Travel Trade Shows 2023 and 2024 - Calendar of Events

Attending travel trade shows and conferences is not only time consuming but can be very costly as well, so choosing which to attend is paramount to the success of your business.

That was written pre-COVID19, but the message is even more important today than it was then.

What COVID19 has shown, is that we can very easily have a face to face meeting over Zoom - or similar software - without having to pay for a flight, go to the airport, pass through security, immigration, etc. etc.

With such technology, we can have two or three video meetings with people all over the world in less time than it would normally take to travel to the airport from home or the office, and without all the expense, hassle and time that goes with such a trip.

Even before COVID19, we at TravelNewsAsia.com were cutting down on shows, selecting just a few where it is possible to meet sellers who would not normally be easy to reach as they do not have large enough budgets to attend and exhibit at major travel trade shows.

That is precisely what organisers need to remember. It is easy to pack a trade show with conferences and other reasons to attend etc., but what many buyers really want is to experience a new destination, meet sellers who they would not normally see, do site inspections, new learn things about the host destination and to expand their business horizons.

That is why we are very big fans of shows that rotate the host city/country. Events such as the ASEAN Tourism Forum, TTM+ and others. Though even they sometimes miss the point. For example, we have encouraged the Tourism Authority of Thailand for many years to host TTM+ in a tertiary city such as Khon Kaen, Ubon or Roi-Et, so that instead is just talking about Isaan, they can showcase it to travel buyers properly.

The Cambodia Travel Market in 2019 was brilliant because buyers could sit down with people from parts of the country they know nothing about. The WTM in London and Arabian Travel Market in Dubai remain important as they are very well established. For aviation, it would be Farnborough or Paris, as well as the Singapore Airshow and possibly LIMA.

We would also love to see Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macau develop and better promote an official annual travel trade show for international buyers and media that rotates meaningfully between their cities with the most future tourism potential and not just the cities so many travel buyers have visited already a dozen or more times.

This calendar of events is constantly being updated as more shows confirm live events. Please note that we do not list virtual trade shows.

Some travel trade shows do host buyers - covering airfares and hotel etc., so it is always worth asking whether that is an option and how to apply.

For Asia, the ASEAN Tourism Forum, or ATF as it is more commonly known, has traditionally been an excellent show to attend, especially as it rotates between ASEAN countries every year, allowing you to experience the destinations you are selling. Sadly, independent reports we received about this year's event in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, indicate that it attracted just over 60 sellers, 50 buyers and very few regional or international travel trade media were invited to attend. Official reports from the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Economy are, however, very, very different, and claim there were 348 exhibitors from 11 countries and 115 buyers from 29 countries. Let's hope the beautiful country of Laos does a better job when it hosts the ATF 2024 in Vientiane from 15-19 January.

The Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) has improved enormously over the years and is now an excellent show to attend as it is very focused and gives buyers the opportunity to meet with a wide range of Thai sellers who they would not normally meet. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has done a great job in turning this event into an extremely valuable and must attend travel trade show. In 2019, TTM+ was held at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Jomtien, Pattaya, but was not held in 2020, 2021, though they did manage to host TTM+ 2022 in Phuket. I cannot help but think that TAT has missed an opportunity to promote a city in Isaan such as Ubon or Roi-Et in 2023, as the event will take place at QSNCC in Bangkok from 31 May to 2 June. Hopefully in 2024, they will use TTM+ to really promote the beauty and charms of Thailand's secondary and tertiary cities by hosting it in one of them. See: Thailand Travel Mart (TTM+) 2020 - Exclusive Interview with Chiravadee Khunsub of TAT and HD Videos from Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2019.

The Cambodia Travel Mart takes place in October every year and TravelNewsAsia.com attended for the first time in 2019, the third time the event had taken place. The Kingdom of Cambodia has HUGE tourism potential. It has some amazing beaches, mountains, jungle and plenty of architectural wonders - such as Angkor Wat and others. Having said that, the Cambodia Travel Mart needs to focus more on the B2B market and get more support from the large international hotel chains and regional tourism bodies. It is very important that this event succeeds, as it is far better for overseas buyers and media to visit Cambodia to attend CTM, than for sellers to travel to an event overseas and compete for their attention against all the other destinations. Cheaper too. CTM is still young, and I think it will grow in the years to come. Should you attend? Definitely, you will meet sellers that you would never normally meet, and get to experience the country at the same time. HD Videos from Cambodia Travel Mart 2019.

In 2008, Messe Berlin, organisers of the mammoth ITB Berlin, together with the Singapore Tourism Board, put their full weight behind the inaugural ITB Asia. Over the years, it has grown and grown, and continued to grow - at least the events around ITB Asia have. While all this expansion may seem like a good thing, in our eyes - as a media outlet - there is too much going on, with conferences and seminars covering every imaginable topic taking place at the same time. We no longer attend ITB Asia which takes place annually in Singapore, as we prefer to attend more focused shows such as TTM+, ATF, WTM and CTM.

Another important travel trade show in the region is Tourism Expo Japan, formerly known as JATA Tourism Expo. This trade show has the ambitious aim of becoming the biggest in Asia and with Japan being such an important outbound market, even with a weak global economy, then this will always be one of the most important events on a calendar year. Traditionally JATA and the World Travel Fair, also in Tokyo, rotated annually. Now they have combined, and a few years ago they set up an inbound component to the show. This was very big news, as JATA had always been about the important, and lucrative, outbound market, and, had pretty much ignored the inbound. The Tourism Expo Japan takes place annually in September, and is a show you should attend. There are many delegates not just from Japan but also, Asia Pacific and around the world.

The Mekong Tourism Forum rotates annually between countries on the Mekong, so from that perspective it is very interesting to see different cities and get updates about the local tourism industry in that area. The event has a lot of potential, but is still trying to figure out the best format to use. It is not really a travel trade show as there are no buyers meet seller appointments - a pity perhaps, nor are there any real exhibitors - again a pity, as it would be interesting to see and meet with small hotels and tour operators in that area. The MTF is more of a conference to promote sustainable tourism.

The ITB and WTM, held each year in Berlin and London respectively, are two of the oldest and still the biggest travel trade shows in the world. We used to attend both religiously for many, many years, but now, of the two, only attend the WTM in London. Make sure you book flights and accommodation well in advance as both Berlin and London get very busy.

The EIBTM and IMEX are without a doubt the best MICE shows in the world, although AIME in Australia is also a good event aimed at the MICE market.

The Arabian Travel Market is an excellent show if you are interested in selling the Middle East or attracting customers from the wealthy Middle Eastern markets. To make the most of this show try and do sales trips either after or before the show to some surrounding areas such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain etc.

For luxury, the ILTM series which started in Cannes but has grown in recent years to include Japan and China, among others, is one of the best.

To add your trade show to the calendar of events above costs just US$199 per show, per year, and includes a direct link which opens in a new tab / window. Send us an email to add your show.