ITB China 2025 Unveils New Travel Innovation Hub

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ITB China 2025, taking place from May 27 to 29 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, will unveil the Travel Innovation Hub, a unique new platform showcasing the intelligent and sustainable integration of technology into the travel industry. 

With its three pillars – the Travel Innovation Showcase, the Travel Tech Forum, and the Travel Innovators Pitch – the Travel Innovation Hub is set to become a catalyst for industry change. It features major tech players such as Trip.com Group, Fliggy, Tongcheng Travel, Meituan, Petal Ads, Heytrip International, Mize, Guangdong Qiyouji, CONVERGENT, Expedia Group, Travco, and many more, as well as exclusive activities such as the Travel Innovators’ Gathering sponsored by Tencent Smart Tourism.

As China continues to be a leader in global tech innovation while also ranking among the world’s largest tourism markets, this initiative marks a major step forward in the digital transformation of the global travel ecosystem. Developed in response to the rapid digitalization of the industry, the Hub reflects how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing are transforming travel experiences. From immersive virtual tourism and location based virtual reality (LBVR) to AI-driven assistants, contactless services, and smart hospitality systems, these technologies are redefining how travel is created, delivered, and consumed.

Vincent Wen, Director of Huawei Consumer Cloud Service Business Growth Dept, stated: "This year marks our second appearance at ITB China. As an intelligent marketing platform powered by the HarmonyOS ecosystem, Petal Ads is poised to deliver one-stop cultural tourism solution for more industry partners. China's outbound tourism market is radiating tremendous consumption potential and innovative energy. We will steadfastly advance industry digitalization through technological empowerment, leveraging smarter and hyper-localized marketing services to help partners seize growth opportunities in the resurgent outbound travel sector."

Strategic focus on three core areas

The Travel Innovation Hub is built around three core components designed to foster innovation, promote meaningful collaboration, and accelerate the future of travel. The first is the Travel Innovation Showcase, a dedicated exhibition area bringing together many of the world’s leading travel technology companies. Leading online travel platforms will unveil AI-powered breakthroughs: Trip.com Group will showcase its personalized travel ecosystem driven by AI; Fliggy will introduce a multi-model AI itinerary assistant; Tongcheng Travel will explore a unique business model that integrates eSports with cultural tourism; and Expedia Group will demonstrate customizable travel experiences powered by its robust APIs and service capabilities. In addition, technology companies such as Mize, YEEPAY, Nium, Heytrip International, and Meituan will showcase their respective innovations, collectively demonstrating the diverse vitality and vast growth potential of the travel technology ecosystem.

The second pillar, the Travel Tech Forum explores the transformative potential of technology across tourism through a curated series of expert-led dialogues. The Forum will be structured around three thematic areas.

Under the theme of Destination Tech, a panel co-organized with AWE Asia, the premier XR industry community in the region, will examine "A two-way Journey of digital travel and extended reality (XR)", featuring insights from Pico VIDEO by ByteDance, Visionstar, and Metavision. A second panel in this track themed "What new sparks will be ignited when AI meets tourism services?" will explore the convergence of artificial intelligence and tourism services, with contributions from DEEP Robotics, Smart Guide, Mafengwo.com, and Amazon Web Services, who will address how AI-powered customer support, intelligent recommendations, and supply-demand matching can elevate user experience and boost operational efficiency.

The ESG Tech section, co-organized with Petal Ads, a Huawei-powered all-scenario marketing platform, will present a panel titled "Sustainable Travel: A New Paradigm for Tourism from a Global Perspective". With insights from Fudan University, Andalucia Tourism Board, SLH, and China UnionPay, this session will explore new global pathways for sustainable travel, focusing on three key dimensions: technology empowerment, cultural leadership, and global collaboration.

The third pillar of the Travel Innovation Hub, the Travel Innovators Pitch, is a high-energy platform where eight handpicked tech companies will present their groundbreaking products and solutions to an audience of investors, tourism leaders, and media. Each company will have eight minutes to pitch their vision, followed by networking and direct feedback from industry stakeholders and investors. Prior to the pitch event, selected companies will also participate in the Travel Tech Tour, a series of roadshows co-organized by ITB China and media partner 36Kr, aimed at bridging the gap between the technology and tourism industries.

The innovation journey will culminate in the Travel Innovators’ Gathering, a relaxed yet impactful networking event sponsored by Tencent Smart Tourism. This exclusive evening will bring together all Forum speakers, pitch participants, investors, jury members, and professionals from across the travel and tech industries for informal exchanges and collaboration-building in a more personal setting.

For more Information about ITB China Conference, visit here.