Travel Industry Events To Mark On Your Calendar In 2022 

It’s exciting to see so many of the travel industry events in 2022 set to take place in-person once again.  

After two years of event postponements, cancelations, or virtual events, there’s little doubt that tourism stakeholders are thrilled to be able to travel and physically take part in these occasions once more.  

The opportunity to network face-to-face and gain valuable insights from industry experts couldn’t come at a better time either. The entire industry is in the midst of figuring out how to safely navigate travel as we emerge from the pandemic. 

In case you’re planning on attending or following any events in 2022, we’ve listed some of the most popular travel industry events and conferences happening across the world.

As to be expected, there’s a mixed lineup of virtual, hybrid, and in-person events. We’ve listed them in date order to help you plan ahead more easily.

(N.B. - dates are correct at the time of publishing but may change depending on the current situation. Double-check any you are interested in attending)

Travel Industry Events 2022 (in date order)

Skift Forum

This year Skift celebrates ten years as a company along with the return of its in-person events. 

Skift is due to hold several summits throughout 2022, including:

• Skift megatrends
• Skift Forum Europe
• Travel loyalty summit
• Future of lodging forum
• Sustainable tourism summit
• Skift Global Forum and IDEA Awards 
• Skift Aviation Forum
• Skift Global Forum East
• Design The Future

Their conferences are well known, supported by leading industry experts, and have high attendance rates. CEOs of major companies like Delta, AirBnB, Booking.com, Marriot, and JetBlue are often speakers or panelists at the forums. 

Depending on the event you’re interested in, you’ll learn region- and niche-specific insights and tips from the hosted talks, panels, and workshops. 

When: January through to December at various locations across the world. Check their website for more details.  

Arival 360 Europe

Arival 360 Europe is a 3-day travel and tourism event designed for tour, experience, and attraction organizers, mostly (although not only) in Europe.

The event offers an ideal space for business owners, marketers, tech companies, and distributors in the B2B and B2C space to connect and form strategic partnerships. 

When: March 6 to 8 in Berlin (expected). Attendees can join both in-person and online events throughout the three days. 

PATA Annual Summit

The Pacific Asia Travel Association hosts an annual PATA Summit, which is a highlight on the region’s travel event calendar.  

The summit provides essential educational and networking opportunities for stakeholders involved in travel to, from, and within the Pacific Asia regions. 

Each year, a collection of travel professionals and specialists get together to connect and share their knowledge. 

This year, the Summit aims to reconnect the travel industry through an in-person event.

Expect to learn about innovative ways travel professionals can rebuild travelers' trust while inspiring the travel industry with new opportunities. 

PATA’s summit will also look into the latest sustainable travel trends, helping travel brands to align themselves with the different types of travelers today. 

The general lineup includes topics on:

• industry recovery initiatives
• destination resilience and sustainability
• human capital development
• technology and innovation
• women in travel forum

When: The PATA Annual Summit was scheduled for March 22 to 25 at Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. However, it has been postponed. Keep an eye on their website for more information. 

CLIA Cruise360

Every year, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) hosts the Cruise360 event. The event is focused on the cruise industry and is the most prominent official event for professionals in this sector. 

Cruise line representatives, travel agents, industry suppliers, ports & destinations officials, and preferred CLIA partners get together at the event to network and connect. 

It’s not only about networking, though - professional development and ship inspections are also on the agenda. 

When: March 29 to April 3 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Dallas Travel and Adventure Show

The Dallas Travel and Adventure Show is a fun event for travelers and travel industry professionals alike. 

As an exhibitor, the event is an excellent place to meet travelers and travel advisors while promoting your travel business. 

For travel advisors, it’s an opportunity to connect with leading destinations, tour operators, and suppliers on the show floor. 

This year, travel celebrities including Samantha Brown and Peter Greenberg are booked as event speakers. 

The lineup also features informative seminars, family entertainment, door giveaways, and travel show-only deals - they’re expecting a great turnout.  

When: April 2 and 3 in Dallas, Texas.

WTTC Global Summit

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit is one of the most prestigious travel industry events attended by some of the industry’s top leaders and important government representatives. 

This year, the WTTC Global Summit will cover the latest travel industry trends to help businesses navigate the current state of travel. 

The focus will be on bringing together a global audience that can work together to solve the social, environmental, and economic challenges the industry is currently facing. 

When: April 20 to 22 in Manilla, Philippines. 

The Advantage Conference

The Advantage Conference is a key date in the UK and European travel industry calendars. After being postponed for two years, it’s set to take place in Madeira in 2022.

The conference will bring together leading industry professionals, expert speakers, travel consultants, managers, and business owners. 

You’ll learn about the latest industry demands and brainstorm creative solutions to current issues the industry is facing with leading experts.

The conference is designed to be both informative and fun. There’s a scheduled business program, dedicated networking sessions, and many leisure and entertainment activities to look forward to. 

When: April 29 to May 2 in Madeira, Portugal. 

International Luxury Travel Market Arabia

The International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Conference is focused on buyers and investors who want to draw Middle Eastern travelers to their luxury destinations across the world.

As a travel company, you can get your brand exposure to this market of travelers. 

As a travel advisor, you can expand your portfolio with luxury destinations and experiences that appeal to HNW Middle Eastern travelers. 

When: May 10 to 11 in Dubai, UAE.

Travel Tech Show

Next on the travel events list is the Travel Tech Show. Brought to you by Phocuswright, PhocusWire, and WiT, the show welcomes tour operators, travel agencies, airlines, hotels, and more. 

It’s common for big brands in travel to attend this annual event. As the name of the event suggests, attendees can expect to learn all about the latest tech advancements and trends in travel. 

Decision-makers in buying technology can really benefit from attending as the event brings together innovative tech solutions for travel businesses. 

This year, the event will be an in-person experience for better networking purposes. 

When: June 29 and 30 in London, UK. 

GBTA Conference

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Conference draws businesses and speakers at scale through its doors.  

This conference includes over 400 exhibiting companies. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest travel trends, network with experts, and chat about your business with some of the industry’s top professionals. 

When: August 14 to 17 in San Diego, California.

IAAPA Expo

Industry professionals from all around the world join the IAAPA Expo to stay up to date with leisure tourisms’ hottest trends and brands. 

The event is split into a conference and a trade show. 

You can expect to find educational keynote presentations, panel discussions, and workshops at the conference.

While at the trade show, there are special events, EDUTours, and networking opportunities aplenty. 

When: September 12 to 15 in London, UK. 

IMEX America

IMEX America is one of the leading exhibitions in the US for the incentive travel, meetings, and event sectors. 

The event showcases some of the industry’s most well-respected speakers. There are small informal sessions after their talks where you can ask additional questions and network with the speakers. 

This annual conference covers emerging trends in the travel sector, the latest technology, in-depth expert clinics, moderated round table discussions, seminars, and more. 

Being one of the highest attended travel events in the US, it's also an excellent place to form new connections. 

When: October 10 to 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

WTM

WTM is one of the most exciting and well-known travel industry events on the calendar. It covers the top global destinations and brands and is a place where people get together to share expert insights and industry forecasts.

This year, the theme is Reconnect. Rebuild. Innovate. 

Global speakers from various sectors join the WTM event to connect with attendees and share new ideas. You can expect to gather to network, learn from the brightest minds in the industry, and get inspired for what’s ahead. 

When: November 7 to 9 in London, UK. 

Summary

With global travel slowly reemerging and physical events opening up again, the 2022 travel industry events lineup is sure to offer some unforgettable experiences.  

Many of these conferences are attended by leading travel experts, innovators, and C-suite travel professionals, presenting great opportunities for networking and learning. 

We’ve included a handful of events to suit a range of businesses and locations. Whatever your target audience, destination, or travel niche, there should be something useful for everyone. 

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