Tussle for luxury trade show ILTM Asia

JAPAN is overtly courting Reed Travel Exhibitions, organiser of International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Asia, to move the annual show from Shanghai, which has hosted the event since it started seven years ago, to Kyoto.

Though Japan tourism authorities have managed to persuade Reed to launch an ILTM Japan edition next year in Kyoto from March 11-13, it is ILTM Asia they are after.

“Our final goal is for Reed to move ILTM Asia to Kyoto,” Yoshikazu Kuki, director, Kyoto City Tourism & MICE Office, told TTG Asia e-Daily, adding that Singapore is understood to have also expressed interest to Reed to host ILTM Asia.

Added Kyoto Convention Bureau (KCB) managing director conventions & tourism, Shubei Akahoshi: “We know it'll be difficult to switch from Shanghai to Kyoto, as the show is established in Shanghai and it is perhaps more costly to hold it in Kyoto than Shanghai – but we'll keep trying.”

Akahoshi was advisor to Japan tourism authorities for two years before joining KCB recently. “For two years, we had been trying to get ILTM Asia to Japan, and now Reed has decided to do a Japan version, which is a start,” he said.

A target of 50 luxury travel buyers and 50 luxury travel sellers has been set, according to Akahoshi. ILTM Japan will be held at the Kyoto International Conference Center, and Kyoto will be sponsoring the opening reception on March 11.

However, a spokesperson for ILTM Asia said “while it is true that ILTM Asia could be moved, Reed Travel Exhibitions has no plans to move it at this stage”.

In announcing ILTM Japan recently, ILTM exhibition director Alison Gilmore had said: “Whereas ILTM Asia has a seven-year proven track record in providing access to a range of buyers from over 20 countries across the burgeoning and diverse Asia-Pacific, ILTM Japan will venture further, providing a direct opportunity for a selection of the world’s elite travel products and experiences to reach the most discerning of Japanese luxury travel buyers and specialists.”

James Kent, KCB's director international marketing, said KCB was putting all its support behind the show as it was eager to show that Kyoto could host such events. It is equally eager to show off the city to luxury travel buyers and sellers.

“When it comes to luxury in Japan, Kyoto is the destination. In fact, Japan overall is synonymous with luxury like no other. People say, just being in Japan is a luxury experience," said Kent. “Though it may appear more expensive for the show to be held in Japan, the quality you get in return makes it a real value and we're keen for Japan to show how high luxury levels can reach.”

Asked about the impact of Japan's contracted economy on its luxury outbound market, Kent said: “The market is still very much alive. Japan's economy has been contracting and expanding; it's not large movements either way and ultimately nothing has changed. The fact that Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton hotels are opening in Kyoto (in 2014) further proves the market is still growing as these hotels serve not just their global customers but domestic customers as well.”

Sourced: TTG asia