There are travel shows, and then there is ITB India, a stage where the industry’s heavyweights parade not only their brochures but also their ambitions, ideas, and, increasingly, their competitive edge.
This year’s curtain-raiser at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai is no modest affair. With chandeliers gleaming, banners stretching skywards, and exhibitors buzzing with caffeine and anticipation, ITB India 2025 has rolled out the carpet for 400 exhibitors, 600 carefully selected buyers, and a crowd of 8,000 trade visitors. The theme, “The Business of Experience: Curated Travel for Targeted Growth”, says it all. Experience is no longer a marketing flourish but the currency of tomorrow’s tourism.
And if anyone still wondered whether India could pull it off, the answer arrived the moment the doors swung open: India is not just participating in the world’s tourism market – it’s taking centre stage.
India’s Heartlands in the Spotlight
Every global event needs a show of national pride, and ITB India 2025 has not disappointed. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh have stepped forward as official partner states, proudly showcasing the predictable, authentic, and immersive.
Madhya Pradesh doesn’t just wave its UNESCO heritage sites; it whispers tales of tigers roaming through Bandhavgarh. Chhattisgarh speaks less of glossy brochures and more of untamed forests and tribal rhythms. Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, offers both temple bells and the hum of waves along its coast.
This is honest India, with fewer selfie sticks and more soul.
Darren Seah, Executive Director, Messe Berlin Asia Pacific, and the man orchestrating ITB India, summed it up with a confident flourish:
“ITB India 2025 demonstrates the vitality of the Indian and South Asian travel markets, serving as an essential platform for global engagement and collaboration. This year’s edition places a strong emphasis on experience-led travel while fostering fresh opportunities for dialogue, innovation, and partnerships across MICE, Corporate, Leisure, and Travel Technology.”
Translation: India is flexing its travel muscles, and the world is noticing.
From left to right: Ms. Katrina Leung (Managing Director and Vice President Asia Pacific, Messe Berlin), H.E. Farhana Ahmed Chowdhury (Deputy High Commissioner, The Deputy High Commission for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Mumbai), Mrs Poonam Sharma (Deputy General manager, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board), Mr. Dylan Redas Noel (Director – Marketing (North Asia & New Markets), Sarawak Tourism Board), Mr. Huu Viet Nguyen (Vice Director, Hanoi Tourism Information and Promotion Centre), Mrs. Ni Made Ayu Marthini (Deputy for Marketing, Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia), Mr. Igor Palka (Senior Vice President, Messe Berlin), Mr. Yrjötapio Kivisaari (President & CEO, Visit Oulu), Ms. Padma Rani Seela (Chief Marketing & Communication officer, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority), Dr. Vijay Kalantri (Chairman, World Trade Center Mumbai). © ITB India 2025
A Global Cast Worthy of Mumbai’s Stage
If Bollywood knows how to pull a crowd, ITB India has mastered the art in the tourism theatre. This year’s international line-up reads like a who’s who of the travel world: Wonderful Indonesia, Visit Northern Finland, Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Sarawak Tourism Board, Ha Noi Tourism Information Centre, Destination 2 Italia, and Prince Hotels & Resorts.
Asia, Europe, and the Middle East are all represented, rubbing shoulders with tech innovators like Infiniti Software Solutions, Zetexa Global, and RateGain. The effect is intoxicating for three days. Mumbai is a global crossroads in which the world’s tourism capitals are one coffee break away from one another.
The Knowledge Feast: ITB India Conference 2025
Of course, it isn’t all show stands and glossy pamphlets. Running parallel is the ITB India Conference 2025, an intellectual souk where more than 40 sessions unfold across four dedicated tracks: Knowledge Theatre, MICE & Corporate, Travel Tech, and Experiential Travel.
The opening keynote belonged to Scott Wegener, Head of Asia Pacific at Tripadvisor, who reminded the hall that South Asia is no longer a side note in global tourism – it is one of the headlines. Yes, sustainability headaches and workforce gaps remain, but India’s growing middle class and digital savvy are rewriting the rulebook.
The Knowledge Theatre sessions have examined India’s outbound tourism juggernaut. From Austria and France to Ras Al Khaimah and Switzerland, global destinations are not wooing India with shy smiles but with open arms. At the same time, Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel Limited are dissecting Indian traveller habits with the precision of surgeons, from luxury escapes to big-fat weddings abroad.
From left to right: Mr. Darren Seah (Executive Director, Messe Berlin Asia Pacific), Mr. Vicente Salas Hesselbach (Managing Director, ITB Americas), Ms. Katrina Leung (Managing Director and Vice President Asia Pacific, Messe Berlin), Mr. Yrjötapio Kivisaari (President & CEO, Visit Oulu), Mr. Igor Palka (Senior Vice President, Messe Berlin), Ms. Padma Rani Seela (Chief Marketing & Communication officer, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority), Ms. Prasanna Lakshm (Regional Director, Tourism, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority), Mr.
Huu Viet Nguyen (Vice Director, Hanoi Tourism Information and Promotion Centre), Mr. Dylan Redas Noel (Director – Marketing (North Asia & New Markets), Sarawak Tourism Board), Mrs Poonam Sharma (Deputy General Manager, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board). © ITB India 2025
MICE & Corporate: Where the Suits Meet the Soul
Once dismissed as a grim necessity of suits and spreadsheets, business travel is being re-imagined here in Mumbai.
Parveen Chander of IHCL has been passionately arguing about redefining hospitality in the MICE sector. A panel with Asian Paints, CRISIL, and Nayara Energy, moderated by SKIL Travel’s Vikash Kejriwal, dove into the elusive art of designing seamless, traveller-centric experiences.
And if anyone thinks corporate Duty of Care is still about ticking boxes, Deepesh Jethwani and Varun Mahajan of Tripjack are proving otherwise: personalisation and proactive care are now business imperatives, not optional extras.
Travel Tech: AI Takes the Driver’s Seat
There was a time when travel technology meant fiddly booking engines and clunky websites. Not anymore. At ITB India 2025, AI and digital innovation are no longer sideshows; they are the main acts.
Amadeus, Skyscanner, RezLive.com, and TBO.com took the stage to unpack the changing world of airline distribution and customer engagement. Anurag Jain of RateGain made the case for hotels to embrace AI, streamline systems, and pursue sustainable growth with new urgency.
Meanwhile, Volaron Tech and Zetexa Global demonstrated that the future of ancillary services is not in add-ons but smart integration that builds loyalty and revenue in one stroke.
It seems safe to say: in 2025, if you don’t have AI in your travel strategy, you don’t have a plan.
Experiential Travel: Selling Journeys, Not Just Holidays
The buzzword at this year’s show is experience, and the Experiential Travel track has taken that word and run with it.
Cruising, once a niche in India, is stepping into the mainstream, with panels featuring Cordelia Cruises, MakeMyTrip, and StarDream Cruises India. Cruise Professionals, Polarverse, STIC Travel Group, and Thomas Cook India are reimagining luxury expeditions and yacht journeys.
In a standout C-Suite talk, Vandana Vijay of Offbeat Tracks reminded everyone that purpose-driven travel is not a fad but a necessity: the modern audience craves journeys that empower communities and transform travellers.
Why ITB India Matters
For those clutching a USD 25 trade visitor pass, this is the year’s bargain. ITB India isn’t a place to collect pens and tote bags. It is a marketplace of real connections, contracts are signed, ideas are debated, and futures are mapped out over hurried cups of coffee.
The quiet confidence running through the corridors makes 2025’s edition so compelling. India’s tourism narrative is no longer defensive or experimental. It is assertive, expansive, and unashamedly ambitious.
Final Word
As I strolled through the halls of the Jio World Convention Centre, I couldn’t help but notice the subtle shift: the world is no longer courting India; it is knocking on India’s door, eager to be let in.
ITB India 2025 is not simply a travel trade show. It is a barometer of the industry’s global health, a pulse check on its direction, and a reminder that travel remains one of the world’s most dynamic forces.
And to the doubters still lurking on the sidelines, consider this Mario’s note of caution: ignore India’s tourism wave at your peril – for it is coming, and it is coming fast.
By Prae Lee
