ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS
ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS Brought to you by LUXURY TRAVEL PROS FLOCK TO THE CITY OF STARS The French city of Cannes is the annual Mecca for luxury travel professionals - at ILTM ILTM Cannes, the global flagship event of the ILTM portfolio of trade-only events returns to Cannes, 5 – 8 December 2016. ILTM is truly a not-to-be-missed global event for the luxury travel industry, introducing global travel buyers to an incredible collection of international travel experiences. The organisers indeed describe themselves as “the relationship brokers that provide a platform for you to do business and build relationships”. Last year, the show generated over 60,000 business appointments, resulting in business estimated in the hundreds of millions of Euros. With around 100 countries represented, the 3,000 attendees (both buyers and suppliers) at the show are 100% international. While ILTM is largely based on face-to-face meetings, a number of networking events enable attendees to build even stronger relationships. The strength of the show echoes the solid growth in the luxury travel segment. Indeed, an exclusive report released at ILTM in 2015 underlined the fact that luxury travel is expected to see more buoyant growth across the globe with highest growth seen in the Americas, Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa, thanks to increasing income and a growing middle class. Germany and the UK were found to be the top source markets from Western Europe. Europe will remain a popular destination, with a weaker euro currently providing good value for money for US tourists. Worldwide, the report reveals that the number of affluent households is expected to grow between 2015 and 2030. North America will continue to have the wealthiest number of households, but despite the economic slowdown Asia Pacific is still expected to see the fastest increase, posting a predicted 113% growth between 2015 and 2030. ILTM is also an annual media showcase for luxury travel brands that increasingly leverage the event to announce new openings, strategies and campaigns. This THE RELATIONSHIP BROKERS THAT PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR YOU TO DO BUSINESS AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS year will no doubt see even more news coming from the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Last year’s edition of ILTM was also a platform for US-based Virtuoso to increase its footprint in Europe, having launched in this territory only in 2014. “Virtuoso, in partnership with our global agency members, is co-creating this network to position each region for success while simultaneously building a powerful international brand,” said Virtuoso Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Matthew D. Upchurch •
AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #32 2016 Winter Edition 21 © Alanbritom THE AMERICAS – A NEW TOURISM DYNAMIC The face of tourism in the Americas is rapidly changing due to a number of factors. The most important is the rise in the value of the “Greenback” meaning US citizens are finding it much cheaper to travel than before. Travel therefore to the Caribbean, Canada, Central and South America has thus become much more affordable and attractive. The Olympic games in Rio added to the promotion for the star South American destination, and new infrastructure will have a prolonged flow-on effect for the region. At the same time, however, the facilitation of visa processing, and strong campaigning by Brand USA outside the USA, along with fabulous new developments in some of North America’s key tourist destinations have meant that the strong dollar has not resulted in a consequent drop in tourists arriving in the USA. To the contrary, figures are still on the rise, and business is excellent. Tongariki, Easter Island, Chile
