WTM Latin America has announced the planned updates for its 2026 edition, highlighting the centralization of the Experience Zone, the expansion of pavilion areas, and an increased focus on leadership and regenerative tourism. The information was presented by Bianca Pizzolito, the head of the event, during a meeting with journalists at Roda Rico, in São Paulo. “We decided to change the format of the press conference and offer an experience in the park to present the information from a different angle and allow ourselves to feel something new, because we believe this influences the way we process and see the world. That’s how we build WTM Latin America,” she explained.
The main structural change announced for 2026 is the relocation of the Experience Zone to the central area of the pavilion, a repositioning intended to increase foot traffic and visibility for the space dedicated to sensory and technological experiences created by brands and destinations. The expansion of the pavilion and the redistribution of the theatres were also confirmed, with adjustments designed to improve circulation and the functionality of the content areas.
Another major highlight is the debut of the WTM Ministers’ Summit dedicated exclusively to Latin American countries within the WTM Latin America program. The meeting, scheduled for April 14, 2026, will bring together regional authorities to discuss the theme: “Latin American Tourism: Responsible and Regenerative for the Future,” focusing on shared policies and challenges across the continent. “Responsible and Regenerative for the Future,” focusing on shared policies and challenges across the continent.
The head of the largest B2B event in Latin America also presented WTM’s global overview, which in 2025 brought together 139,000 professionals and more than 8,400 exhibiting brands across the four events that make up the portfolio — WTM London, Arabian Travel Market, WTM Latin America, and WTM Africa. The latest edition, held in São Paulo in April of this year, recorded the best results in its history: 32,026 professionals in attendance, 837 exhibiting brands, and 49 represented countries, in addition to a 6% increase in confirmed meetings and a record number of qualified buyers. “With each edition, we outperform the previous one, which demonstrates the event’s maturity and relevance. The growing participation also reflects the state of the market and the importance of business within this perspective,” she emphasized.
According to Bianca, the Hosted Buyers program will continue with a thorough selection of international operators and expects to bring together 85 professionals in 2026, while the WTM Buyers’ Club — made up of tour operators and travel agents from Brazil and around the world — projects 10% growth. Meanwhile, the Agente na Estrada program will maintain the same format and number of participants as last year, aiming to gather around 500 travel agents from all regions of Brazil.
Regenerative tourism as a cross-cutting theme
As in recent years, the edition will feature three theatres offering current, theme-based content with dedicated curatorship. The “Technology & Innovation” theatre will be curated by Gabriela Otto. The “Transformation” theatre will be led by Pablo Menéndez and Aline Bispo. The “Trends” theatre will have its program developed by the WTM Latin America team, under the leadership of Virginia Marques, the event’s marketing manager. “Regenerative tourism, the central theme of this edition, will serve as a cross-cutting axis across the three stages, reflecting issues that are becoming increasingly relevant in the sector. It will also be highlighted in the Responsible Tourism Awards, which debut a dedicated category focused on this topic,” says Virginia.
In addition to recognizing initiatives from destinations that have already implemented concrete environmental and social regeneration policies, the award will continue to acknowledge initiatives related to climate-change mitigation, Diversity and Inclusion projects, Socioeconomic Impact, Network Collaboration, Indigenous Tourism, and the Appreciation of Historical Heritage. Institutional support from Latin American organizations includes entities such as the Adventure Travel Association, Planeterra, WINTA, La Mano del Mono, and the MUDA! Coletivo Brasileiro pelo Turismo Responsável (Brazilian Collective for Responsible Tourism), as well as the Yuluca Alliance (GSTC), which will make its debut among partners next year. It is worth noting that, in the 2025 edition, the Award registered a record number of entries, with 160 projects submitted from 13 countries.
Bianca highlighted the evolution of the event’s themes in recent years, always following the path and expectations of professionals at each moment experienced by the travel and tourism industry. In 2023, exhibitors and visitors were invited to “Explore New Horizons” in the post-pandemic period, and a year later, they accepted the call to help shape the industry under the motto “The Future is Open: Be the Change”. And if in 2025 it was time to explore the intersections between technology and human connection—reinforced by “Where Tech Meets Touch”—the upcoming year deepens the debate on purpose-driven travel, addressing the nuances of regenerative tourism.
Integrated technology and inclusion policies
The trade show will reinforce the use of technological tools focused on efficiency and performance monitoring—solutions that make the pavilion smarter and more data-driven. The Lead Manager App will continue to capture and structure lead classification, while WTMLAT Meet will remain the official meeting-scheduling platform to optimize time inside the pavilion. A major success in the 2025 edition, the Colleqt QR Code will continue to provide instant access to information shared by exhibitors, while the Exhibitor Dashboard will consolidate metrics from all digital tools used during the event for performance analysis.
The Diversity Route enters its third edition with the same purpose of recognizing exhibitor initiatives aligned with themes such as Afrotourism, 60+ Tourism, LGBTQ+ Tourism, Community-Based Tourism, and Accessible Tourism. The inclusion policies implemented in previous editions will be maintained. “Diversity on the show floor is a hallmark of WTM Latin America,” Bianca reinforces.
Among the initiatives are inclusive supplier hiring, a “quiet room” for neurodiverse visitors, a “multifaith room,” gender-neutral restrooms, Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) interpreters on all stages, accessible transportation, and programming that ensures gender parity and representation of marginalized groups. WTM Latin America is scheduled to take place from April 14 to 16, 2026, at Expo Center Norte in São Paulo (SP).