ΔΙΕΘΝΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΝΙΚΗ ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΠΟΙΚΙΛΗΣ ΥΛΗΣ - ΕΔΡΑ: ΑΘΗΝΑ

Ει βούλει καλώς ακούειν, μάθε καλώς λέγειν, μαθών δε καλώς λέγειν, πειρώ καλώς πράττειν, και ούτω καρπώση το καλώς ακούειν. (Επίκτητος)

(Αν θέλεις να σε επαινούν, μάθε πρώτα να λες καλά λόγια, και αφού μάθεις να λες καλά λόγια, να κάνεις καλές πράξεις, και τότε θα ακούς καλά λόγια για εσένα).

Πέμπτη 29 Σεπτεμβρίου 2016

ILTM AMERICAS 2016: THE FIFTH - AND LARGEST – SPECIALIST LUXURY TRAVEL EVENT OPENS IN RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO





ILTM Americas 2016 took place this week at The Fairmont Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, Mexico, with 300 exhibitors from 49 countries representing some of the world’s most luxurious products and destinations. They are meeting with 300 hand-picked and fully hosted designers, agents and buyers of elite travel from 135 cities across Canada, Mexico and US - a 16% year on year increase.


Pedro Andrade, Journalist

The opening event began with Pixar Animation Studio‘s Matthew Luhn who presented “What the Luxury Travel Industry can Learn from the Entertainment Industry.”  He  addressed the significance of storytelling and its relevance to the high end tourism industry, as well as the theory that “a person is a process”: people are inspired by authentic, true and engaging stories that bridge the gap between business and heart: “You have a 22 times better chance of people remembering your information if you link it to a story. When you tell a great story that is both memorable and impactful, you automatically connect to your audience”. 

Opening Forum at ILTM Americas

He was followed by David Denberg, Jeremy Schwartz and Brett Leve, billed as ‘entrepreneurs changing communities.’ They presented the Reimagining Community - Inside Powder Mountain - a new form of neighbourhood where friends, family and entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, Netflix founder Reed Hastings, the “4-Hour Workweek” author Timothy Ferriss, and Blake Mycoskie, the founder of Toms shoes gather in an environment created to catalyse personal and collective growth. “Our wish is to create a truly inclusive community with very specific guidelines so authentic relationships can be created and impactful businesses developed”. 


Inside Powder Mountain project.


William Saturno, National Geographic
 
Finally, the National Geographic Explorer and archeologist William Saturno explored ‘What can We Learn from Past Great Civilisations’, which also linked back to the luxury travel industry’s passion for story-telling. He explained that, as with any travel to a little known place, the main hope is that by the end the traveller can better understand the place they have visited as well as also understanding themselves a little better. “In visiting new places the thing people want to hear most are the stories of real people. For example, when visiting ancient ruins, tourists aren’t interested in the buildings people built many years ago, but rather the lives of the people who lived in these buildings.“

Alison Gilmore, ILTM Portfolio Director concluded: “When you travel, what stays with you are the people you encounter, and this is what ILTM is all about. This week is all about connecting with people and building real relationships.”


The business of ILTM Americas continues until Thursday 29 September. 71% of buyers are new to ILTM Americas and 71% also come from outside LA, New York and Mexico City. A total of 15,000 one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments will take place throughout the week, not to mention the many social networking opportunities that will take place, included sunrise yoga, golf and tequila tasting.

For further information, please see www.iltm.com/americas or follow @ILTM_events and #iltmamericas.