In its 23rd edition, ILTM Cannes (December 2 to 5, 2024) is set to be almost 12 per cent bigger than last year’s edition, which was the largest ILTM to date.
This year’s event is expected to host some 2,350 influential buyers from 84 countries, with 30 per cent of attendees new to the event. Leading the attendance are buyers from USA, UK, Brazil, Germany Australia, France, Italy, China, India and the UAE.
Over 2,350 luxury travel brands spanning 105 countries will meet with these buyers in around 83,000 mutually matched appointments.
Tourism boards of Abu Dhabi and Dubai from the UAE, Oman and Qatar, as well as The Red Sea, AlUla, Diriyah Gate and Soudah Peaks from Saudi Arabia, will be present at the show, Alison Gilmore, Portfolio Director, ILTM, tells
TTN.
“Tourism boards from Mauritius, Australia, Egypt and Mallorca are all first-time exhibitors at ILTM Cannes as well as St Lucia, Aruba and Jamaica from the Caribbean, and also Colombia. New hotels on the sow floor include Five Hotel Group, Regnum Hotels in Turkey, The Fife Arms in Scotland, The Newman, London and Fairmont and Raffles in Doha,” Gilmore says.
“It is clear that the role of the travel advisor has never been more important and relationships with the right agents are key to building long-term business, wherever a luxury travel business is based”
– Alison Gilmore
Among repeat exhibitors, California, Brazil and Oman will significantly expand their footprint.
Accor, Hilton Hotels, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotel Group, Leading Hotels of the World and Marriott Luxury Brands will also grow their presence. Aman, Belmond, COMO Hotels and Resorts, Four Seasons and Four Seasons Yachts, One Hotels, Virgin Hotel Collection are among the most anticipated exhibitors, with a broad range of new openings and experiences – from Orient Express Italy to space exploration company Zephalto.
“We believe Latin America and Japan will continue to boom. And nothing can underestimate the draw of Saudi Arabia, which continues to move higher up the bucket lists of travellers from across the world,” Gilmore says.
Enhancing the ILTM experience are four new dedicated areas: a 1,600-square-metre dedicated Accor pavilion on the Palais’ beachside, a new Leading Hotels of the World hospitality terrace near the media centre, which will this year be located in the Palais restaurant, a new activation by Belmond at the Palais’ front entrance and a new CannesX lifestyle brand bar on the ground floor.
ILTM is a global collection of invitation-only events that brings together leading international buyers to meet and discover the most luxurious travel experiences. Each event introduces an unrivalled selection of luxury travel brands to ILTM’s extensive network of hand-picked luxury travel advisors, through bespoke appointment programmes and networking sessions. Alongside the global flagship events in Cannes and Asia Pacific, ILTM has three core local events: ILTM Arabia, ILTM Latin America and ILTM North America.
Gilmore, who is Portfolio Director of all ILTM events, says: “We’ve seen growth in demand from the Middle East, Asia – especially Japan – and the Caribbean, but we are actually seeing growth across the world.
“It is clear that the role of the travel advisor has never been more important and relationships with the right agents are key to building long-term business, wherever a luxury travel business is based.”
