Shreya Shimpi
The ITB India Conference 2025 showcased a robust international presence and a thoughtfully curated conference agenda under the unifying theme, “The Business of Experience: Curated Travel for Targeted Growth.” It offered over more than 1,440 minutes of content across 40 sessions and four dedicated tracks – Knowledge Theatre, MICE & Corporate, Travel Tech, and Experiential Travel.”,
More than 80 industry leaders and innovators shared their expertise, offering insights into the future of MICE, corporate travel, leisure travel, and travel technology. Notable highlights included contributions from senior leaders and representatives such as FCM Meetings & Events, Google, Indian Hotels Company Limited, MakeMyTrip, Meetingselect, SOTC Travel Limited, Amadeus, RezLive.com, Skyscanner, and TBO.com,Thomas Cook India, and Tripjack. The conferences featured an impressive line of speakers such as Scott Wegener, Isha Goyal, Ankush Nijhawan, Ajay Prakash, Naresh Rawal, Prateek Hira, Jaal Shah, Stuti Das, Manoj Samuel, Jurgen Bailom, Nikhil Jeet, and Christian Schoch to name a few.
The Knowledge Theatre explored India’s rise as one of the most influential outbound travel markets globally, with tourism leaders from global destinations such as Austria, France, Ras Al Khaimah, and Switzerland.
Scott Wegener, Head of Asia Pacific, Tripadvisor delivered an impactful keynote session in which he highlighted experience-driven travel. He said,” Experience-driven travel today is all about personalisation, authenticity, local interaction and sensory immersion. Travelling is no longer about just collecting pictures, but it’s about collecting memories. Today’s traveller is opting for immersive passion-driven experiences”.
Naresh Rawal, Senior VP – Sales & Marketing, StarDream Cruises India, commented, “Cruise tourism is exciting for the variety it offers and the tailor-made experience that every ship delivers. Every guest goes back with a different experience. The middle class is booming, and the market is ready. What needs to be ready is the mind-set of our travel partners”.
The MICE & Corporate track highlighted how innovation, sustainability, and technology are reshaping events and corporate travel. C-Suite talks spotlighted evolving traveller expectations. The Travel Tech track showcased how AI, analytics, and digital innovation are transforming the industry. Experiential Travel Track charted India’s shift from products to transformative journeys.
Prateek Hira, Founder, President & CEO, Tornos, commented, “Travel is undergoing an evolution and we need to rediscover and reengineer ourselves in order to live up to the expectations of the mature market, especially the youth who are today’s travellers and tomorrow’s senior travellers.”
The debut of the Experiential Travel track proved especially relevant, reflecting the growing demand for immersive tourism. These impactful sessions gave attendees a chance to stay abreast of the latest destinations, travel trends, and technologies from the latest industry movers and shakers.
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