Top 5 Trade Shows for Travel Agents in 2026
Whether you are a new travel agent or a seasoned professional, attending travel industry trade shows is an excellent way to boost your travel agent business. Not only will you get inspired by new destinations and trends, you’ll learn how to increase your business offerings with products you may not have heard of, you’ll have the opportunity to cultivate relationships with suppliers, and participate in educational opportunities. In this post, we’ll cover what trade shows are, a few reasons why it’s valuable to attend trade shows as a travel agent, and the top 5 trade shows to put on your radar for 2026.
Table of contents
What are trade shows?
Why should travel agents attend trade shows?
Build industry relationships
Enrich your professional toolkit
Discover new travel trends, destinations and technology
Top trade shows to attend in 2026
ITB Berlin
Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum
FITUR Madrid
ASTA Global Convention
WTM London
Summary
What are trade shows?
Between suppliers, attendees and travel advisors, trade shows are an energetic hive of connection, networking and creativity.
Put simply, trade shows are widespread B2B events hosting various travel professionals, from suppliers to tech companies to travel agents. Suppliers typically send representatives from hotels, cruise lines, airlines, ground transportation companies, and tour operators. These representatives have exhibitor booths that display their offerings. Many will also participate in networking opportunities, ss you can learn about products and services you may not have heard of before and develop personal connections with exhibitors and other travel agents too!
Trade shows usually take place in a large exhibition hall or multiple halls. Many also also host educational panels, roundtable discussions and networking events. At these, you can expect to learn about new trends, upcoming travel technology, and best practices to keep in mind for your clients, some of which are specifically tailored to travel agents.
Why should travel agents attend trade shows?
Attending trade shows as a travel agent provides you with an excellent opportunity to network with other travel professionals, discover new products, and keep up with emerging industry trends. This will result in you being well-informed, making connections and therefore better able to provide excellent service to your clients. Below, we’ll delve into the top 3 reasons you should consider attending a trade show in 2026 as a travel agent.
Build industry relationships
Attending trade shows presents a unique opportunity to meet suppliers face-to-face and cultivate relationships. Having a point of contact at a supplier elevates the business relationship beyond one that is simply transactional. You’ll also have someone to talk to in case of any specific questions, issues or if you’d like personalized attention paid to your clients’ itineraries. What’s more, you’ll have the opportunity to meet like-minded peers in the travel agent community that you can share inspiration with.
Beforehand, it’s a good idea to make sure that you are registered as a travel agent with your favorite platforms. This can get you increased access to discounts, commissions and insider perks. If you’re not already, you can register as a travel agent with Daytrip for free by clicking here.
Enrich your professional toolkit
Many trade shows, especially larger ones such as ITB Berlin, offer educational panels and workshops covering plenty of topics to travel agents. They can even sometimes offer opportunities to earn certifications, such as CLIA or IATA certifications. Topics of these educational panels include forecasting, sales, technology, supplier training and professional development. This ensures that you will stay competitive in your business and be a trusted source for your clients across a variety of travel topics.
Discover new travel trends, destinations and technology
The travel landscape shifts and evolves year over year, and attending trade shows will give you the opportunity to discover new ways to elevate your clients’ vacations and provide them with unique experiences. New destinations are constantly appearing on travelers’ radars, and travelers are also looking for more meaningful and personalized travel experiences; as a travel agent, being aware of these trends lends you more credibility. To name a few, ground transportation, experiences and eco-tourism are some emerging trends that have gained the spotlight lately. Ground transportation providers such as Daytrip provide flexible itineraries and the ability to customize trips with sightseeing stops, as well as same day round trip experiences.
Top Trade Shows to Attend in 2026
Mark your calendars for the top trade shows of 2026, and get ready to be inspired.
While there are many trade shows to choose from worldwide, we’ve curated a list of the top 5 that every travel agent should put on their list for 2026, both stateside and globally. Trade shows can vary by size (in terms of attendance and venue), types of offerings and host city. Our list of the top 5 trade shows to consider in 2026 balances the best of size, networking opportunities and access to the latest travel trends, and attending all of them will give you the perfect balance of networking, education and exposure to suppliers. Let’s dive right in to the top 5 travel trade shows of 2026!
ITB Berlin 2026 (March 3-5th 2026)
Tens of thousands of exhibitors and attendees descend on the Messe Berlin every spring to attend ITB Berlin, the world’s leading trade show. That title is well-deserved—attending ITB Berlin is an absolute must for travel agents and other professionals aiming to network, cultivate connections and explore worldwide experiences for their clients. What makes ITB Berlin particularly stand out is its numerous opportunities for education and the presence of top experts. Not to mention, next year is the 60th anniversary, so it will be extra special.
Tip: Bring good walking shoes– within just a few hours of being there, you’ll reach your step count for the day traversing across the grounds! You can register here, and getting to the trade show is easy when you book an airport or train transfer with a ground transportation provider such as Daytrip.
Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum (May 12-15th 2026)
Journey to fabulous Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum and network with a backdrop of city lights, as captured by Kvnga.
The Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum (abbreviated LVTAF) is stateside, but it will host abundant worldwide suppliers. What makes LVTAF stand out is that it’s designed specifically for North American travel agents, connecting them to worldwide suppliers and tailoring educational content to their needs. When you attend LVTAF, you’ll experience unique continuing education opportunities, roundtable discussions, and not to mention networking opportunities and 1-on-1 appointments. Next year, it’ll take place in the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.
Overall, attending this travel trade show will provide you with a personalized global experience with the convenience of taking place stateside. Register soon here and and start planning your meetings with suppliers.
FITUR Madrid (January 21-25th 2026)
A new year means new opportunities to network, so seize your chance to get ahead of current travel trends. Come join thousands of professionals from all over the world for the year’s first major travel trade show, and the leading trade fair for inbound and outbound markets in Latin America!
Since Fitur provides modern content addressing current topics such as AI, big data and more, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about rising trends. In between seminars, congregate with fellow travel agents, exhibitors and other professionals to exchange ideas. The event spans over five days, allowing you plenty of time to converse with suppliers and network. Mark your calendars for January 21-25th 2026! You can register here.
ASTA Global Convention 2026 (May 27-29th 2026)
ASTA is the leading American trade association for travel agents, and provides travel agents with education, supports business development and provides advocacy for travel agents. Join fellow travel agents in San Diego next year to unlock access to high-level conferences, hear from top motivational speakers, and access unrivaled B2B opportunities, backed by ASTA’s credibility and excellent reputation as the leading travel advisor community in the United States.
Not only will there be various events and conferences to choose from, but the ASTA global convention will also host informal networking lounges so you can connect with fellow travel agents easily and informally. You can register here.
WTM London (dates for 2026 TBD)
Education, innovation and inspiration await.
WTM London brings over 5,000 exhibitors from the travel community together from across the globe, and this is its unique edge. You’ll have the opportunity to meet DMCs, airlines, cruise lines, hotels, and tech providers across two interconnected halls, and network with your fellow travel agent community along the way.
Attending WTM London as a travel agent ensures that you’ll gain the knowledge you need to be competitive within a global landscape. This means your clients will have greater trust in your expertise when booking their worldwide travels. The dates for 2026 have not been announced yet, but check back soon for the dates and a registration link!
Summary
Attending travel trade shows as a travel agent will provide you with the unmatched opportunity to network, become educated in the latest travel trends, technology and industry best practices, and discover new suppliers. Travel trade shows can vary in terms of their focus (global B2B expositions or travel agent-focused only), but each provides their own unique advantage. Don’t miss these valuable opportunities to bolster your travel agent career and stay ahead of the competition, increasing your skillset and becoming a trusted source for your clients and other industry professionals alike.
Now that you’ve learned about travel trade shows and why it’s valuable to attend them as a travel agent, which one are you most looking forward to attending? Let us know in the comments!
If you’re not registered as a travel agent with us, you can do so by clicking here. Along with earning with us, you can enjoy various perks including bimonthly newsletters, blog posts and webinars chock-full of travel inspiration.
