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CONTRIBUTORS In The Know with Gostelow


On the road at least 300 nights a year, Mary Gostelow is arguably the most-travelling luxury commentator. She is best known for her daily blog and for her monthly market intelligence newsletter, Gostelow Report. She produces daily Gostelow Reports during each and every ILTM (www.iltm. net/gostelow), as well as this regular column for TheInsider.


See what she is up to at the moment, www.girlahead.com.


The 7th International Luxury Travel Market Asia was the biggest yet – around 500 exhibitors, the same number of hosted travel agents (both sectors from 19 countries), average number of pre-arranged one-to-one meetings 51, total number of meetings over 25,000. Exhibition director Alison Gilmore says, looking back, she is ecstatic. Exhibitor Lilian Wagner, from St Regis San Francisco, shared appointments with her colleague Paul Nash from St Regis New York. Yes, says Lilian, ILTM Asia was really good – she was able to sell San Francisco as ‘the’ destination for sailing enthusiasts, with both the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup coming up shortly. Others had not travelled so far. Michael Ganster, GM of The Fairmont Beijing, was making his first visit to an ILTM. He was, he says, blown away by the chance to connect with so many top buyers and other influential decision-makers.


The opening Forum, at the Portman Ritz-Carlton, sensibly told delegates facts and figures. CNN’s Lorraine Hahn was a stellar emcee. Pierre Lu Xiao, marketing professor, School of Management, Fudan University, said nearly 60% of China’s 2m super-rich ($2m up) have not yet logged into the luxury brand experience, which offers amazing opportunities to those selling private jets and yachts, plus hotels and destinations. Markus Engel, the straight-talking visionary of Urban Resorts, which made its name with its sensational The PuLi, in Shanghai, said high net-worthers no longer buy brand but access to a brand community of like-minded individuals.


ILTM Asia 2013


Congratulations to ILTM’s organizers for beautifying the unique 1950s Shanghai Exhibition Centre into such a memorable ambience – the highly decorative semicircular ceiling hints of Hollywood, as did the splendid grade-A flower arrangements. But this was not only show business (well, think of the 1920s ballroom dancing and the can- can displays at the official ILTM party...) but serious luxury travel business. Many deals were done there and then. New York-based Catherine Heald, Chairman/CEO Remote Lands: Ultra-Luxe Bespoke Asia, could barely keep up with the leads she picked up (like many, between appointments the club lounge of the Portman Ritz-Carlton became her personal office). Do not miss ILTM Asia 2014.


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