ILTM Asia Pacific returns this June with packed programme, strong attendance

Attendance at ILTM Asia Pacific this June at Marina Bay Sands Singapore is expected to inch close to 2019 levels, with some 1,000 industry specialists set to gather at the luxury travel tradeshow from June 19 to 22.

Comparing the 2022 edition with the upcoming event, Alison Gilmore, portfolio director for ILTM Worldwide with RX Global, said last year’s show “was buzzing, but this year brings the buzz to new levels of travel expertise and boundless energy”.

ILTM Asia Pacific 2023 will see some 1,000 industry specialists attending the luxury travel tradeshow

Gilmore revealed that the tradeshow has seen confirmation from “luxury travel suppliers in all shapes and sizes” – from smaller independent brands like Jawakara, a new high-end family friendly and multi-generational Maldives island, and small niche hotel chains such as Airelles, to established hospitality companies such as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts and Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

Luxury travel advisors can also expect to tour the world across a single show floor, as destinations such as Fiji, Italy, Portugal and South Korea commit to presence at ILTM Asia Pacific 2023.

Sellers will get to meet new buyers this June, with 44 per cent of luxury travel advisors in attendance being new to the Asia-Pacific event. In all, the majority representation (60 per cent) will be from Australasia. Nine per cent will hail from South-east Asia; eight per cent from China; seven per cent each from India and Hong Kong; six per cent from Taiwan; and three per cent from Japan.

Abundant opportunities for interaction have been designed for sellers, buyers and media representatives. Besides three days of pre-scheduled meetings on the show floor, there will also be networking events and parties every night as well as a VIP media programme.

Speaking to TTG Asia, Gilmore said: “As we hear continually, the success of ILTM is not just the appointments on the show floor, but the many different occasions where people can connect – often informally or unofficially, where we understand many business conversations are conducted, forming the basis of many new business relationships. ILTM Asia Pacific will continue to focus on the power of human connection to facilitate the impending boom in luxury travel business across the region.”

Other highlights at ILTM Asia Pacific 2023 include the unveiling of the event’s research, Decoding the Luxury Travellers Mindset; Spotlight China, during the Opening Forum at the Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore on June 19; and a designer pop-up led by Design Orchard Retail Showcase, a project spearheaded by the Singapore Fashion Council, Enterprise Singapore, JTC and Singapore Tourism Board to groom new and emerging local designers for overseas business ventures.

The study is the third edition of ILTM’s research series, Buzz versus Reality, which is aimed at “separating fact from fiction when it comes to luxury travel trends”, according to Gilmore.

She added: “The last three years have seen the travel industry confronted by unique and unprecedented challenges, giving way to predictions, opinions, and forecasts. And as China moves out of a prolonged period of lockdown, the travel industry needs to understand which trends are being reflected and which are mere speculation.”

Decoding the Luxury Travellers Mindset; Spotlight China is produced in collaboration with affluent research specialist Altiant. Surveying high-net-worth individuals from across China, the research explores recent and planned travel behaviour, and seeks to answer questions regarding their key travel considerations, spend intentions, desired destinations, expectations for luxury travel experiences, and more.

“The report will be a unique and reliable barometer of luxury sentiment and will be vital reading for luxury travel professionals who want to understand the mindset of the luxury Chinese traveller today,” remarked Gilmore.

The full report will be available for download from the ILTM App and website on June 20.

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