What is ITB Berlin?
ITB Berlin is the world's largest travel trade fair held annually in Berlin, Germany. In 2025, ITB Berlin will gather travel industry professionals from around the world to share the latest trends and conduct business networking activities. In particular, many Korean travel agencies, tourism offices, hotels, and airlines participated, providing an opportunity to promote the competitiveness of the Korean tourism industry in the global market. I participated as a Korean seller, met various buyers, and experienced the on-site atmosphere firsthand, gaining a lot of insight. In particular, this was my third time participating, and the first time I was surprised by the size of the exhibition hall, and the second time I was surprised by the size and B2B system, but I thought that if I utilized it well this time, I would be able to achieve better results at the next exhibition.
Preparing to participate as a co-exhibitor at ITB Berlin
We participated as a joint participant of the Korea Tourism Organization. We worked as sellers at the Korea Tourism Organization booth to promote the common destination of Korean tourism, including airlines, travel agencies, and even the Korea Tourism Organization. Since the qualification as a joint participant is granted by the Korea Tourism Organization, we must meet the performance record of attracting foreigners, especially Europeans and Americans, and provide proof that we have no tax or unpaid wages in Korea, and that we use licensed guides and insured vehicles. All of these conditions are only basic conditions, and excellent companies are selected from among the many companies that want to participate as joint participants. In this way, for three consecutive years, we have become a joint participant of the Korea Tourism Organization at ITB Berlin as an excellent DMC of Korea.
B2B Meeting Experience at ITB Berlin
In fact, participating in the fair is a big opportunity cost issue for sellers. As of 2025, there is no direct flight between Incheon, Korea and Berlin, Germany. So, I went through other cities. During this period, some airlines went on strike, so I spent more time and money than I thought. Nevertheless, the reason I participated in this fair was to have B2B meetings with global buyers. I had time to introduce Korean travel products and services and discuss cooperation plans with overseas travel agencies.
Interest in the European market:
European buyers were interested not only in Korean historical sites but also in travel products related to Hallyu content. In particular, there were many inquiries about K-drama filming location tours and food tours.
Opportunity to collaborate with Asian and Middle Eastern buyers:
Asian buyers were interested in Korean shopping, beauty, and medical tourism, while Middle Eastern buyers tended to prefer luxury tourism and family travel products.
Real results from the meetings:
During the event, we had more than 20 meetings, some of which led to positive discussions and a high possibility of signing future contracts. In particular, there were opportunities to discuss long-term partnerships with travel agencies in certain countries. In this way, ITB Berlin became not just an exhibition, but a place that creates real business opportunities.
Insights and future direction of ITB Berlin
Through this exhibition, we were able to see firsthand where Korean tourism stands in the global travel market. We were also able to gain insight into the future direction of the Korean tourism industry.
Fierce competition between traditional and online travel agencies
Traditional travel agencies understand the real needs of customers and communicate frequently or visit the travel agency directly to design a trip that suits the customer. Customers can be found through newspaper or online advertisements, but usually they are found through word of mouth.
On the other hand, online travel agencies present curated general products on their homepages and promote them online to many people. They are usually competitively priced, but it is not easy to reset the product.
At ITB Berlin this year, these two types of travel agencies were mixed, each with its own pros and cons, but seeing the VIP market moving online and traditional travel agencies promoting online made me think that the travel industry will become more chaotic in the future.
The concept of sellers and buyers has disappeared.
I participated to promote Korean tourism. Of course, I am a seller.
However, online travel agencies do not have their own products. They have to persuade sellers to post their products on their websites. Of course, when customers come, they will come through them and become buyers. However, posting travel products on lesser-known online sites takes time and effort. Even if travel agencies pay to post products on their websites, who will be sellers at this exhibition?
Even people who promote other exhibitions or network groups that require admission fees sometimes come as buyers. Or they promote their own PR companies and ask for PR fees or labor costs to promote Korea in their own countries. Who will be the buyers? Now, the concept and boundaries between sellers and buyers seem to have disappeared.
Need for differentiated travel product planning
Here, differentiated travel products are not just about DMC in Korea. Since there are many destinations, you need to carefully curate the reasons why you should choose Korea and appropriately set up what you can only see, experience, and taste in Korea. Participating in an exhibition can lead to immediate purchases, but in reality, it is more important to maintain a continuous relationship with the buyers you meet at ITB and communicate with them after the event. Therefore, it is important to have your own concept with the goal of building a long-term partnership.
Conclusion: Participation in ITB Berlin, an opportunity for the Korean travel industry to leap forward globally
ITB Berlin 2024 was an important opportunity for the Korean travel industry to expand its presence in the global market. Through this exhibition, we were able to promote the strengths of Korean tourism and create real business opportunities with overseas buyers.
It will be important to actively participate in global events such as ITB Berlin in the future to further promote Korean tourism and strengthen competitiveness in overseas markets.