The first ILTM China will take place in Shanghai in October 2018, exclusively inviting buyers and planners of outbound luxury travel from China: The new event, announced in 2017, was originally planned for approximately 100 exhibitors, but due to great demand, the show has already grown to include some 200 exhibitors.

Previously the China market had been included in ILTM Asia, the leading show for luxury travel in Asia for some 12 years. Due to exhibitor demand and research showing that the luxury outbound travel companies are now separating their business plans and marketing strategies to focus on China and Asia as two independent opportunities, ILTM responded by separating the event into two dynamic events dedicated to their own audiences: ILTM Asia Pacific and ILTM China.

ILTM China will be a bespoke event with one-to-one meetings supporting pre-scheduled mutually matched appointments, following the successful ILTM format. International exhibitors will meet with carefully vetted luxury planners and agencies from China only. ILTM China will include over 200 buyers from China with more than 30% new to ILTM.

Alison Gilmore, Portfolio Director of the ILTM Portfolio:"Everything about ILTM China will be dedicated to supporting the growth of this regional outbound luxury travel industry to provide the biggest opportunity for brands from around the world to connect with the hundreds of personally sourced VIP Chinese buyers and planners. Every year we see a big increase in the number of Chinese luxury travel planners wanting to attend ILTM and with ILTM China we can focus on this market solely. The demand from exhibitors to date has already signified that ILTM China is where international luxury travel suppliers know they have to be to win business."

As a new show, ILTM China will be a dedicated platform to reach the region’s high-end luxury travellers. According to Ctrip and the Chinese Tourism Academy (CTA), 2017 saw record numbers of Chinese citizens going abroad amounting to 30 million trips resulting in $115.29 billion in spending. This was a growth of 7 percent in trips with more Chinese travellers going abroad than ever before.

As wealth continues to grow and Chinese consumers travel more frequently and spend more freely on travel, China’s influence on global travel markets will continue to grow as recognized by the many brands participating in ILTM China 2018. The demand for access to China includes brands that have not previously participated in ILTM Asia including NYC&Co representing the city of New York as a regional tourism board focused on their luxury tourism products.

Other first time exhibitors will include S Hotel, a boutique hotel brand in China, Swire Hotels, Alizes Travel a luxury DMC for Moroccan travel, Viking River Cruises, and Rocky Mountaineer representing luxury Canadian train travel experiences.