ILTM Cannes 2026: The Luxury Travel Trends Shaping 2027 and What Exhibitors Should Prepare

ILTM Cannes 2026, the industry’s leading trade event for luxury travel, takes place from 30 November to 3 December at the Palais des Festivals on the French Riviera.

One of Europe’s most important gatherings for high-end travel, this year’s edition arrives with five trends that will shape how luxury is sold in 2027: cruising that is winning over a younger clientele, frictionless ultra-luxury, off-season travel, wellness as the main reason to travel, and a client who is willing to spend more but wants to know exactly what they are paying for. In other words, a client who expects high-quality information.

Cannes is not a showroom. It is a marketplace. Over four days, hotel brands, cruise lines, destinations and DMCs sit down with the travel advisors who decide where high-net-worth travellers spend their holidays.

The 2025 edition closed with 10,000 attendees and more than 100,000 scheduled meetings. That is why this year’s trends are worth reading with one specific question in mind: what does an exhibitor need to bring to those meetings to leave Cannes with real business?

The five luxury travel trends arriving in Cannes

The most robust data available today comes from two sources with complementary perspectives. The first is The Sail: A New Era for Luxe Cruising, the report by ILTM and research firm Altiant that surveyed high-net-worth travellers in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The second is the Virtuoso Luxe Report 2026, based on responses from 2,485 travel advisors in more than 50 countries. One asks the traveller; the other asks the people who sell them the trip. Where the two agree, the trend is solid.

Luxury cruising is no longer just for seniors

The luxury cruise client is getting younger. According to The Sail, 63% of respondents have already taken a luxury cruise and a further 26% would like to. The figure that breaks the stereotype is generational: 69% of under-45s have sailed in the past two years, compared with 64% of those over 45. And 39% of younger travellers now cruise more than they did two years ago, against just 23% of over-45s.

ILTM has responded with action. In 2025 it opened The Sail in Cannes, a dedicated space for ocean, river and yacht brands, which this year has already been rolled out at ILTM North America. But the market is not yet won: ILTM’s own research found that 10% of high-net-worth travellers believe they will never want to take a cruise. That is where the acquisition work still lies.

[ALBERT’S TAKE — insight from your years as a yachting journalist: small yachts versus classic cruise ships.]

Ultra-luxury: when price is no longer the conversation

For the first time, the Virtuoso report examined ultra-luxury as a category in its own right, and 45% of its advisors reported an increase in requests. What defines this segment is not excess but the complete absence of friction: all-inclusive arrangements, privacy, celebration travel and experiences no one else can book. These clients are not buying more square metres. They are buying the freedom not to think about anything and not to worry about a single detail. In this space, frictionless service is the baseline.

Away from the crowds and the extreme heat

Climate and overtourism are already changing purchasing decisions. 45% of Virtuoso advisors say their clients have changed their plans because of climate change. 76% are seeing more demand for off-peak travel, and 75% more interest in destinations with temperate climates.

This is redrawing the map. Japan now ranks just behind Italy as the top global destination. In the UK market, Montenegro leads the emerging destinations as an Adriatic alternative to a crowded Mediterranean. Even so, the Balkan country is not immune to heatwaves, which are increasingly common in southern Europe and, more sporadically, in central and northern Europe too.

Wellness moves from amenity to reason for travel

A spa is no longer enough. Virtuoso advisors report a rise in trips centred on mental health, longevity and reconnecting with nature, increasingly in a multigenerational format: grandparents, parents and children travelling together to switch off. ILTM had already devoted dedicated research to wellness in 2024, together with Hyatt and Altiant. The trend is not new, but it has matured: clients can now tell a wellness programme with real substance from a spa under a new name.

Spending more, but with intent

This trend runs through all the others. Luxury travellers are willing to spend more, but they are aware of rising prices and look for value that genuinely improves the experience. Almost half of Virtuoso advisors expect a slight increase in demand, and 18% anticipate significant growth. The appetite is there, but there are no blank cheques.

One caveat before going further: the available reports measure 2026. Much of what is negotiated in Cannes will be travelled in 2027. If ILTM presents new research during the show, as it has done in previous editions, it will offer the first snapshot of the year ahead.

What exhibitors should prepare for ILTM Cannes 2026

A trend only matters to an exhibitor if it changes what they say in the meeting room. These are the practical implications we see at VIP Today for hotels, cruise lines and destinations heading to Cannes.

Prepare for the advisor without forgetting the end client

The travel advisor remains a key player, but does not hold a monopoly. According to The Sail, 37% of travellers booked their cruise through an advisor, often alongside booking directly with the cruise line, which remains the leading channel at 59%. For exhibitors, the takeaway is twofold. In Cannes, advisors need arguments they can resell: what is exclusive, for which client profile and on which dates. Outside Cannes, the brand has to be easy to find when that same client researches on their own.

Sell the low season as a product, not a discount

If 76% of advisors are seeing more demand outside peak season, the low season stops being an occupancy problem. It becomes a selling point: fewer people, better weather, access to experiences that are impossible in August. Presenting it at a reduced rate sends the opposite message. Luxury is not sold on sale.

Package ultra-luxury as the absence of friction

Ultra-luxury clients do not ask for more services; they ask not to have to coordinate them. The proposals that best match the demand Virtuoso describes are closed and private: transfers, guides, tables and access all arranged in advance. For an advisor, a proposal like this is easy to sell because it reduces their own workload.

Give wellness real substance

A longevity programme with qualified professionals, protocols and measurable results plays in a different league from a spa with a treatment menu. If wellness is the reason for the trip, exhibitors need to explain what the client takes home, not what facilities they have.

Be visible where travellers already ask: AI

High-net-worth travellers no longer search only on Google. Increasingly, they ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini which hotel to choose in a destination or which cruise line suits their family. If a brand does not appear in those answers, the advisor will have to sell against a recommendation the client has already received.

Plan the follow-up before arriving in Cannes

With dozens of short meetings, anything not recorded during the show is lost. The brands that turn Cannes into business arrive with their follow-up already designed: what material each advisor receives, by when, and with what specific proposal.

[PRIMARY QUOTE — 1-2 sentences from an exhibitor, advisor or hotel director on what they expect from this edition. Name, title and company.]

ILTM Cannes 2026 at a glance

ILTM Cannes is the flagship event of the ILTM portfolio, organised by RX (Reed Exhibitions). It is open to professionals only and runs on pre-scheduled meeting agendas between brands and buyers.

Detail	ILTM Cannes 2026
Dates	30 November to 3 December 2026
Venue	Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Organiser	RX (Reed Exhibitions)
Format	B2B, trade only, with pre-scheduled appointments
Edition	25th
Scale benchmark (2025 edition)	10,000 attendees, more than 100,000 meetings, more than 2,500 buyers from 83 countries and more than 2,350 brands

Sources: ILTM and Travel Extra. The event listing is also available in the VIP Today events calendar [INTERNAL LINK].

Frequently asked questions

What are the main luxury travel trends for 2027?

The latest reports point to five: the growth of luxury cruising among travellers under 45, rising demand for all-inclusive ultra-luxury, off-season travel to destinations with temperate climates, wellness and longevity as the reason to travel, and clients who spend more but expect clear value. The data comes from ILTM and Altiant’s The Sail report and the Virtuoso Luxe Report 2026.

When and where is ILTM Cannes 2026?

ILTM Cannes 2026 takes place from 30 November to 3 December 2026 at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, at 1 Boulevard de la Croisette.

Is ILTM Cannes open to the public?

No. ILTM Cannes is a trade-only event. It is attended by exhibiting brands, selected travel advisors and accredited media, who meet through appointment agendas agreed before the show.

What is The Sail at ILTM?

The Sail is ILTM’s dedicated space for ocean, river and luxury yacht brands. It launched at ILTM Cannes in 2025 and in 2026 was extended to ILTM North America. It is also the name of ILTM and Altiant’s report on the growth of luxury cruising among high-net-worth travellers.

What should exhibitors bring to ILTM Cannes 2026?

Arguments that travel advisors can resell: an exclusive product, the client profile it targets and available dates, with particular attention to the low season. It also pays to arrive with closed ultra-luxury proposals, wellness programmes with real substance and a follow-up plan for every meeting.