Nearly 1,400 international and domestic travel buyers, the highest since 2001, attended the U.S. Travel Association’s 46th annual IPW in Chicago this week (Apr 6-9).
This week more than 6,200 travel suppliers and buyers from over 70 countries, including 500 international and domestic media, convened in Chicago at McCormick Place for the show, the largest single generator of travel to the U.S.
The delegation from China, a critical emerging travel market, set a record with 109 attendees.
Over the course of three days at IPW, more than 95,000 business meetings took place for intensive deal-making that is expected to attract 8.8 additional international visitors to the U.S. over the next three years. Their visits over that period are projected to increase total spending by $28 billion—money that supports nearly 115,000 American jobs.
IPW brings together tourism officials from every corner of the country, as well as representatives of hotels, attractions, museums, amusement parks and other travel businesses. These groups market themselves to the world’s top international tour operators that sell travel to the U.S. At IPW, buyers and sellers are able to conduct business that would otherwise be generated only through an exhaustive number of around-the-world trips.
“At IPW, the entire international marketplace comes to the U.S. under one roof,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow.
“Business that is conducted during these three days provides a one-of-a-kind boost to the host city and the entire U.S. economy,” he said.
In 2015, IPW will head to Orlando, Florida, from May 30-June 3.