Tour operators who attended last year’s travel trade shows could notice that they are better, bigger, and more relevant than ever.
World Travel Market London (aka WTM London), one of the main events in the segment, attracted nearly 45,000 attendees, an increase of 22% compared to 2022.
And it’s no wonder that organizers are expecting even more participants this year.
Fairs like WTM London, ITB Berlin and Arival 360 are a golden opportunity for industry professionals to connect, learn the latest travel trends, feel the market’s energy, and receive real-time feedback about their offers from potential customers.
Are you ready for 2024’s season of travel conferences?
To help you navigate this year’s calendar of events and focus your time and resources on the most relevant to your business, we prepared a list of the ones you can’t miss this year.
Attending a travel trade show is a great New Year’s resolution for tour operators who have never set foot on this type of event before.
It doesn’t matter whether your business is big or small, which is your segment, and what are your goals, travel conferences are a great opportunity to:
Are you excited to attend travel conferences this year?
If so, let’s check some tips for you to make the most of them and don’t miss any business opportunities.
Ruth Franklin, the co-founder of Secret Paradise Maldives and a veteran of travel trade shows, wrote on LinkedIn a piece about her experience during WTM London.
Besides a very interesting description of the event, her article also gives a handful of tips for tour operators who want to attend such events in the future.
Travel trade shows usually don’t have onsite registration.
If positive, you can agree on a partnership to save costs.
A face-to-face meeting is always a great way to strengthen relations and maybe kick off new projects.
If you find potential partners it’s a good idea to contact them in advance to arrange a meeting.
Have in mind which panels you want to attend and which stands you would like to visit. This will save you precious time.
The closer to the event date the more expensive are the tickets, and, in the worst-case scenario, you risk not finding transportation or a room to stay.
Write everything you want to discuss with your potential partners as well as a short, but complete, presentation of your business and how it can add value to your potential partner.
These events are huge and you will need to walk a lot during them.
Sending an email is a great way to say thank you for the time spent and agree on the next steps of the partnership. Also, connect with your contacts on LinkedIn to keep in touch after the event is over.
With visitors and exhibitors from 181 countries, this is considered the world’s biggest travel event for tourism professionals and key players from the industry. In addition to networking, visitors to this trade show are presented with the latest innovations and trends in the tourism industry.
Date: 05-07 March 2024
Estimated Turnout: 160000 Visitors / 10000 Exhibitors
Place: Berlin, Germany
If you are looking for an event to meet industry professionals and close deals, this is the right place for you. WTM London is the market-leading international travel event to unlock business opportunities for inbound and outbound tourism professionals.
Date: 05-07 November 2024
Estimated Turnout: 51500 Visitors / 5000 Exhibitors
Place: London, United Kingdom
This event is a must for tourism professionals working with inbound and/or outbound markets in Latin America. There you can promote your brand, meet new products, and learn about the latest trends related to this market.
Date: 24-28 January 2024
Estimated Turnout: 136000 Visitors / 8500 Exhibitors
Place: Madrid, Spain
EMITT is a valuable business platform providing new business and cooperation opportunities to the Turkish and global travel sectors. It showcases country pavilions, holiday destinations, summer and winter tourism, outdoor tourist destinations, hotels and tourist centers, tour operators, travel agencies and much more.
Date: 06-09 February 2024
Estimated Turnout: 29000 Visitors / 600 Exhibitors
Place: Istanbul, Türkiye
TTG Travel Experience Experience is Italy’s key B2B show for the promotion of global tourism in the country and the marketing of its tourism offer worldwide. Over three days, it brings together international operators and key players in the industry.
Date: 09-11 October 2024
Estimated Turnout: 67000 Visitors / 2700 Exhibitors
Place: Rimini, Italy
If you are a tour operator this is the place to be. The event is focused on the in-destination experiences industry. Three days of learning, peer-to-peer connections & leading insights from thought leaders, so you walk away with practical strategies that position your business for success in an always-changing landscape.
Date: 02-04 March 2024
Place: Berlin, Germany
This prestigious event showcases the latest trends and innovations shaping the fast-moving attractions industry, with new technologies driving ever more immersive and memorable experiences.
Date: 23-26 September 2024
Estimated Turnout: 36000 Visitors / 640 Exhibitors
Place: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
SATTE is recognized as Asia’s Leading travel and tourism exhibition to conduct business, share knowledge, and exchange ideas in order to arrive at solution-driven innovations to accelerate the pace of the growth of the industry.
Date: 22-24 February 2024
Estimated Turnout: 35000 Visitors / 1200 Exhibitors
Place: Greater Noida, India
Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show is an annually held B2B trade show and convention for the travel industry. Designed to be the primary event for the Asia Pacific travel industry, much like its parent event – ITB Berlin.
Date: 23-25 October 2024
Estimated Turnout: 50000 Visitors / 500 Exhibitors
Place: Singapore
This event is a great opportunity for travel companies to promote their tourism products and services, and to improve sales and visibility within the Thai market.
Date: 25-28 January 2024
Estimated Turnout: 225000 Visitors / 1100 Exhibitors
Place: Bangkok, Thailand
This is the number one consumer travel fair in Malaysia. An event that provides global exposure and business opportunities for visitors and exhibitors.
Date: 22-24 March 2024
Estimated Turnout: 100000 Visitors / 4500 Exhibitors
Place: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The second fastest growing outbound travel market in the world and the largest and most international gathering of travel trade buyers and professionals in India.
Date: 08-10 February 2024
Estimated Turnout: 35000 Visitors / 1600 Exhibitors
Place: Mumbai, India
This travel trade show attracts more than a hundred countries represented by their tourism offices, tour operators and travel agents.
Date: 01-03 November 2024
Estimated Turnout: 37000 Visitors / 400 Exhibitors
Place: Montreal, Canada
This event is known for gathering all sorts of travel businesses under the same roof, such as airlines, tour operators, independent hotels & hotel/resort companies, travel agencies, cruise lines, tourism boards, plus ground transportation, attractions, and related services.
Date: 28 September 2024
Estimated Turnout: 10000 Visitors / 200 Exhibitors
Place: Vancouver, Canada
LVTAF connects travel sellers from North America with a global base of vacation experiences, business resources and more. This limited-space B2B leisure travel agency-focused program will provide delegates with a 360-degree approach to networking, education, immersion and business opportunities.
Date: 24-27 March 2024
Estimated Turnout: 40000 Visitors / 1000 Exhibitors
Place: Las Vegas, USA
Focused exclusively on destinations & travel, The Travel and Vacation Show is the most effective way to target consumers that are seeking travel and holiday information and travel agents looking for the latest tours and destinations.
Date: 06-07 April 2024
Estimated Turnout: 17000 Visitors / 200 Exhibitors
Place: Ottawa, Canada
This conference has the goal to drive, inspire and demonstrate innovative and collaborative sustainable solutions for positive tourism development across Canada.
Date: 21-24 January 2024
Estimated Turnout: 275 Delegates
Place: Victoria, Canada
Three-and-a-half days of connection, collaboration, and boundary-pushing innovation in San Diego at THE premier conference for the In-Destination Experiences Industry. Discover the latest cutting-edge strategies and trends to watch as the travel sector’s remarkable recovery continues.
Date: 30-03 September/October 2024
Place: San Diego, USA
Arabian Travel Market is the market leading, international travel and tourism event unlocking business potential within the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals.
Date: 06-09 May 2024
Estimated Turnout: 39000 Visitors / 2500 Exhibitors
Place: Dubai, UAE
IMTM 2024 is entirely customized to maximize industry connectivity and visibility with an in-person event in Tel Aviv, where participants can meet established contacts, and develop more through supplementary meetings and seminars.
Date: 03-04 April 2024
Estimated Turnout: 27000 Visitors / 1900 Exhibitors
Place: Tel Aviv, Israel
One of six shows in the WTM portfolio, the Africa show was launched in 2014 under the Africa Travel Week umbrella to bring the benefits and opportunities of the WTM global industry expertise to travel professionals in the region.
Date: 10-12 April 2024
Estimated Turnout: 9500 Visitors / 600 Exhibitors
Place: Cape Town, South Africa
WTM Latin America is the B2B travel and tourism event for Latin America, offering excellent business opportunities, return on investment and access to relevant and qualified travel and tourism industry buyers, influencers, and professionals. It is the perfect opportunity for the continent to connect with the world through valuable connections and ideas.
Date: 15-17 April 2024
Estimated Turnout: 27000 Visitors / 620 Exhibitors
Place: São Paulo, Brazil
This year is packed with travel trade shows that tour operators should consider attending. With events happening on all continents, I’m sure you can find one that will take place next to you.
As some of them are right at the beginning of the year, we encourage you to book your tickets in advance.
The benefits of attending these fairs and conferences pay off the ticket. Meeting customers, potential partners, and industry colleagues is a rich experience that could be a game changer for your business.
While waiting for the next travel trade show, why not learn how to price your tour and vacation packages?
This way you can make sure to have your best offers ready to be presented to new partners and potential customers. Download the ebook The Best Way to Price Tour and Vacation Packages to learn the best strategies in pricing your tours.
ORIOLY
on January 10, 2024
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