MICE CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

By Dr. Zuzana Adamson

This year’s edition of the popular exhibition in Shanghai opened its doors on May 26, 2026, welcoming more than 900 tourism organizations from 85 countries and regions, 1,700 invited buyers, and 280 media representatives. This represents a 20% increase compared to the previous year (2025).

Under the Messe Berlin China brand, Messe Berlin offers top-tier professionalism and sophisticated management. It is no wonder that the company is experiencing success in the Chinese market and continues to expand: in November, it will direct the first edition of the CIMX event, which focuses on MICE in Beijing.

David Axiotis, Managing Director of Messe Berlin (China), stated: “This expansion of ITB China reflects the global tourism industry’s strong confidence in the valuable Chinese market from a long-term perspective. Tourism organizations from 85 countries and regions, a large community of invited buyers, and a very diverse conference programme create a platform with strong connectivity and agility. We are delighted that delegates are deepening their dialogue, thereby strengthening business and cultural relations, and translating this exchange into concrete business cases here in Shanghai.”

Georgia was this year’s ITB China partner country: at a gala welcome evening organized by destination representatives at the W Shanghai Hotel, we watched a dance performance combined with local music and singing by a male choir, and sampled Georgian specialties. This included traditional Georgian wine, the cultivation of which is the oldest in the world. The grand opening of the exhibition was attended by Irakli Nadareishvili, Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, and Maia Omiadze, Director of the National Tourism Administration of Georgia.

This small country, with its capital Tbilisi, has a population of only 3.7 million, but the number of tourists, visitors, and MICE events keeps growing: 2025 represented a 5.9% increase in international arrivals (flights) compared to 2024, representing an impressive 6% increase in revenue for the tourism sector. The source market consisted of 60% neighbouring countries, while markets from the EU and UK represented 7% and the Middle East 9%.

Flight connections are available to 125 destinations, and the capital city’s airport recorded 8.5 million passengers in 2025, served by 82 airlines. A visa-free regime is in place with many countries, while visitors from China represented an approximate 49% increase in Q1 2026 compared to last year.

Our group of international B2B media was accommodated at the EVEN Hotel, which provides a practical environment for trade fair delegates. A location near the Shanghai Expo exhibition grounds, high-quality mattresses, and a varied selection of healthy specialties for breakfast – these are the main needs for business travellers, and local hospitality professionals are well aware of this.

This year’s ITB China welcomed many new countries and destinations such as the Philippines, Ivory Coast, Nepal, Mexico, Romania, Fiji, Uzbekistan, Cappadocia and Trabzon in Turkey, Goa in India, Jakarta in Indonesia, and Zhejiang, Hainan, Tianjin, Leshan, and Yushu in China.

Georgia, followed by Malaysia, Turkey, Morocco, Abu Dhabi, and Italy, presented themselves in the largest pavilions, continuously expanding their presence in the Chinese market.

Our B2B media publication MICE Central and Eastern EUROPE has been an ITB China media partner since 2017, covering the Asian markets and Chinese exchanges, and it is a pleasure to see these exchanges constantly growing cooperatively and to be a part of this growth and development, despite the “Covid crisis” in the years immediately following 2020.

The lecture programme was also beneficial. For instance, the China-EU Dialogue took place in Conference Hall A, featuring contributions on the topic from various perspectives: new trends, how to attract tourists from Europe to China and from China to Europe, as well as demand from Chinese visitors, the attractiveness of destinations in Europe, popular places and countries, market structures, and much more. There was no shortage of debates on new technologies, digitalization, and cultural differences. Europe represented 20% of the total international exhibitors.

The most exhibitors were recruited from Asia and Oceania (27%), followed by another substantial group from the Middle East and North Africa (14%).

Besides Georgia as the official partner destination, the partner of this year’s ITB China was Zhejiang Province for inbound tourism, which also hosted an entertainment programme with the Zhejiang Night dinner at the InterContinental Shanghai Hotel. Furthermore, Jin Jiang International joined as an official partner in the tourism and hospitality category. Airlines included Malaysia Airlines and EGYPTAIR, alongside corporations Trip.com and Zurich Insurance.

In addition to the aforementioned, the rich programme covered topics such as: Where do Chinese people travel abroad? MICE, Luxury tourism and its trends, Inbound tourism, and others. A staggering 180 speakers presented, sharing new trends and reflections on the future of tourism, MICE, and luxury.

The destination of Ethiopia celebrated its 80th anniversary (1946–2026) under the banner of “A Timeless Legacy”. On the second day of the trade fair, its representatives informed attendees at a press conference about the development of MICE infrastructure and investment opportunities in the tourism sector. Additionally, this day carried a relaxed atmosphere of artistic productions: besides Ethiopia, other destinations also presented traditional music, dance, and singing at their booths.

On the third day of the trade fair, delegates then had the opportunity to discover other Chinese cities firsthand through selected post-tours. This year’s ITB China trade fair was a success, and as heard during many discussions, even though technologies for closing deals and partnerships are advancing on a global level, live meetings of service providers with buyers and B2B media cannot be replaced.

Tourism and MICE are primarily about contacts, cooperation, and cultural exchanges between people, and there is no doubt that this will remain the case in the future.