Its annual IPW trade show, which took place May 30 through June 3 in Orlando, attracted more than 6,500 attendees from 73 countries, including more than 1,300 domestic and international travel buyers and 500 media from the United States and abroad, the U.S. Travel Association reported yesterday.
The three-day event -- formerly known as International Pow Wow -- is the largest single generator of travel to the United States. This year's edition included 100,000 pre-scheduled business meetings between travel buyers and U.S. travel organizations, which is a record. Those meetings are projected to bring 8.8 million international visitors to the United States, $28 billion in total spending, and $4.7 billion in direct bookings to U.S. destinations over the next three years, according to the independent firm Rockport Analytics.
"IPW is an extraordinarily unique event, which brings the entire international travel and tourism marketplace to the U.S. in one location," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. "The business conducted at IPW will have a tremendous effect, not only on the local economy initially, but several years into the future."
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