ITB Asia Premiere exceeded expectations - Size to be doubled for 2009
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Singapore (October 31, 2008). As it closed Friday last week, the ITB Asia (photo) had counted 6,208 visitors, 24 percent more than the 5,000 predicted. Thee result clearly exceeded all expectations organisers Messe Berlin (Singapore) had for its Asian premiere. Already, organisers are considering reserving double the exhibition space taken up this year - 10,600 sq.m. Just like in Berlin, in Singapore too, the hotel industry once again proved to be the trade fair`s strongest pillar. With over 200 large and small hotel groups, the hospitality industry made up 43% of all exhibitors. Starting difficulties at the first ITB Asia were few; the mood among exhibitors as well as among purchasers was overall very positive. Trust and confidence inspired by the brand ITB as well as in German efficiency and the ability of the organisers is high.
"We`ve also exhibited in Berlin and we believe in the ITB brand," N Gunallan, Director of Marketing Communications from the Singapore based Park Hotel Group, said. "We have entertained a number of good purchasers here at the stand." The Messe Berlin (Singapore) arranged a huge hosted buyers` programme with 812 purchasers to mark the premiere event. Purchasers arrived from across the globe, half of them from the Asia-Pacific region, 30% from Europe (exact figures are listed at the end of this article). "The quality of purchasers is very high," Nikolaus Ellrodt confirms, General Manager of the Beijing Hotel G, part of the Epoque Hotels group. The fair brought exhibitors and purchases together in 20 minute intervals.
According to representatives from InterContinental, however, this "match-making" could be improved still further: "We expected more Asian purchasers," Heike Steinbach says, Director of Sales Travel Trade from Crowne Plaza Berlin City Central, "the buyer distribution should be communicated more clearly prior to the event," she continued. Yet her impression too is overall still positive.
The ITB Asia was held in the open, modern and airy venue of the Suntec Convention Centre. In contrast to Berlin - on account of the more manageable size - exhibitors weren`t arranged in thematic or regional clusters. Hotel exhibitors here didn`t just include the large chains such as Starwood, Hyatt, Fairmont/Raffles/Swissôtel or Worldhotels, but also small stands for the planned Maritim China or the Indonesian hotel group with its exotic spas. Other groups such as Kempinski not holding a stand and there just to take a look announced plans to be represented at the event in 2009.
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| ITB Asia Business Talks. |
Yet even those realated to the industry took advantage of the event: Fraser Hospitality, a leading provider of serviced apartments in Asia, for instance, used the event as stage to present concrete expansion plans for Europe. Singapore Medicine, a company propagating health tourism in the city of the "Merlion" also saw an opportunity in the event. "For `outsiders` like us, this is a great opportunity to make new contacts. People are curious and it was worth coming," Clara Yap Yen Ling, Manager of Singapore Medicine says. "A great show, a full appointment calendar, good quality of purchasers," Afni Zaini, Administrator of Global Sales at Fraser, adds.
Dr Martin Buck, Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), was notably relieved after 18 months of intensive preparation work. "Of the more than 800 purchasers, 700 actually came," he reported to hospitalityInside.com. "That`s double the amount that showed up at the PATA Travel Market this year in Hyderabad, India," he stresses (PATA = Pacific Asia Travel Association). "For us, the ITB Asia was a clear success, yes!" he concludes, "but not because we say so as organisers, but because this is the feedback we received from exhibitors and purchasers right from the very first day. "We must optimise both the procedure for the hosted buyer programme for 2009 and match-making. Our aim is to increase quality of purchases even further and of course to improve our information policy," Martin Buck admits self-critically.
"The hotel industry is the bone-marrow of the travel industry!"
Buck is very happy with the hotel industry`s contribution to the first ITB Asia: "The heart of the fair beat here. The hotel industry is the bone-marrow of the travel industry!" he said and continued: "The loyalty of the hotel industry to the ITB was decisive in its success. This industry has the most professional understanding of trade fair marketing!" he praised. He`s also pleased that the idea of involving both small and medium sized enterprises in Singapore has borne fruit. The SMEs made up around 30% of exhibitors in comparison to the chains.
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| Martin Buck, Director Messe Berlin (Singapore): "A clear success!" |
Conversations before the stands and at evening events made clear that Singapore was the optimal choice of venue. The city state, in contrast to China, has no complicated entry restrictions and is very well linked by air to the rest of Asia, Australia and Europe. Also, thanks to its manageable size, the city is easy to travel around in (easier than in Berlin), and trade fair participants arrived in hordes on foot to the Suntec Convention Centre. Six hotels are connected directly to the Suntec centre through seemingly endless shopping malls and another hotels are only a few metres away. All this ensured that the trade fair had almost 5,000 5 star-beds at its disposal in the immediate vicinity.
The Berlin based trade fair company has concluded a three year contract with Singapore, or better said, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB); but according to Managing Director Raimund Hosch speaking at a press conference, even after 2010 the event is to continue to take place in Singapore. The STB has proved a great support for the trade fair; amongst other things, it sponsored the hosted buyer programme as well as the gigantic opening party at Singapore`s harbour with fireworks, music and dance. Tourism businesses in Singapore are particularly pleased with the partnership with Messe Berlin, especially now in a time of unexpected global economic downturn; by 2010, after all, the city will have thousands more hotel rooms and a new cruise terminal will open by the end of the same year. In total, Singapore has 100 hotels and over 37,00 rooms to suit all budgets. 450 business events currently take place in Singapore every year, and this figure is set to grow even further. And in accordance with the STB/Messe Berlin model, further public private partnerships are looked forward to, Lim Neo Chian, CEO of the STM, commented.
A perfect partner for Singapore Tourism
The figures leave no doubt as to Asia`s leading role, even if growth rates have slumped from double to single figures in the wake of the current financial crisis. This still means, however, "moaning at high levels." PATA placed growth in international arrivals at between seven and eight percent for the Asia-Pacific regions in its Tourism Preview 2008-2010. 450 million visitors are expected to the Asia-Pacific by 2010 - after 350 million in the year 2006. Singapore, he predicts, will have recovered from the current slumps within the next two years. Up to the end of 2007, Singapore was spoiled with an annual growth rate of some 6% in visitor figures; since June of this year, the tendency has been negative. In June and July, figures were down 3%, in August downtrend continued at -6%. All the same, STB boss says, the hope remains to be able to hold the current 10 million visitors per year.
At the end of 2010, two of the cities mega projects will open; Marina Bay Sands and the Resorts World at Sentosa, Singapore`s leisure island. Both projects are expected to cause tourist demand in Singapore to explode. By 2015, 17 million visitors per year are expected and bringing turnover from tourism in the region up to 30 billion Singapore Dollars (currently approx. 15 billion Euros). More on these projects next week.
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| Globally linked brands: Fairmont, Raffles, Swissôtel, perfect exhibitiors for ITB Asia. |
Berlin`s politicians, at least, were keen to travel to Singapore and to support the opening of "their" trade fair company on location. At the request of Messe Berlin, Ernst Hinsken, Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism, Germany spoke at the opening press conference, and drew attention to the representatives from the tourism committee of the German Bundestag. These arrived independently - and consequently at the cost of the tax payer - together with interpreters.
The next ITB Asia will be held between 21-23 October 2009 in Singapore. / Maria Puetz-Willems
1. ITB ASIA in figures
EXHIBITORS
• 651 exhibiting companies/organizations from 58 countries & territories
• 651 includes 18 SMEs
• 10,600 square metres of utilized floor space
• The are 280 accommodation entities (43% of all exhibitors*), 178 tour operator/travel agencies (27%), 81 government tourism organisations or associations (12%), 29 travel technology companies (4%), 26 transport/carrier companies (4%), 22 business travel/MICE service suppliers (3%), 12 consultancies (2%), 10 media exhibitors (2%), and 13 others (2%)
• Of all exhibitors, 77% are from Asia Pacific, 8.2% from Europe, 5.2% from Africa, 4.5% from the Middle East, 3.7% from South America and 1.4% from North America
• Expect 5,000 attendees in total, finally registered on site 6,208 attendees (+24%)
[* percentages have been rounded]
BUYERS
• 812 confirmed hosted buyers, 56% of them from Asia Pacific, 30% from Europe, 7% from the Middle-East, 7% from the rest of the world
• 53% of hosted buyers are from the leisure sector, 36% MICE, 11% corporate travel
• Additionally, 1,000 pre-registered trade visitors
OTHER
• 200 pre-registered media, plus extra ‘on the day’ media registrations
• 80 speakers at ITB Asia Convention, Web in Travel event, and Association of Corporate Travel events
Continuative Links:
- EVENTS / First ITB Asia receives favourable welcome
- EVENTS / First ITB Asia receives favourable welcome
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