WTM Latin America 2022, the region’s main B2B travel show, held from April 5 to 7 in São Paulo (SP), Brazil, was a huge success with the show being termed ‘the biggest ever’ by organizers. The official figures prove the importance of the show for the Latin American tourism industry, they said. The conference program and the chance to network and conduct business with relevant players in the global industry attracted 20,000 travel professionals over the three-day show.
Excluding professionals from the 565 exhibiting companies, the number of visitors came out to a total of 15,204, a 10 per cent increase compared to the 13,823-figure registered in 2019.
“The 2022 edition established itself as one of the most important ones in the event’s history, which also reinforces the signs of a positive outlook for tourism with the prospect of resuming contacts and conduct new deals,” celebrated Simon Mayle, Director at WTM Latin America.
Another significant achievement was the high level of adherence to the scheduling platform, which registered more than 6,000 meetings during the three days of the event, as well as the high quality of face-to-face meetings. In total, the meetings were evaluated in 4.3 stars (out of a total of 5).
“The score is given by those taking part in the meetings, and take into account the quality and the likelihood of closing a deal”, adds Mayle.
“In addition to the content, some destinations offered qualified content for travel agents and Hosted Buyers, making use of the space providing training sessions which are essential tools at this time of recovery,” says Bianca Pizzolito, Sales Manager at WTM Latin America.
“We saw a lot of demand for practical information that could help companies prepare to meet the pent-up demand. The conference about the Metaverse and the reflection on staff qualification were great successes, as discussed regarding customer acquisition and retention, increased profitability and consumption behavior. The magic was definitely back in all of WTM Latin America’s aisles,” noted Gabriela Otto, CEO of GO Consultoria, president of HSMAI Brasil and WTM Latin America’s Travel Tech Theatre curator.
WTM Latin America 2023 will take place between April 4 and 6, at Expo Center Norte Exhibition Centre, São Paulo.
