San Antonio’s first time hosting the nation’s premier travel trade show
(SAN ANTONIO) – Visit San Antonio will bring the world to the Alamo City as the destination marketing organization prepares to welcome U.S. Travel Association’s IPW May 20-24, 2023, at the Henry B. González Convention Center. This is a historic event for the city. It is the first time IPW, the nation’s largest travel trade show, promoting travel to the U.S. from the rest of the world, will be held in San Antonio. Visit San Antonio bid on and was awarded IPW 2023 by the U.S. Travel Association in 2016.
More than 5,000 travel professionals representing over 70 countries will attend IPW 2023 San Antonio. This includes more than 500 travel journalists, who will experience the real and true stories of San Antonio through curated immersive tours of the city’s history, arts and culture, family fun and culinary scenes. IPW is a major economic driver for host cities and their regions, substantially impacting local economies. The 2023 travel trade show is expected to generate an estimated $614 million in international visitor spending for San Antonio within three years and drive an additional 395,000 international visitors to the city. President and CEO of Visit San Antonio, Marc Anderson, says IPW will further cement San Antonio on the world map of travel destinations and promote the wonder of the city for the entire world to experience the infectious spirit of ¡Viva! San Antonio.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as the world’s spotlight will shine upon San Antonio, highlighting our unique history, vibrant culture, and eclectic culinary offerings with bountiful economic impact for our city and state,” said Anderson. “The return on investment will increase domestic and global visitation numbers and spending as well as create more jobs for our community and increase tax revenue for San Antonio and Texas.”
Tourism and hospitality is one of San Antonio’s key economic drivers. In 2021, the industry generated more than $16 billion in economic impact and supported 128,000 local jobs. Recently, San Antonio was recognized through a study as one of the fastest-recovering cities in the nation. The San Antonio region is one of America’s fastest-growing populations.
“We are incredibly proud to bring IPW and our global attendees to San Antonio to experience the city’s remarkable brand of hospitality and culture,” said Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “As international travel to the U.S. fully returns, serving as an IPW host city creates long-lasting benefits that will boost demand for travel to San Antonio and Texas well into the future.”
IPW rotates host cities each year, with last year’s IPW held in Orlando. Registration numbers to date for San Antonio have already surpassed last year’s attendance levels and at levels similar to pre-pandemic. The Mayor of San Antonio, Ron Nirenberg, says bringing IPW to San Antonio has been seven years in the making.
“We look forward to welcoming the more than 5,000 attendees and continue to strengthen one of San Antonio’s top three industries by bringing more international tourism to our world-class city,” Nirenberg said. “We are excited to showcase the warmth of our people and many treasures of our city.”