Top Travel Industry Events for 2024

The travel industry enters 2024 with tremendous momentum following a record-breaking year for many destinations and suppliers that continue to benefit from surging demand to see the world.

Those whose livelihoods depend on travel and tourism will be happy to know that this year's calendar is loaded with massively influential conferences, conventions and events that can make all the difference for their business in the new year and beyond.

Here are the top travel industry events that travel professionals won't want to miss in 2024. 

This year's iteration of the International Tourism Trade Fair known as FITUR will be held in Madrid, Spain from January 24-28. At the same time, the Virtuoso Forum US will be taking place in Orlando from January 23-25. The month concludes with the New York Travel & Adventure Show in the Big Apple on January 27-28. 2024's keynote speakers include industry icons such as Rick Steves, Peter Greenberg, Phil Rosenthal and Pauline Frommer. The Travel & Adventure Show will also make stops in Chicago (January 13-14) and Denver (January 20-21) before reaching NYC.

In February, the International Inbound Travel Association (IITA) will host its 2024 Summit in Memphis, Tennessee from February 11-14. Plus, the Travel & Adventure Show will take over Los Angeles (February 3-4), Phoenix (February 17-18) and Washington, D.C. (February 24-25).

Some 24,000 attendees are expected at the annual ITB Berlin Convention from March 5-7. This year's motto is "Pioneer the Transition in Travel & Tourism. Together." In mid-March, the ASTA River Cruise Expo (March 13-16) will come to Amsterdam, where attendees will receive first-hand training from the industry's top river cruise trainers. The Travel & Adventure Show will visit Atlanta (March 9-10), the San Francisco/Bay Area (March 16-17) and Dallas (March 23-24) in March.

April 8-12 will see the return of Mexico's most important event for the tourism business in Tianguis Turistico 2024 in Acapulco. Meanwhile, one of the cruise industry's leading business-to-business events, Seatrade Cruise Global will be held at the same time from April 8-11 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in South Florida. Just north, Fort Lauderdale will host CLIA Cruise360's professional development, ship inspections, networking opportunities and other events from April 16-21. Finally, the Mountain Travel Symposium, the largest and longest-running annual gathering of mountain travel professionals in the world, will be held in North Lake Tahoe, California from April 14-19.

May's busy calendar kicks off with the U.S. Travel Association's IPW event at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California from May 3-7. That's followed by ILTM Latin America 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil from May 7-10. One of the biggest travel industry events of the year will take place May 29-31 when the ASTA Travel Advisor Conference comes to Dallas, Texas. Formerly known as the ASTA Global Convention, this year's conference includes a list of impressive keynote speakers, including tennis champion and entrepreneur Venus Williams.

May also features the Virtuoso Symposium in Dubai from May 20-24 and the Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Montego Bay, Jamaica from May 20-23. 

June begins with an elite appointment-only event connecting the most influential North American travel advisors with global travel suppliers in face-to-face meetings and boardroom sessions in the Global Travel Marketplace (GTM) West in Las Vegas from June 2-4. Then, Travel Leader Network's international EDGE conference comes to the nation's capital from June 8-11. Designed to help members gain a competitive edge in the marketplace, this annual conference features more than 100 classes, numerous networking opportunities and access to key insights and invaluable tools.

TravelAge West's annual WAVE Awards return to Marina del Ray, California on June 13 and Travel Weekly's Pebble Beach Leadership Forum takes place a few hours up the California coast June 23-26.

In the second half of 2024, July signals the return of the award-winning Global Travel Marketplace (GTM) in Fort Lauderdale from July 18-20. Advisors selected to attend the event at the Diplomat Beach Resort will be fully hosted. 

Virtuoso Travel Week will take over Las Vegas from August 10-16. A few days later, the exclusive Future Leaders in Travel Retreat will descend on the Hilton La Romana in the Dominican Republic from August 25-28. The annual event brings together qualified travel professionals between the ages of 22 and 40, who are joined by suppliers to build authentic relationships through collaborative content sessions, small-group meetings, outdoor activities and social events. August will also conclude with the annual ASTA Caribbean Showcase at Sandals Royal Curacao from August 24-27. 

ASTA members will return to Washington, D.C. to make their voices heard during the organization's annual Legislative Day on September 17-18. Later that month, the Napa Valley Leadership Forum will come to the Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection in Calistoga, California from September 22-25.

In October, ASTA will take its Premium Business Summit from land to sea aboard Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady from October 16-20. The at-sea event, which will cover a variety of topics including sustainability, government advocacy advancements and how laws can impact travel advisors' businesses, will begin in Miami and feature stops in Key West and Virgin Voyages' private beach club in Bimini, Bahamas. IMEX America will return to Las Vegas from October 7-10 and ALG's 2024 Ascend Conference returns to Cancun, Mexico from October 22-25.

The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association's (IGLTA) 2024 Convention is scheduled to take place in Osaka, Japan from October 23-26.

The first few days of November will be awfully busy within the travel space. One of the year's most influential industry events, World Travel Market London, will run from November 5-7. Travel Weekly's CruiseWorld featuring educational workshops, general sessions, ship tours and a trademark Exhibitor Showcase will be held in Fort Lauderdale from November 6-8. The event will coincide with the 2024 Travvy Awards in Fort Lauderdale on November 7. The Oscars of the travel industry return for their 10th year in 2024.

Meanwhile, Virtuoso's final global event of the year, the Virtuoso Chairman's Event will take place in Slovenia from November 6-10. Later in November, the 2024 Phocuswright Conference will be held in Phoenix from November 19-21.

The USTOA Annual Conference & Marketplace will cross coasts in 2024, setting up shop at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort in Marco Island, Florida from December 9-13. This important event is the only one in the industry that brings together the leading North American travel companies with tourism suppliers and destinations from around the globe in an intimate and exclusive setting.