Halal tourism to be one of the focus at ITB Asia 2016

Press Release by : Beatrice Hua, Ketchum for Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

ITB Asia, “Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show”, has established a partnership with CrescentRating, the world’s leading authority on halal travel. As part of the trade show’s first foray into Muslim travel, CrescentRating will host the “Halal In Travel – Asia Summit 2016” conference and various workshops, sharing invaluable insights on how delegates can strengthen their position in a sector that is currently worth billions of dollars.

Organised by Messe Berlin, the ninth edition of ITB Asia will take place from 19 – 21 October 2016

at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands.

According to findings from MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2016, the global Muslim travel market was worth USD150 billion in 2015 and is projected to grow to USD220 billion by 2020.

As part of ITB Asia, this inaugural event held on 19 October 2016 will bring together experts from National Tourism Organisations (NTO), travel industry stakeholders and online travel industry players to share insights and ideas on how to leverage this growth market to attract more travellers. Panel discussions will focus on national strategies to develop Halal tourism, the readiness of travel services and discuss the use of technology to target Muslim consumers.

The dedicated workshops will share first-hand experience on developing Muslim-friendly travel packages as well as Halal fine dining options at hotels and restaurants. The event will also see the release of an exclusive market intelligence report by MasterCard and CrescentRating.

“With the rapid growth of the Muslim travel sector, our partnership with CrescentRating is an integral addition to this year’s show. Delegates attending ITB Asia from all over the world can look forward to gaining deeper insights from the leading industry experts to help identify new business opportunities, helping to keep them at the forefront of key travel trends,” said Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia.

Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating and HalalTrip, said: “We are delighted to partner with ITB Asia to deliver this inaugural Halal in Travel event. With the in-depth experience CrescentRating has gained over the last seven years, we look forward to delivering a best of class knowledge forum on Halal travel. It will be an ideal platform for exchanging experiences between experts in the industry and destinations. We are confident that this will be a ground-breaking event which will shape the future of this sector.”

Last year, ITB Asia attracted close to 760 exhibitors from 73 countries, as well as 880 buyers and more than 10,300 attendees over three days.

ITB Asia has recently announced its first-ever MICE day, establishing partnerships with industry leaders including Society of Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) and Incentive Conference & Event Society Asia Pacific (ICESAP) on the second day of the show.