Set to take place in San Antonio in Texas, IPW 2023, the premiere travel show in the United States has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with a strong participation from Asia.

The number of international buyers and media attending IPW, the main travel trade show in the United States, organised by US Travel Association and taking place this year in San Antonio in Texas from May 20-24, has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

In a press statement, USTA says that several notable markets have surpassed 2019 counts and IPW offers a prime opportunity to boost the critically important US inbound travel market.

“Given the incredible early interest and confirmed registrations from our key global inbound buyers and media, IPW will be the main arena for building back international travel to the United States,” says Malcolm Smith, IPW general manager and US Travel Association senior vice president of business development in a press statement.

“This can’t-miss event, coming to first-time host city San Antonio, unites the global travel industry under one roof to conduct business face to face, a key opportunity to ensure travellers from around the world choose the US when planning their trips,” adds Smith.

Canada and Mexico buyer registrations are presently 34 pc above 2019 levels, while Brazil and South America overall are 33 pc and 19 pc above 2019 levels, respectively and Australia is trending 17 pc above 2019 levels, says USTA.

Registrations from Asian markets are also showing strength. While these have been slower to reopen to travel and tourism, already there are nearly 200 confirmed Asian delegates attending IPW this year, including Chinese buyers, a rise of 80 pc over last year.

More than 500 domestic and international media are registered to attend, says USTA.

USTA says that the exhibitors may still add up to four partners per booth to meet this year’s strong demand.

“We encourage exhibitors to be well resourced to maximise business productivity on the show floor,” Smith adds.

US Travel’s IPW show format creates a number of opportunities for delegates to participate in educational seminars and networking events, exclusive to IPW. The educational series, IPW Focus, boasts a robust schedule of thought-provoking topics from technology and innovation to research and insights, presented by thought leaders and innovators from around the industry and beyond.

“IPW’s new format is unique in that it allows delegates to create the experience that works best for their objectives. These opportunities add deep value to an already action-packed show,” says Smith.