ORLANDO, Fla. – The travel industry gathered June 4-8 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, for the 53rd annual IPW, hosted by the US Travel Association. IPW is the premier international marketplace for the travel industry and the largest generator of travel in the United States. This year, the show attracted nearly 4,800 attendees from more than 60 countries and recorded 77,000 business meetings scheduled over three days. The delegation also included nearly 500 members of the international and domestic media.
IPW brings together travel professionals from around the world, including U.S. destinations, hotels, attractions, sports teams, cruise lines, airlines and transportation companies, as well as international tour operators, buyers and wholesalers from around the world. According to Malcolm Smith, IPW’s senior vice president of business development and general manager, approximately $5.5 billion in future U.S. travel is booked through discussions at IPW.
“When we started budgeting and planning for IPW 2022, there was still Delta, then Omicron, and no one could guess what COVID restrictions would look like,” Smith said. “We were really pleased with the enthusiasm we heard, not only from our exhibitors domestically, but also from around the world – people ready to get back to international travel.”
According to Smith, many exhibitors at this year’s show, including hotels, convention bureaus and other travel suppliers, have either increased their presence at the show or increased their event sponsorship.
“We had record advertising and sponsorship revenue this year,” he said. New features at the show this year include on-site training sessions and eight additional hours of networking.
International travel resumes
One of the main topics of discussion at this year’s IPW, sponsored by Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, was the lifting of pre-departure COVID testing for travelers entering the United States.
“Lifting pre-departure testing requirements has been a core part of US Travel’s advocacy efforts and a major topic of discussion at IPW 2022,” Smith said in a statement after the official lifting of restrictions was announced. “This announcement came after tireless, consistent and coordinated efforts to send a clear message to the administration. We sincerely thank the US Travel public affairs team for making this achievement possible, which paves the way for a true resurgence of international travel to the United States.”
US Travel also released its updated international travel forecast, which calls for 65 million international arrivals in 2023 (82% of pre-pandemic levels). The forecast predicts that international arrivals and spending will fully recover to 2019 levels by 2025.
“This IPW sends a message that the United States is open for business and eager to welcome travelers from around the world,” said Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “We are taking a major step forward in restarting international travel, restoring jobs, and rebuilding the connections that unite our countries and cultures.”
Related. US lifts pre-departure testing requirement for international travelers
Although IPW took place in person in Las Vegas in 2021, attendance was much lower due to the pandemic. “Last year we had just under 600 international delegates and this year we had over 1,200, more than double that, which is really exciting,” Smith said. “Last year we ran a campaign of reuniting, reconnecting and rebuilding, but it was so difficult for so many markets to travel to the United States that we felt this would really be the year of reunion when the global industry came together again.”
The 54th annual IPW will take place May 20-24, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas.
Contact Malcolm Smith at (202) 408-2141 or MSmith@ustravel.org