IMTM 2027, February 16–17, EXPO Tel Aviv

Where Israeli tourism meets the world: IMTM returns to EXPO Tel Aviv on February 16–17, 2027, bringing the Israeli travel industry together with destinations and tourism businesses from abroad. For travel agents, hoteliers, tour operators and destination representatives, the attraction is wonderfully practical. In two days, they can meet the people behind the places, renew working relationships and explore opportunities that are difficult to assess through emails and promotional brochures alone. There is still something useful about sitting across from someone and asking a question that wasn’t in the presentation.

The archive photograph above captures that meeting-place atmosphere at IMTM 2025. From an elevated viewpoint, the entrance hall unfolds into clusters of visitors talking, checking their phones and finding their way towards the exhibition. Wide purple and red signs announce numbered entrances in English and Hebrew, while an enormous illuminated letter B rises against the glass wall behind them. Red and white balloons scatter across the dark floor, gathering around a red carpet where a group poses beneath the IMTM backdrop. Some people are clearly on their way somewhere; others have already stopped for the sort of unplanned conversation that makes a trade show worthwhile. The scene is festive, but recognisably a working event. Photograph: TravelMktg.com.

The commercial purpose of IMTM extends beyond putting destinations on display. A tourism business needs people who can explain how an offer works in practice: which travellers it suits, how bookings are handled, what support is available and whether a promising itinerary can become a reliable product. For destinations seeking a stronger connection with the Israeli market, those conversations also offer a chance to listen. What are agents being asked for? What makes travellers hesitate? Which experiences deserve a clearer explanation? A stand can attract attention, but useful answers are what give that attention somewhere to go.

A second archive image, from IMTM 2026, brings the focus closer to the experience itself. Beneath the Negev Development Authority’s large white signs, a Bedouin hospitality display fills the frame with colour, texture and activity. Red, green and black woven cloth covers the counter, with bright tassels hanging along its edge, while a striped rug spreads across the floor. Women in floral and embroidered clothing prepare and demonstrate elements of hospitality around metal vessels, a patterned pot and a tall wooden implement. In the foreground, two men in traditional dress frame the scene: one in a pale robe and head covering, the other in a flowing brown cloak and a red-and-white checked headscarf. Behind them, photographs of desert hospitality and regional attractions compete for space with a vivid pink Jerusalem sign. It is crowded, lively and full of small details that reward a second look. Photograph: TravelMktg.com.

For exhibitors preparing for 2027, that photograph suggests an approach worth remembering. People connect with something specific—a taste, a craft, a story, a person who knows the place well. A smaller hotel or specialist operator does not necessarily need the biggest display in the hall. It needs a clear reason for someone to stop, an experience that feels distinctive and an offer that a potential partner can understand. The challenge is to turn a pleasant encounter into a useful next step, whether that means a follow-up meeting, a proposed itinerary or an introduction to the right buyer.

Visitors can make the same distinction between simply attending and arriving with a purpose. Choosing relevant contacts beforehand, allowing time for unexpected discoveries and following up while conversations are still fresh can make two exhibition days considerably more productive. IMTM 2027 offers a place to discover what is taking shape across tourism, but its enduring value is likely to be found in the connections made along the way. Behind every destination is somebody doing the work. Tel Aviv will be a place to meet them.