Outbound travel from Asian markets is likely to increase by about 6% next year, according to a major survey presented at ITB Asia last week, and the Singapore-based event is to expand in 2013.
At the fifth edition of ITB Asia, held last week at The Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin, presented an Asian outbound travel insight, based on IPK’s World Travel Monitor. When asked about their travel intentions next year, 29% of respondents said they would travel at least once and probably more in 2013; 50% say they will travel as often as they did in the past 12 months; 16% say they will travel but possibly less often; and only 4% expect not to travel at all. More than three-quarters of Asian travellers’ trips, both business and leisure, are ‘intra-region’: 14% to Europe, 9% to the Americas and 1% to Africa.
“Overall we expect a 6% improvement in travel performance in the next year,” says Ruetz.
When asked whether the global financial crisis would effect their travel in 2013, 32% said yes and 68% said no. “That’s an improvement on last year, when 36% of travellers felt the GFC would effect them.”
The largest outbound markets in the survey were Japan (18.7 million trips in a year), China (18.3m), Korea (12.1m), Taiwan (9m), India (7m), Singapore (6m), Malaysia (5m) and Thailand (3m).
ITB Asia 2013
Over the three days, ITB Asia 2012 recorded almost 8,500 attendees, a 12% increase from 2011, representing 92 countries, making it one of the region’s most international travel trade events. Organiser Messe Berlin plans to take up two floors of exhibition space next year, across Suntec Singapore Convention Centre from 23rd – 25th October 2013.
“Suntec has given us the flexibility to expand the second trade show floor next year depending on demand for space,” said Nino Gruettke, Executive Director of ITB Asia. “Our aim is to grow ITB Asia year on year, not just in terms of floor space but also in delivering high quality, relevant content that will be beneficial to delegates. We want to build this show as a knowledge platform and will continue to focus on bringing in an even more powerful line-up of speakers for next year’s event.”
