Sixty years. It’s a number that demands a bit of a pause, doesn’t it? As I prepare to head back to Berlin for the 60th anniversary of ITB, I find myself looking back at the sheer trajectory of this event. What started in 1966 with nine exhibitors from five countries has morphed into this gargantuan, multicultural melting pot that literally maps the entire travel planet across the Berlin Messe.
Recalling the earlier days of ITB is a lesson in how much the world—and our industry—has shifted. There was a time when the show ran for nearly two weeks. Two weeks! It was a marathon of human connection, long before “efficiency” became the corporate whip. You didn’t just “ping” someone on LinkedIn; you journeyed through the halls, navigating the distinct cultures of DMCs, airlines, and hotel brands through a haze of cigarette smoke and genuine, unhurried conversation.
The logistics of getting there have changed just as much as the show itself. We used to endure the “sufferance” of travel to reach the travel show—slower planes, analog bookings, and a lot more mystery. Now, we arrive in Berlin powered by a tech stack that manages every nanosecond of our journey. Yet, for all that digital grease, the core of ITB remains that incredible, chaotic, high-touch energy.
The biggest shift, of course, is the technology halls. What used to be a sideshow is now a massive, three-hall engine room of global and European vendors. The European tech scene always brings a different flavor—more progressive, more comfortable with cross-border collaboration. It’s where I’ll be catching up with the usual conspirators, the Soler’s, Puorto’s and Syropoulos’ of the world, exploring topics that often don’t even make the table in the US.
Celebrating sixty years isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about acknowledging that despite the relentless march of automation, we still feel the need to gather 100,000 people in one place to look each other in the eye.
Life is so tech. But ITB is so much better. Tschuss!
Mark Fancourt
