Last year’s edition generated US$97 million in businesses

According to a study by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the travel and tourism industry accounted for 9.2% of the Brazilian Gross Domestic Product, or R$443.7 billion. In this scenario, the goal of the 42nd edition of the ABAV – International Tourism Expo, considered the largest and most important international business fair of the industry in the Americas and the whole South Hemisphere, is to consolidate its importance as a business promoter and surpass the US$97 million generated in businesses in 2013.

To meet this goal, ABAV Expo bets on the potential of the meetings between exhibitors and the 800 hosted buyers invited to the event, mostly coming from South and North America. These executives are part of the Hosted Buyers Program, the largest in the country and made of professionals with decision-making power to do businesses.

Moreover, for the second consecutive year the event will have the Abracorp Corporate Island, whose mission is to meet the increasing demand of the business, event and incentives sector. This space promotes the exchange of experience with corporate travel managers from several industries, in addition to gathering exhibitors that work in all segments of this industry’s production chain, such as IT solution suppliers, which enhance the services provided by travel agents.

According to data from the Brazilian Association of Business Travel Agencies (Abracorp), the 31 travel agencies affiliated to the entity—which together have a 35% market share—recorded sales of R$18 billion last year, or one third of the industry’s GDP.

The companies affiliated to the Brazilian Association of Travel Agencies (ABAV Nacional), promoter of the event, are responsible for 85% of the sales of tourism products and destinations in Brazil, being the largest distribution channel to consumers. The possibility to do networking with 3,500 exhibitor brands, representing 65 countries, and 40,000 professional visitors from all industry segments reaffirms the event’s potential for new businesses among companies of the five continents, benefiting the whole global production chain of the sector.

The 42nd edition of the ABAV will be held from September 24 to 28 in the Anhembi Exhibition Pavillion, in São Paulo. The event will be open to consumers on September 27 and 28 (Saturday and Sunday) for the acquisition of domestic and international packaged tours with discounts and promotional prices negotiated exclusively for the event.

Institutional Profile

The 42nd ABAV International Tourism Expo is promoted by the Brazilian Travel Agencies Association (ABAV Nacional), with the support of the Tourism Ministry, the Brazilian Tourism Institute (Embratur), the São Paulo City Government, and São Paulo Turismo (SPTuris), the city’s tourism and events company, which manages the Anhembi Exhibition Park.

An international partner of BTL (Bolsa de Turismo de Lisboa) and ITB Berlin, ABAV Expo, the largest and most important international travel and tourism business fair of the Americas is sponsored by the Brazilian Support Service to Micro and Small Companies (Sebrae) and the National Confederation of Goods, Services and Tourism Trading (CNC), which manages one of the world’s largest social development systems—the Commerce Social Service (Sesc), operating in the education, health, culture and leisure fields, and the National Commercial Learning Service (Senac), which is the leading professional education agent in the goods, services and tourism trading sector.