ITB Berlin 2026: “resilience” and “monitoring” in focus, but the leadership question remains open
The global tourism industry has once again gathered in Berlin this week at ITB, the largest B2B travel trade fair, which marks its 60th anniversary in 2026. The fair and the accompanying ITB Berlin Convention take place from
3 to 5 March 2026 at the Messe Berlin complex, and organizers say this year’s guiding theme is “
Leading Tourism into Balance” – seeking balance between growth, pressure on local communities, security risks and accelerated technological change.
At the same time, political and security risks have returned to the center of debates. The Convention program also highlights the political framework of an “age of polycrisis,” with an announcement that former German foreign minister
Joschka Fischer will speak about how the sector can position itself in a world of increased uncertainty.
However, while Berlin is intensely discussing resilience, crisis management and “situation monitoring,” a critical question is also coming from parts of the industry:
who is actually leading the sector through a period in which crises have become the rule rather than the exception?What organizers say: balance instead of a “return to the old normal”
ITB Berlin Convention 2026, according to official announcements, brings together around
400 international speakers on
four stages and across
17 thematic tracks. The concept of “balance” is not just a marketing phrase: the program is designed to simultaneously address sustainable business models, political and regulatory pressures, digital transformation, and destination management under conditions of overtourism.
In the announcement of the jubilee year, organizers also emphasize a stronger “policy” segment – from the opening press conference on 2 March to the UN ministerial summit at ITB, where tourism ministers are expected to discuss the direction of international tourism.
In the Convention program itself, the key word becomes “governance”: how the sector can grow without overrunning the carrying capacities of cities and coastal areas; how to cope with disruptions in air transport and changes in traveler behavior; and how to introduce more data and standards into decision-making.
“Monitoring” as an answer: what WTTC proposes
When risks are discussed at major conferences, a call for “monitoring” is often heard – continuous tracking of trends, security conditions and destination pressures. In practice, part of these discussions is linked to a broader shift toward “smarter governance” of tourism, especially in cities and regions facing overcrowding.
In 2025, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) published a report and a set of recommendations for “smarter tourism management,” emphasizing the need for a
balanced approach in which growth is aligned with local residents’ quality of life, infrastructure and long-term planning. WTTC’s message also stresses that overcrowding is often not only a tourism problem, but also a consequence of broader urban and infrastructure weaknesses.
Within that framework, “monitoring” becomes a tool: destinations should track visitor flows, seasonality, the load on public services and accommodation capacity so that measures can be adopted before dissatisfaction in local communities escalates. WTTC highlights practical guidelines and the need for public-private cooperation, but critics warn that part of the industry still relies on rhetoric, while implementation is uneven.
UN Tourism: strategic documents exist, but the question is political momentum
On the other hand, UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) has already set a framework through documents such as the “Roadmap for Recovery” in three areas:
resilience,
stimulus and
green economy, emphasizing that tourism can be a tool for jobs, trade and development – but only if crises are addressed in a coordinated way.
At the same time, the UN system also includes Global Tourism Resilience Day, observed on 17 February, which the UN General Assembly introduced to encourage countries to adopt national recovery strategies after disruptions and stronger public-private cooperation.
However, in the year when the debate in Berlin opens on “who leads,” part of the attention shifts to the organization itself: UN Tourism has confirmed that
Shaikha Al Nowais will take over as Secretary-General for the 2026–2029 term, as the first woman to lead the agency.
Expectations are high: the new leadership will be expected to maintain relevance in global forums, strengthen tourism’s development dimension (especially for countries dependent on travel revenues), and respond to increasingly loud demands that the industry be measured by its impacts on communities and the environment, not only by arrivals.
Berlin as a mirror of the “polycrisis”: security, climate, technology and perception
The concept of “polycrisis” – multiple parallel, interconnected shocks – is increasingly used to describe the conditions under which tourism must operate: from geopolitical tensions and energy costs to climate extremes and changes in regulatory frameworks. That is precisely why the ITB Berlin Convention 2026 program explicitly connects crises and artificial intelligence: how digital tools change consumer behavior, but also how policies, security and international relations determine whether travelers will even set off.
In that picture, “resilience” is not just the ability to quickly return to the previous state, but – as public-sector speakers often stress – the ability for the sector to adapt and “leap forward,” with better planning, diversification of supply and stronger inclusion of local communities.
An example from Berlin: Jamaica and the resilience agenda
One of the more visible examples of political positioning at ITB comes from the Caribbean. According to reports from the event, Jamaica’s tourism minister Edmund Bartlett in Berlin emphasized the “Global Tourism Resilience Agenda,” also speaking with the new head of UN Tourism, Shaikha Al Nowais. The focus, according to the reports, was on recovery after hurricanes and on issues of air connectivity, sustainability and workforce development.
Although this is an example of a single country, such initiatives show how “resilience” is increasingly turning into diplomacy: destinations exposed to climate risks and transport disruptions are trying to place their topics on the global agenda, while also seeking concrete assistance – from financing to technical support.
ITB’s jubilee and geopolitical symbolism: Angola as partner country
ITB Berlin 2026 is not only a conference program, but also a geopolitical stage. Media announcements highlight that
Angola is in focus as the partner country, underscoring Berlin’s ambition in the jubilee year to draw attention to African destinations and the growing interest in new markets.
For African countries, positioning at ITB is traditionally an opportunity to boost visibility and negotiate with tour operators and airlines. But at a time when security, reputation and infrastructure investment are viewed through the lens of political risk, the symbolism of the “partner country” carries additional weight – both in relation to European investors and in relation to competition within the continent itself.
Where the “leadership gap” emerges
The criticism occasionally heard on the margins of major gatherings is not aimed at the idea of resilience itself, but at the question of
who sets priorities and who is responsible when crises spill into the real economy, jobs and public budgets. One of the current analyses from ITB points out that parts of the industry are satisfied with statements about “monitoring the situation,” while public institutions sometimes continue with plans that seem disconnected from the global context.
In practice, tourism crises most often have three levels of consequences:
1) an immediate drop in demand and cancellations,
2) pressure on carriers, insurers and small businesses,
3) political pressure on local authorities – from regulating short-term rentals to investing in infrastructure.
If “leadership” is reduced to monitoring, without coordination mechanisms, responsibility disperses between ministries, industry associations, local authorities and international organizations. And when responsibility disperses, decisions are often delayed – precisely at the moment when fast and clear measures are needed.
What real leadership would mean: metrics, data and the public interest
Unlike abstract calls for resilience, real leadership in tourism in 2026 is increasingly measured by concrete moves:
- Transparent indicators that, alongside arrivals and overnight stays, track impacts on housing, transport, water and energy consumption, and residents’ satisfaction.
- Risk management that includes scenarios for transport disruptions and security incidents, and clear communication protocols.
- Investments in infrastructure and the workforce – because without people and services there is no resilience.
- Public-private cooperation in which the rules of the game are agreed in advance, not only when a problem arises.
Here, messages from different actors overlap: WTTC emphasizes the need for “smarter governance” and balancing growth, UN documents call for resilience and green-economy policies, and the ITB Berlin Convention tries to bring politics, technology and the market together in the same hall.
Why 2026 is special: the return of numbers and rising pressures
The return of international travel to high levels, according to analyses within the UN system, also revives old dilemmas: how to turn tourism growth into development without amplifying social inequalities and environmental pressures. One overview of global trends states that the number of international arrivals in 2024 reached levels comparable to the pre-pandemic period, which means the industry has recovered, but debates about “volume” versus “value” are also returning.
For European destinations, this translates into concrete political conflicts: regulation of short-term rentals, tourism taxes, cruise limits, traffic congestion, and resistance from parts of the population to a model that brings revenue but changes the way of life. In that sense, Berlin is not only a place where contracts are signed, but also a test of the sector’s readiness to accept a new reality – that tourism must be justified as public policy, not only as business activity.
Can ITB Berlin be a “turning point”
The stakes are high precisely because ITB Berlin, as the largest global B2B trade fair, has the power to set the agenda: topics that become mainstream in Berlin often then spill into national tourism organization programs, investment plans and market communication. This year, organizers openly talk about “balance,” and they have also included the UN ministerial summit in the calendar – which points to an intention to treat the sector not in isolation, but as part of broader policy.
However, the leadership question will not be resolved in one hall. It will be measured by whether, after the fair, the following appear:
- clearer standards for measuring tourism’s impacts on destinations,
- concrete commitments to reduce risks and emissions,
- better coordinated policies for managing crowds and housing,
- and operational mechanisms for crisis situations, from security to climate extremes.
If ITB Berlin 2026 in the jubilee year succeeds in shifting the discussion from declarations to implementation, Berlin could become more than a trade fair – a place where, in practice, what it means to “lead” tourism in times of crisis is defined.
Sources:- ITB Berlin (press release) – theme “Leading Tourism into Balance”, framework of the Convention program 2026 (link)
- ITB Berlin (press release) – announcement of the jubilee year, opening on 2 March and the UN Ministers' Summit (link)
- Breaking Travel News – overview of ITB Berlin 2026, dates 3–5 March and the scope of the fair (link)
- Breaking Travel News – announcement of the ITB Berlin Convention 2026 and Joschka Fischer’s keynote on “polycrisis” (link)
- WTTC – statement on “smarter tourism management” and managing pressure on destinations (link)
- UN Tourism – “Roadmap for Recovery” (resilience, stimulus, green economy) (link)
- United Nations – Global Tourism Resilience Day (17 February) and the goal of strengthening resilience (link)
- UN Tourism – confirmation of Shaikha Al Nowais’ election as Secretary-General (2026–2029 term) (link)
- Inter Press Service / Global Issues – overview of global tourism trends and recovery through 2024 (link)
- eTurboNews – commentary/analysis on the “leadership gap” at ITB Berlin 2026 (link)
- eTurboNews – report on Jamaica’s resilience agenda at ITB Berlin 2026 (link)
- eTurboNews – overview of Angola’s role as partner country of ITB Berlin 2026 (link)
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