Technology, Experience and Buyer Expectations will feature Pom Corpuz, VP Corporate Travel Consulting – APAC, Chase Travel Corporate Solutions, and Choon Seng Ng, Commercial Payments & Partner Markets Leader, FCM Travel Asia, moderated by Sunil Sharma, Head of Travel & MICE, Ancalima Lifesciences Limited.

Looking further ahead, Future-Ready or Falling Behind? Preparing for the Next Decade of Events & Experiences will bring together Scott Nodsle, Managing Director International | EMEA & APAC, Encore, and Sharmaine Rose Selvakumar, Director, Head of Event Marketing, Asia-Pacific, S&P Global Ratings, with Adam Piperdy, Founder and Chief Experience Officer, UPGroup Asia, as moderator.

Travel Tech Asia: AI, Aviation and the Future of Travel Technology

At the Travel Tech Asia Theatre, the focus shifts to the technologies transforming the traveller journey and the wider travel ecosystem, from AI and automation to multimodal transport and digital discovery. Key topics include Innovation Trends in the Travel and Tourism Sector , The Next Decade of Flights: AI, Automation, and Operational Efficiency and Reimagining Travel in a Technology-First World .

Lee Siew Kit, Vice President (Technology and IT), Singapore Cruise Centre, will explore the role of digital transformation in creating seamless air, sea and intermodal travel experiences.

In The Travel Industry’s Biggest Lies, Timothy Hughes, Vice President Corporate Development, Agoda, Kei Shibata, Co-founder, TRAVEL.jp & Trip101, and Brett Henry, President APAC, WebBeds, will challenge some of the assumptions shaping the industry around technology, customer behaviour, sustainability and growth.

AI will take centre stage in AI in Travel: Beyond the Hype, Where’s the Value?, where Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Booking.com, Léa Vernet, Vice President Partnerships & Connectivity, D-EDGE Hospitality Solutions, Masahiro Yamashita, Senior Director, APAC, KAYAK and Umang Choudhary, Vice President of Accommodation, Traveloka, will discuss where AI is delivering tangible value across travel. The panel will be moderated by Mehereen Agha Suharwardy, Regional Director APAC & Middle East, Go City®.

The traveller journey itself will be explored by Edmund Ong, Senior Regional Director, Southeast Asia and General Manager, Singapore, Trip.com, in From Search to Serendipity: How AI Is Reimagining the Traveller’s User Journey. Anurag Jain, EVP-APMEA, RateGain & Sojern, will turn the focus to hotel marketing in From Demand to Revenue: How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Hotel Marketing . Industry Partnerships Driving the Conference Programme The ITB Asia 2026 Conference Programme is shaped by strong partnerships with leading associations, organisations and industry experts from across the travel, tourism and MICE sectors. These collaborations bring together influential voices from around the world, strengthening the event’s role as a premier platform for knowledge exchange and industry dialogue. Conference partners include the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), Global MICE Collaborative (GMC), Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Tourism Economics – An Oxford Economics Company, uncommon conferences and World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), among others. Together, the conference stages will provide a platform for business connections, knowledge exchange and cross-sector dialogue, bringing together industry leaders and experts to explore the developments shaping the next chapter of travel in Asia-Pacific and beyond.