Travel Technology and Agentic Commerce at ITB Berlin 2026

Event footprint and logistics: halls, dates and core focuses

ITB Berlin 2026 is scheduled from 3 to 5 March 2026 across six fully booked Travel Tech halls: 5.1, 6.1, 7.1c, 8.1, 9, and 10.1. The show floor will concentrate travel distribution platforms, hotel property management systems, housekeeping technologies, payment solutions, and AI-driven products in designated zones to streamline trade‑visitor routing and demonstrations. Hall 5.1 will host major distribution and platform vendors; Hall 6.1 will be the focal point for the eTravel Stage and the new Travel Tech Track; Hall 10.1 is set up as the payments hub for solutions from global processors.

Confirmed exhibitors and thematic allocation

Key exhibitors confirmed for Travel Tech halls include Travelsoft, Amadeus and GIATA (celebrating its 30th year). The Start‑up Area of Verband Internet Reisevertrieb (VIR) will present German travel tech start‑ups. Hotel software and operations technologies cluster in Halls 7.1c, 8.1 and 10.1 whereas Hall 9 expands its footprint with a larger Planet stand and a new location for Access Workspace. Housekeeping technology demonstrations are concentrated in Hall 7.1c.

Programme highlights, stages and streaming

The event programme includes an Executive Forecast 2026 opening the eTravel Stage on 3 March, followed by dedicated tracks: a Hospitality Tech Track, the AI Track (sponsored by Travolution / Eventiz from Travelsoft) centred on agentic commerce, and the new Travel Tech Track connecting legacy distribution with modern platform approaches. All sessions will be livestreamed via the ITB Navigator and posted on ITB Berlin’s YouTube channel to extend access beyond the show floor.

Key sessions and speakers

Speakers and panellists are drawn from across distribution and hospitality tech: Sabre’s Chinmai Sharma opens the Executive Forecast; the Hospitality Tech Track features Pedro Colaco of Guestcentric and Dan Ogen of Leonardo Hotels Central Europe; Tours & Activities and the AI Track present Bruce Poon Tip (G Adventures) and Wendy Olson Killion (Rome2Rio). A Google Masterclass and targeted industry tours — Hotel Tech Ecosystem and AI Industry Innovations — are scheduled to help delegates map solutions to operational needs.

Technology themes: AI, agentic commerce and payments

Artificial intelligence and agentic commerce form this year’s connective tissue. Exhibitors will showcase AI‑based tools for distribution retailing, voice agents, automated translation and live customer interactions. Sabre emphasizes AI within its GDS, retailing and network platforms; DerbySoft and others will demonstrate voice agents and conversational commerce; Qualiday and The Trip Boutique will highlight live translation and AI decision engines. The Payment sector in Hall 10.1 — with VISA, Stripe and Revolut — sets the stage for frictionless booking payments, tokenization and settlement options for cross‑border travel commerce.

Innovations from start‑ups and partners

ITB Innovators 2026 will place early‑stage solutions under the microscope: myclimate’s Cause We Care sustainability initiative; Apaleo’s open property management platform; DerbySoft’s AI‑powered voice agent; The Trip Boutique’s AI Brain; and Qualiday’s AI live translation. Start‑up Valley serves as media partner for the Travel Tech segment, creating visibility for scalable niche products and integrations that can be adopted by tour operators, hotels and experience marketplaces.

• Distribution and data: Travelport, Sabre, Phocuswright
• Payments and fintech: VISA, Stripe, Revolut
• Hotel tech: Apaleo, Guestcentric, Leonardo Hotels contributors
• AI and voice: DerbySoft, The Trip Boutique

Implications for travel operators and marine tourism

For charter operators, marinas and boat rental platforms, the concentrated display of booking platforms, payments and AI is significant. Agentic commerce and AI can automate charter quotations, optimise captain scheduling, and power dynamic pricing for boats and superyachts. Payment innovations demonstrated in Hall 10.1 promise faster, lower‑friction transactions for international charters and day‑boat rentals, improving conversion rates for operators who list yachts, day charters or water‑based activities online.

Practical takeaways for yacht and boat rental businesses

Key operational changes operators should track from ITB Berlin include:

• Integration of AI agents to answer charter enquiries and handle multi‑leg bookings.
• Adoption of open property/asset management platforms to manage fleet availability across marinas and bases.
• Payment tokenization and cross‑currency settlement to reduce no‑shows and speed deposits.
• AI translation and voice agents to support multilingual crews and international clients.

Brief historical perspective and sector evolution

Travel trade shows have evolved from transactional exhibition halls into hybrid hubs for innovation since the late 20th century. Early trade fairs focused on destination marketing and static product showcases; by the 2000s, distribution systems and OTAs reshaped client acquisition. The last decade accelerated platformisation, API ecosystems and mobile booking. Now, the migration toward AI and agentic commerce represents the next phase: moving from search and click‑through to autonomous agents that can negotiate, bundle and execute travel services on behalf of travellers.

Historically, payments and distribution advances have repeatedly unlocked new demand pools — from low‑cost carriers to dynamic packaging — and the same pattern is likely for marine tourism: technology that simplifies chartering, shore‑based services and activity bookings expands accessibility to beaches, lakes and coastal destinations.

Outlook and forecast for international tourism

Looking ahead, the prominence of AI and agentic commerce at ITB Berlin 2026 suggests a near‑term acceleration of automation across the travel value chain. Expect increased adoption of conversational booking flows, AI‑driven personalization for packages that combine flights, accommodation and charters, and deeper integration between payment systems and supplier ledgers. For destinations that rely on seasonal boating and yachting, these changes can boost bookings, improve fleet utilisation and enable new activity offerings — from fishing trips to luxury superyacht charters.

Operationally, travel companies will need to evaluate vendor interoperability, data governance and the regulatory implications of agentic systems acting on behalf of consumers. The move to streamed sessions and online accreditation also indicates continuing hybridisation of trade events, widening audience reach and accelerating product uptake.

ITB Berlin 2026 presents tangible progress in how tourism products are distributed, paid for, and automated — from enterprise GDS suites to start‑up voice agents. For stakeholders in marine tourism, that means improved booking paths for yacht and boat charter, smarter captain scheduling, more secure payment flows for international charters, and AI tools to surface relevant activities and destinations for clients seeking sun, sea and clearwater experiences. For a deeper look at how these industry shifts translate into charter demand, yacht listings, boat rent options and marina readiness, visit GetBoat.com, an international marketplace for renting sailing boats and yachts, which is a leading service for boat rentals to suit every taste and budget. The main points to remember: ITB places AI, agentic commerce and payments at the centre of travel tech; distribution and hotel platforms evolve toward open APIs; start‑ups push practical AI for operations; and these trends directly affect yacht charter, boat rental, beach activities, lake and ocean excursions, captain scheduling, superyacht sales and marinas preparing for growth in yachting experiences.