Overview of the ILTM trade show in São Paulo, Brazil.
MARIGOT--St. Martin Tourism Office participated in the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, May 3-6, an exclusive must-attend show for the business-to-business luxury travel industry.
The ILTM collection of trade shows represents the largest concentration of high-end travel professionals in the world and is the benchmark for this high-potential niche, the Tourism Office noted.
Participating in ILTM Latin America offers an exceptional opportunity to promote the destination to a very captive South American clientele, from countries that are seeing more tourists travelling and for whom luxury is a real motivation to travel.
St. Martin has a great interest in positioning itself in this market which is opening up again after two years of pandemic. The return of direct flights from Panama to St. Maarten operated by Copa as of June 1, with two flights per week (Wednesday and Friday), will provide even more attractive connectivity for the future of the destination, which is preparing to welcome many South American visitors.
The four days in São Paulo were a real marathon for Tourism Office representatives, who met with more than 60 professionals from the high-end tourism industry (tour operators, travel agencies, travel designers) from Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Mexico.
“We immediately felt a very strong desire for the destination, indeed. The majority of professionals on site had not been able to market the island since 2017 after the passage of [Hurricane – Ed.] Irma, followed by the pandemic,” said Sacha Bresse, in charge of communication at the Tourism Office. “The quality of our accommodations, the variety of our gastronomy, the geographical proximity thanks to the return of direct flights from Panama are all assets that have really made an impression.
“There was keen interest in the presentation of the island and several discovery trips (press and business) are planned in the coming weeks. This is positive and truly promising.”
He said promoting St. Martin also means understanding the new trends of this high-end clientele so that their needs can be met.
“For the 65 exhibitors, ILTM remains a great opportunity for networking, friendly meetings and sharing experiences. For the 14 buyer countries looking for exclusivity and authenticity for a wealthy clientele, the event also offers important commercial opportunities. This participation was therefore essential for the Tourism Office, which relies on this niche market to strengthen the reputation of our destination,” Bresse concluded.
