The success of ITB Berlin mirrors a positive outlook for travel in 2025 - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

ITB Berlin 2025 registered 100,000 attendees over three trade visitor days, of these, 87 per cent are international – impressive proof of the global importance of the World's Leading Travel Trade Show, which continues to attract a growing international audience. The launch of ITB Americas, which will take place from 10 to 12 November 2026 in Guadalajara, Mexico as a B2B travel trade show for the entire American continent, is another significant step in this direction. The new and innovative Meet & Match platform at ITB Berlin played a key role in furthering international dialogue: it facilitated networking in the run-up to the event and helped build over 80,000 relevant business contacts. A total of 5,800 companies from 170 countries presented their products and services in the fully booked exhibition halls in Berlin. The Cruise and Travel Technology segments were particularly well represented, while exhibitors from Southern Europe, Asia, Africa and the Arab world featured impressive displays.

Despite huge economic and geopolitical challenges, exhibitors and trade visitors at this year's ITB Berlin showcased the industry’s resilience, adaptability and innovative drive. The ITB Buyers Circle with 1,300 senior buyers reflected economic relevance and high quality, while numerous trade visitors also used the trade fair specifically to make purchasing decisions. The overall positive assessment is mirrored in the results and high expectations for follow-up business. The new ITB Travel & Tourism Report 2025/26 acknowledges an extremely positive business climate within the industry and equally favourable prospects for its companies, albeit with numerous recommendations for action. The main topics at ITB Berlin were megatrends such as sustainability and the digital transformation – with a particular focus on the huge opportunities that AI offers for payment solutions and seamless travel for example. On the subject of sustainability, the industry agreed that future growth and resource use must be harmonised, and that tourism must increasingly undergo a full transformation. With ITB Innovators 2025, ITB Berlin presented 35 visionary solutions that are redefining global tourism. Whether the topic was AI-powered assistants, sustainable mobility services or smart booking systems – the focus was on the industry's most innovative concepts.

"ITB Berlin 2025 once again showcased the industry’s resilience and innovative drive. The shift towards sustainable concepts, the integration of AI and the digital transformation opens up enormous opportunities. ITB Berlin has made it clear that we as an industry can set the pace for sustainable and inclusive tourism only if we work together," said Dr. Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin, commenting on the mood at ITB Berlin.

ITB Americas for the entire American continent to launch in Mexico in 2026

ITB goes West: ITB Americas, a new B2B travel trade show for the entire American continent, is to launch in Guadalajara, Mexico, from 10 to 12 November 2026. At ITB Berlin a coreresponding agreement to this effect was signed with the Mexican ambassador in Berlin and representatives of the State of Jalisco. ITB Americas is the only travel trade show that covers North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean – 80 per cent of exhibitors will be from the Americas and 20 per cent from the rest of the world. The latest findings of IPK International confirm a positive trend in outbound travel in this region. Dr. Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin, said: "We are delighted to also be represented on the American continent with ITB Americas. As the only travel trade show that caters for the entire continent and all areas of the travel industry, we are creating a hub for international dialogue – with Mexico as the ideal venue“.

ITB Berlin Convention: forward-looking ideas and practical solutions

The ITB Berlin Convention once again showed why it is a trendsetting thinktank, with over 200 prominent speakers, who at 17 tracks and 400 sessions on four stages dealt with topics such as the digital transformation, the role of AI in planning trips and sustainable business models. The travel market is growing steadily, but also undergoing serious change - according to the latest surveys of Phocuswright and Euromonitor. Social media content is becoming increasingly important for planning trips. Another trend is the desire for authentic experiences at destinations, which are now sometimes more important during planning than the choice of destination itself. At the AI track discussion focused on the use of AI solutions that maximise the customer experience in tourism and make it more personal. The MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) sector is expecting turnover and business to increase over the coming months. The discussion on the skills shortage in the tourism industry also attracted a great deal of attention. Industry experts called for intensifying training programmes and taking an innovative approach to retaining employees in order to ensure companies have stable and adequately staffed workforces.

Gen Z has an important role to play. How the challenges of diversity, a work-life balance and new work affect the corporate climate was one of the main topics of the new Corporate Culture Clash track, which was extremely well received by attendees and clearly illustrated the importance of these topics within the industry. The new ITB Transition Labs presented practical examples of sustainability and digitalisation that are worth following. For the first time, all sessions were livestreamed and could also be watched afterwards on the YouTube channel of ITB Berlin.

High international participation and attendance by political figures

As well as trade visitors from around the world, ITB Berlin 2025 attracted high-ranking political figures from further afield. In addition to Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama, 39 ministers from 34 countries and 37 ambassadors visited the World's Leading Travel Trade Show to exchange views on the latest developments and discuss political decision-making for the future of tourism. The ITB Ministers' Summit by UN Tourism gathered more than 35 tourism ministers from all over the world. They discussed investment, sustainable development and peace in the tourism sector. The high-level event served as a platform for exchanging information on strategies for economic resilience and promoting cross-border partnerships.

The close ties between business and politics were particularly evident in the dialogue that took place between representatives from Europe, Asia and Africa. One of the key topics was the role of tourism as an economic force for the entire value chain in emerging countries. The focus was on funding programmes and initiatives that promote sustainable and socially responsible tourism concepts.

Host country Albania set the tone

This year, there was a special focus on Albania, the official host country of ITB Berlin 2025. Taking as its slogan "Albania All Senses", the emergent travel destination in the western Balkans impressed visitors with wide-ranging displays and set the tone by showcasing culture, nature and sustainable tourism development. Among other things, Albania’s prime minister presented ambitious plans for sustainable development of the country’s coastal regions. There is already growing interest in Albania as a destination for individual and cultural tourism. The impressive presentation by the host country which featured interactive displays and cultural highlights attracted numerous guests and was praised as one of the highlights of the show. On the eve of ITB Berlin, the country also hosted a festive opening gala with around 2,500 invited guests from business, society and politics and gave a visual and acoustic demonstration of what "Albanity" stands for.

Next year, ITB Berlin will celebrate its sixtieth anniversary from 3 to 5 March 2026 – a very special milestone in the history of the show. Since its launch in 1966 it has become the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show, and with ITB Asia, ITB China, ITB India as well as ITB Americas from 2026, it now organises four trade shows for specific regions around the world. The anniversary will highlight the past, present and future of travel with special events. Details will follow in the coming weeks.

Image Credit: © Messe Berlin