The International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) said its second edition in Cannes, France, was a resounding success and it is now looking forward to its third showing this December.
Following the trend of other major events in Cannes, the show was attended by “movers and shakers” of the luxury travel sector, said an ILTM spokesman.
“I have never seen a travel event where all the senior people in this sector are out in attendance, not just at the exhibition, but interacting within a series of social and business functions,’’ said ILTM’s chief executive officer Serge Dive. ‘‘We feel this has already become the ‘must-do’ event for our industry.’’
A total of 572 companies participated in the exhibition with stand space, with a hosted buyer programme of 650 and an additional 200 trade visitors over the three days.
Nearly 25,200 pre-scheduled appointments were arranged in addition to passing contacts within the exhibition.
ILTM has become a glamour event to match the prestige of the luxury travel industry, said Dive.
Products on display covered every aspect of the industry, including space travel, Antarctic and sub-aqua travel, in addition to the most luxurious hotel, safari, cruise, train, and aviation products.
“It is not unusual for seven-figure deals to be completed at this event when you remember our buyers represent some of the wealthiest people and companies in the world including royalty and government, and the cream of the film, music and sports business,’’ said David Hammond, Managing Director, ILTM Media. ‘‘This is a market that is status- and product- driven and is very resilient to economic and social instability.”