Trader organiser Messe Berlin said the current coronavirus situation, tightened travel restrictions, and the limits imposed on large events had pushed them to take this step. “Naturally, we examined the possibility of postponing ITB Berlin until summer. However, after consulting with our partners we decided to retain the dates in early March,” said Martin Ecknig, CEO of Messe Berlin.
He added it was important to keep to the convention’s usual timeframe as it was when ITB Berlin’s customers tended to do most of their business ahead of the vacation period. “For this reason we are strengthening the digital elements of ITB Berlin at the ITB Berlin Convention and Digital Business Day,” said Ecknig. “We are doing everything to support a travel industry hard-hit by the pandemic and in 2022 are planning a series of additional services and events in virtual and in-person formats.”
“We deeply regret this situation“, added David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin. “As the organisers, we made every effort to make it possible to hold ITB Berlin as an in-person event again in the German capital. Particularly in these times, the industry needs orientation, inspiration and dialogue.”
Instead of an in-person event, the travel industry’s largest thinktank will be livestreamed from the on-site studio in Hall 5.3 over the same period originally scheduled for the trade show via itb.com. Daily updates on the new concept will be made available from January on the same site, and you can get the latest industry news all year round from ITB News.about:blank
