This year’s edition of ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) facilitated over 51,000 individual meetings between the industry’s elite when it took place in Cannes last month.
The 2012 event welcomed the rising stars of the future in several focused events created to provide insights based on the first-hand experience of this new generation of travellers and their knowledge of the travel marketplace.
According to official figures, 1,377 hosted buyers including 86 executive buyers (ten per cent up on 2011) attended ILTM 2012. 533 of these were first-timers coming from 57 countries with an average of 38 pre-fixed appointments. This resulted in an overall 51,337 pre-fixed appointments, up four per cent from 2011. ILTM 2012 also welcomed 1,347 exhibitors, up 10 per cent from 2011, representing 85 countries.
Consultant editor at The Economist John Andrews set the scene on ‘The World in 2013’ outlining the Economist’s global economic predictions for the next 12 months and the impact on the luxury consumer. He foresees growth in Africa, Latin America and Australia, a recovery in North America and predicts foreign investment heading to the new emerging economies of the Philippines and Indonesia, including an increased influx of high net worth travellers from across the world. It was also noted that South America is now being ‘taken seriously’ for not only inbound but also outbound luxury tourism.
The Opening Forum also saw a series of exclusive, conversational, one-to-one interviews, delegates heard views on what is luxury and also what isn’t for the discerning traveller of today. Silvio Ursini, executive vice president, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, spoke of their holistic approach to design within each of their growing portfolio of hotels. He talked about how they “transferred a 100 year old brand famous for its jewellery into a gem of bespoke hotels, each of them crafted like a precious stone” rather than a developing a brand philosophy.
His views on individuality were echoed by Kit Kemp, design director of Ferndale Hotels who outlined a similar design philosophy of “one project at a time”, with each hotel created as a bespoke experience.
Presentations also talked about newly affluent tourists seeking new destinations, citing some 50 million Chinese tourists soon looking to travel overseas. More and more, “time well spent” is the definitive experience sought by a luxury traveller, wherever they are from.
Concluding the ILTM 2012 Opening Forum, Vikram Oberoi, chief operating officer and joint managing director – operations of The Oberoi Group received a lifetime achievement award on behalf of his father, P.R.S. Oberoi, chairman and CEO of The Oberoi Group, sharing some of his father’s personal inspirations during his lifetime’s experience of developing one of the world’s most prestigious luxury hotel groups.
Other events included an Education Programme covering subjects as diverse as ‘The role of children in the family travel planning process’ and ‘Gastronomy driving travel decision making.’
Emily Prentiss, leisure travel consultant at Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc and one of the Travel + Leisure Rising-Star Agents programme, which was launched at this year’s ILTM commented: “I have stepped into a world of passion, creativity and enthusiasm at ILTM, where luxury travel is unparalleled. ILTM has given me the ability to learn about the new and the exciting, at the same time as familiarising myself with existing product to meet my clients’ desires.”
Exhibitors too were full of praise for ILTM. Filip Boyen, chief operating officer, Orient-Express said: “ILTM is so well established – first timers cannot fully comprehend that everyone who is anyone in luxury travel really is here.”
Rob Cheng, vice president of marketing, Peninsula Hotels added, “ILTM is the only trade show that we do and we are proud to be involved. It’s great to meet so many fantastic buyers, incredible media and fellow distinguished high-end suppliers.”
“The real proof of a successful show for Reed Travel Exhibitions is the feedback from its participants and this year, the mix of quality buyers – with so many new from countries previously unrepresented – has added to that success,” concluded Alison Gilmore, ILTM’s exhibition director.
ILTM 2013 takes place in Cannes, December 2-5, 2013.