The fair features almost 2 thousand brands, 22 international destinations, 26 federative units and 14 municipalities.
Medeiros reveals the expectations for the event, highlights the importance of specialized tourism and discusses the changes in the role of travel agents. With a diverse program that includes everything from lectures on accessible tourism to the 1st Tourism Conference 2030, the fair promises to be a milestone for the sector.
Travel2Latam: How was the 51st edition of ABAV Expo planned?
Ana Carolina Medeiros: ABAV annually launches a call for proposals for cities and states to host the fair. The Federal District Government, through the Secretary of Tourism Cristiano Araújo, with the support of the governor and other entities, participated in the call for proposals. ABAV considers several criteria and we have a board that makes this assessment. At the time, the Federal District presented the best proposal.
Travel2Latam: How many national and international exhibitors will be present? What is the expected audience?
Ana Carolina Medeiros: ABAV Expo 51 has almost two thousand confirmed brands. We will have representatives from 22 international destinations, 26 states and 14 cities. We are estimating around 30 thousand visitors, that is, approximately 10 thousand per day. This is the audience we always expect for the fair, and the registrations demonstrate this expectation. In fact, on one of the days, our registration link had to be restarted due to the high number of accesses.
Travel2Latam: You bring two speakers focused on 60+ tourism, Ana Carolina Melo and Ariel Figueroa. What are the biggest needs of this sector?
Ana Carolina Medeiros: We are targeting this audience because they are a group that travels a lot and has a significant role in global tourism, not just in Brazil. Our goal is for travel agencies, tour operators and everyone attending the fair to have contact with experts in this segment, so that they can exchange experiences and discuss their needs, promoting increasingly specialized tourism. Each person has their own specific needs. For example, we never talk about children's tourism, where to take small children or the elderly, or how to travel with people with special needs. We are bringing these issues to ABAV Expo so that tour operators and political leaders realize the importance of adapting and promoting tourism targeted at each group.
Travel2Latam: How does ABAV guide its members on niches such as Afrotourism, accessible tourism and tourism for autistic children and adolescents?
Ana Carolina Medeiros: We have sought to guide and train our members so that they are increasingly aware of the rights, duties and needs of these groups, because we know that there are specificities. We need to treat different groups appropriately. For example, an autistic person may be very sensitive to the volume of music. So, it doesn't make sense to offer a trip to a rock concert, because very few autistic people would be able to handle that. We have to look for specific niches to ensure that the trip is healthy, fun, enjoyable and dream-fulfilling.
Travel2Latam: Has the role of travel agents changed over the years? What is the role of a travel agent like today?
Ana Carolina Medeiros: Yes, it has changed a lot. If we look back 50 years, the role of a travel agent was basically to issue tickets and make hotel reservations. Today, agents are true sales consultants. They seek to provide a personalized experience, which requires constant study, improvement and professionalization to stand out in a highly competitive market. In addition, the agent needs to offer a complete service, from guidance on legislation in other countries, insurance, vaccinations, to understanding the tastes and preferences of the client. The travel consultant needs to be eclectic and seek to make the client's dreams come true within their financial means.
Travel2Latam: What are the main new features of this year's ABAV Expo? Does the next edition have a date and location already set?
Ana Carolina Medeiros: Yes, the next edition will be in Rio de Janeiro, at Riocentro, from October 8 to 10, 2025. Among the new features this year, we have the 1st Tourism Conference 2030, on the 26th and 27th, which will address the role of tourism in climate issues. We will have several training sessions, including lectures on the new General Tourism Law, explaining its advantages for agents and travel operators. In addition, we will have new exhibitors and a broad program. Another new feature is the ABAV Challenge, the first gamification experience at the event, which suggests trails for participants to explore the space while competing for prizes.
This will be a unique fair, with an innovative layout, as it will be held at the Brazilian International Convention Center (CICB), and not in an exhibition hall, as is usually the case. We will have 60 training sessions, including training sessions, debates, forums and legislation updates. There will be a few days for many activities.
Interview: Mary de Aquino.
Photo: Divulgação