The 24th edition of ILTM Cannes, the flagship global event for luxury travel, ran last week, from 1–4 December 2025. The annual event marked its biggest year yet, up 12% year-on-year, surpassing previous records by almost 10,000 attendees and over 100,000 scheduled meetings.
Those figures exclude the number of non-official (but still welcomed) attendees who host meetings and functions outside the official program in neighbouring hotels, LATTE observed during its first attendance of the blockbuster multi-day luxury travel showcase.
ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) Cannes is hosted at the multi-level Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, a convention centre on the French Riviera waterfront.
The event really is the who’s who of luxury travel, with the number of top brand executives present, all in one place at the same time. It’s like star-spotting. We’re talking Virtuoso’s Matthew Upchurch within earshot of Quentin Desurmont of Traveller Made/Serandipians, who is virtually rubbing shoulders with SmartFlyer’s Founder Michael Holtz, sitting near Jo Bailes of Singita, a few metres away from Steve Odell of Regent Seven Seas, within cooee of Capella’s Neil Jacobs, at arms length away from Sir Rocco Forte, as Knighthood Global’s James Hogan pulls up in his Ferrari at the ultra-luxury Carlton hotel.
Luxury travel brands, destinations, experiences, and suppliers spent the week forging new relationships
and deepening existing ones with leading international travel planners, curators, and agencies –
underscoring the continued momentum of the luxury travel sector.
More than 2,500 buyers from 83 countries, 44% attending for the first time, connected with over 2,350 brands from all four corners of the world, all supported by a robust schedule of networking events.
There was a significant presence of buyers from Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, the UK and the US.
This year’s event featured a new standalone pavilion dedicated to luxury cruising, called ‘The Sail’. Whereas previously cruise lines were dispersed among other hospitality and destination stands at the show, this year the likes of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Explora Journeys, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Silversea, Four Seasons Yachts and Ponant, were all amassed under one roof, making it easier for travel advisors to locate luxury cruise suppliers.
ILTM also welcomed over 100 influential travel editors (including LATTE as the only Australian travel trade news outlet), representing major luxury-focused media outlets followed by high-net-worth audiences across the globe.
Throughout the week, exhibitors engaged with these editors in a variety of formats, including rapid networking rounds, press events, curated individual meetings and private functions, events and dinners.
Stay tuned to LATTE for exclusive ongoing coverage from ILTM Cannes this month.
