In a series of ITB Travel Hero Trendcasts, we ask travel insiders and analysts around the world about the current situation in important travel markets. Lydia Li, Deputy General Manager of Messe Berlin Shanghai is not only looking forward to ITB China opening up in September, but above all to the speedy recovery of the travel business in China, which started rapid with domestic travel earlier this year and increases now to long-distance travel as well.

In a series of ITB Travel Hero Trendcasts, we ask travel insiders and analysts around the world about the current situation in important travel markets. Andreas Wulfes, CEO of Neusta Data Intelligence, has deep insights into current business in ITB's home market of Germany. He reports on the current booking situation and which destinations are particularly popular this summer for German holidaymaker.

In a series of ITB Travel Hero Trendcasts, we ask travel insiders and analysts around the world about the current situation in important travel markets. Charuta Fadnis, Phocuswright's Senior Vice President Research, shares insights and data into Phocuswright's unique database. She explains how the global travel business is recovering after the pandemic, what the situation is like in her home market of the USA and which mega trends tourism should adapt to.

Based on new work from Euromonitor International that looks at whether blended travel is here to stay, its part to play in changing the way we travel for the better, and whether travel is actually building back better. During our latest Travel Hero Podcast we discussed the opportunities and future of blended travel with Stephen Dutton , Client Insights Research Manager at Euromonitor.

In this podcast moderator Charlotte Lamp Davies of A Bright Approach and Stephen Dutton discuss various aspects related to blended travel and its impact on the way we travel. It explores long-term shifts in office working culture, the rise of blended travel as the new business travel, and why traditional business travel will most likely not return to pre-pandemic levels.
The podcast also covers new developments in enhancing the blended travel experience and creating value through different options and tiers. It examines the impact of blended travel on in-destination spending and how it can contribute to more economically sustainable practices. Additionally, the podcast delves into the future of mass tourism in Europe, such as Amsterdam and Venice, and how it aligns with blended travel and new travel models.

Enjoy the engaging interview and look out for Euromonitor report on Blended Travel which will be published on ITB Berlin’s website in the coming week where you can also find previous Travel Hero podcast episodes.

Talking about travel trends, how was Q1 2023 going?

Skyscanner is no stranger to research and its latest Horizon Report just published is showing booking patterns returning to pre-pandemic numbers and a desire to travel long haul is rapidly returning. During the new episode of our Travel Hero Podcast we discussed the research paper in detail with Mike Ferguson, Director of Destination Marketing at Skyscanner.

This week the spotlight is on India!

While ITB India is happening in Mumbai, we sat down with Daniel Dsouza President and Country Head for Leisure SOCT Travel, who shares some insights on the Indian traveler.
Learn about the changed consumer behaviors in this fast-moving country, popular destinations within the country and abroad and what the Indian traveler actually seeks.

Did you hear about "blended travel" yet? And what exactly is this "metaverse"?
Caroline Bremner, Senior Industry Manager and Stephen Dutton, Client Insight Research Manager at Euromonitor International explain in just 300 seconds what exactly the metaverse is, what is hidden behind the term blended travel and what connects the two trends.
You want to delve deeper? Then don't miss the ITB Berlin Convention Sessions with Caroline and Stephen on 7 and 8 March: www.itb-convention.com/program.

Travel is one of the largest and fastest growing categories on Tik Tok” says David Roland, Head of Brand Partnerships DACH at TikTok. The platform is a great chance to interact in a new way with consumers and learn from them at the same time – it’s not a one way street! There are opportunities for all players in the tourism and travel market to succeed on the platform! How? And who does it right? David enlightens us!
PS: Join the session “AIDA on TikTok – how to become a love brand for everyone” by TikTok at this year’s ITB Berlin Convention on Wednesday, 8 March to learn more about how travel brands can benefit from the rise of TikTok.

Tune in these 300 seconds with Kathrin Anselm, General Manager DACH, CEE & Russia at Airbnb and Lea Jordan, Co-Founder, techtalktravel.
Find out how Airbnb caters to new travel trends with new features and how overall business, guests and hosts are impacted by those developments.
For deeper insights, don't miss Kathrin and Lea during this year’s ITB Berlin Convention at the Marketing & Distribution Track on 8 March!

Within these 300 seconds moderated by Lea Jordan, Co-Founder & Head of Marketing at techtalk.travel, Amanda Du, Head of eCommerce at Penta Hotels Worldwide, untangles the buzzwords Metaverse, Webfree and NFTs. She analyses how these concepts impact our lives and how we’ll do business. Moreover Amanda shares learnings and specific examples from Penta Hotels on how to reward, recognize and engage with customers on a totally different level.
Hear out more insights from Amanda Du during this year’s ITB Berlin Convention at the Hospitality Tech Forum and the Marketing & Distribution Track!