One of Asia’s largest travel trade exhibitions, ITB China 2026, officially opened at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, bringing together global tourism stakeholders and reinforcing China’s growing importance in international travel and tourism cooperation.
During the opening event, the Department of Tourism Culture Radio Television and Sports of Hainan Province and Messe Berlin China signed a Strategic Cooperation Memorandum, officially confirming Hainan Province as the Official Partner Province for China Inbound Tourism at ITB China 2027. The agreement is expected to strengthen Hainan’s international tourism promotion efforts and further expand inbound tourism opportunities in China.
Global Travel Industry Gathers with Record Participation
This year’s edition of ITB China has witnessed significant growth, recording a 20 percent increase in exhibition space compared to the previous edition. More than 900 tourism organizations and travel companies from 85 countries and regions are participating in the three-day event, highlighting strong global confidence in China’s rapidly expanding travel market.
Organizers announced that the exhibition is hosting around 1,700 hosted buyers and 280 international media representatives, while approximately 46,000 business matching meetings are expected to take place throughout the event. The exhibition runs as one of the most important annual business platforms connecting China’s tourism market with global tourism partners.
Tourism Industry Leaders Highlight China’s Growing Travel Market
The exhibition features participants representing the entire tourism ecosystem, including national tourism boards, airlines, hotel groups, cruise operators, transportation providers, travel technology companies, destination management organizations, attractions, and travel service providers.
David Axiotis, Managing Director of Messe Berlin (China), said the strong growth of this year’s event reflects increasing global confidence in China’s travel market and growing demand for stronger international tourism cooperation. According to organizers, destinations from Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Africa, and the Americas are participating extensively, with major tourism destinations including Georgia, Malaysia, Türkiye, Morocco, Abu Dhabi, and Italy.
Nepal Makes Presence Among First-Time Participants
This year’s exhibition has also seen several destinations participating for the first time, including Nepal, alongside countries and destinations such as the Philippines, Mexico, Romania, Fiji, and Uzbekistan. Nepal’s participation is viewed as an important opportunity to promote the country’s tourism products directly within one of the world’s fastest-growing outbound travel markets and build stronger tourism partnerships with Chinese and international travel operators.
Conference Focuses on AI, Travel Technology and Future Tourism Trends
Alongside the exhibition, the ITB China Conference 2026 is hosting over 180 speakers across 70 sessions covering eight major tourism themes. Discussions are focused on outbound travel, inbound tourism, luxury tourism, MICE tourism, hospitality trends, travel technology, destination competition, shifting traveler behavior, and the increasing role of artificial intelligence in the tourism industry. Lydia Li said the conference reflects how global tourism markets are evolving rapidly through technology adoption and changing consumer preferences.
Hainan to Lead Tourism Promotion at ITB China 2027
As part of the newly signed partnership, Hainan Province will take center stage at ITB China 2027, scheduled from 25–27 May 2027 in Shanghai. Hainan plans to showcase its tourism strengths through targeted destination promotion, business networking, and tourism investment exchanges. The cooperation agreement also includes participation in China International MICE Exchange 2026, further strengthening focus on meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions tourism. Industry experts believe ITB China continues to serve as one of the most influential platforms for expanding international tourism partnerships and connecting global tourism businesses with China’s massive outbound and inbound travel market.
