United States, Canada and More Nations to Exhibit at Tokyo Big Sight in 2026 with Nearly 1,300+ Exhibitors

Written By: Tuhin Sarkar

Tuhin Sarkar

Tuhin Sarkar is a Senior Journalist at Travel and Tour World with more than 10 years of experience in travel and tourism journalism. A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Jadavpur University, he combines strong research, industry knowledge and storytelling expertise to produce engaging, insightful and impactful travel news and fascinating feature stories.

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August 31, 2026 7:51 PM |

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Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 is preparing to turn Tokyo Big Sight into a major global meeting point for travel and tourism from 24–27 September. The event arrives as destinations, airlines, airports, hotels, travel agencies and technology businesses respond to rapidly changing traveller behaviour. Moreover, Japan has positioned the exhibition around “The Changing Nature of Travel”, highlighting technology, new lifestyles, evolving values and emerging travel experiences. The official exhibitor search is already open, while the event will combine trade meetings with public-facing destination promotion. Crucially, recent editions show the scale of the exhibition, with 1,350 companies and organisations from 82 countries and regions participating in 2025.

Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 puts Tokyo at the centre of global travel

In short, Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 will bring an extensive international travel and tourism community to Tokyo Big Sight from 24–27 September, with the official exhibitor database already listing destinations and businesses across Asia, Oceania, North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The organisers have not yet published a definitive 2026 visitor forecast or final headline exhibitor total, so the most reliable scale indicators remain the live exhibitor database and results from previous editions.

The event is organised by the Japan Travel and Tourism Association, Japan Association of Travel Agents and Japan National Tourism Organization, giving Tourism EXPO Japan an unusually broad institutional foundation within the country’s travel industry. Consequently, the exhibition is not simply a destination showcase, but a business platform designed to stimulate outbound, inbound and domestic tourism while supporting regional revitalisation.

Tokyo prepares for four days of travel business

Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 will run at Tokyo Big Sight, one of Japan’s major exhibition venues, with the four-day programme scheduled from Thursday, 24 September, through Sunday, 27 September. The event combines professional business activity with direct consumer engagement, allowing the travel industry to conduct negotiations while giving public visitors an opportunity to discover destinations, experiences and tourism products.

The timing is significant because Tourism EXPO Japan has become a major platform for international tourism promotion in Japan, while Tokyo provides an important gateway for domestic and international travel markets. Furthermore, the 2026 edition will operate alongside the Travel Solutions Exhibition 2026, strengthening the connection between tourism products, digital services and the technology increasingly shaping modern travel.

“The Changing Nature of Travel” becomes the central message

The 2026 theme, “The Changing Nature of Travel,” reflects a tourism industry undergoing rapid structural change as technology, traveller values and lifestyles evolve. The organisers say the exhibition will explore emerging forms of travel, including journeys focused on regional discovery, learning, wellbeing and connections between different cultures.

This positioning gives the tourism event relevance beyond traditional destination marketing because travellers are increasingly looking for experiences rather than simple sightseeing products. As a result, tourism boards, airlines, hotels, travel companies and technology providers have an opportunity to demonstrate how their products can respond to changing expectations across different international markets.

More than 1,300 exhibitor records already point to a huge showcase

The official Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 exhibitor search is now live and contains a substantial range of organisations, although the organisers have not published a final official headline exhibitor count for the 2026 edition. The database includes individual exhibitors as well as sub-exhibitors appearing under larger destination or organisational stands, meaning database records should not automatically be interpreted as the final number of participating companies.

The previous editions provide a useful benchmark for understanding the likely scale of the 2026 tourism gathering. In 2025, Tourism EXPO Japan attracted 1,350 companies and organisations from 82 countries and regions, while the 2024 Tokyo edition recorded 1,384 companies and organisations from 80 countries and regions.

India, Europe, Asia and more markets appear in the exhibitor database

The international footprint of Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 is extensive, with the official country selector covering markets across Asia, Oceania, North America, South America, Europe, Russia and the CIS, the Middle East and Africa. The database specifically lists countries and territories including India, China, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Sweden, Greece, Turkey, South Africa, Egypt, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, among many others.

Japan itself will have a major presence, reflecting the event’s role in promoting domestic destinations alongside international tourism. Japanese tourism organisations, municipalities, transport operators and regional destinations will use the exhibition to present attractions and travel experiences to both industry buyers and consumers.

Airlines, airports, hotels and technology companies join destinations

Tourism EXPO Japan’s exhibitor structure extends across virtually every major segment of the travel economy, including tourism organisations, travel agencies, OTA and ICT companies, hotels and accommodation businesses, transportation and aviation companies and other travel-related organisations. The exhibition is therefore positioned as a cross-section of the wider tourism supply chain rather than a conventional destination-only event.

The live exhibitor database already highlights names such as JCB, Hawai’i Tourism Japan, Aqua-Aston Hospitality, AULANI, A DISNEY RESORT & SPA, Battleship Missouri Memorial, Castle Resorts & Hotels, Halekulani Corporation, OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels, Prince Resorts Hawaii and The Ritz-Carlton properties in Hawaii. The presence of multiple sub-exhibitors under destination organisations demonstrates how large tourism groups can use the exhibition to create a broad product showcase.

Business meetings could become a major attraction

For travel professionals, one of the strongest elements of Tourism EXPO Japan is its structured business-meeting programme. The event operates both walk-in business meetings and reserved meetings, with a matching system designed to connect buyers, particularly travel-agency buyers, with sellers representing exhibitors.

This structure matters because tourism exhibitions increasingly need to demonstrate measurable commercial value rather than relying solely on footfall. By creating opportunities for pre-arranged negotiations alongside conventional exhibition-floor meetings, Tourism EXPO Japan can connect destinations and tourism suppliers with companies capable of converting discussions into future travel products and visitor flows.

Visitor numbers could again reach a six-figure level

The organisers have not announced an official 2026 visitor target on the current English event pages, meaning a precise forecast should not be presented as confirmed attendance. However, historical results demonstrate that Tourism EXPO Japan has consistently attracted a large audience of trade professionals and members of the public.

The 2025 edition recorded 127,677 visitors, comprising 38,460 visitors across the two trade and press days and 89,217 visitors during the two public days. The previous Tokyo edition in 2024 was even larger, recording 182,934 visitors, including 71,818 trade and press visitors and 111,116 public visitors.

2024 Tokyo performance sets a powerful benchmark

The return to Tokyo in 2026 is particularly notable because the previous Tokyo edition produced exceptionally strong attendance. Tourism EXPO Japan 2024 attracted 1,384 companies and organisations from 80 countries and regions, alongside 182,934 visitors over four days at Tokyo Big Sight.

That historical performance gives exhibitors a strong reason to return to the capital, particularly those seeking access to Japanese consumers, travel buyers and international tourism professionals. Therefore, while the 2026 attendance figure remains unconfirmed, the event enters September with a proven ability to generate substantial travel-industry engagement.

Tourism technology gets a larger role

Technology is increasingly becoming inseparable from travel, and Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 reflects that reality through its wider exhibition structure and the concurrent Travel Solutions Exhibition. Digital platforms, ICT companies and technology-driven tourism services can connect directly with travel businesses seeking new tools for marketing, distribution, customer engagement and operational efficiency.

The emphasis is especially relevant as travellers become more comfortable using digital tools to discover destinations, compare products and organise journeys. Consequently, the tourism sector is shifting towards a model in which destination marketing, data, technology and customer experience operate together rather than as separate functions.

Public visitors will experience the consumer side of tourism

Although the first part of Tourism EXPO Japan is strongly focused on industry and media, the weekend public days provide a different dimension. Consumers can interact directly with destinations and tourism companies, discover new travel ideas and experience cultural or destination-focused activities presented by exhibitors.

The event’s programme already includes activities ranging from tourism presentations and demonstrations to food and cultural experiences, illustrating how exhibitors can use the exhibition floor to make tourism tangible rather than relying solely on brochures and promotional material.

Anup Kumar Keshan highlights the wider significance

“Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 arrives at a crucial moment for global travel, because destinations are no longer competing only on attractions but also on experiences, connectivity, technology and the ability to understand new traveller expectations. Tokyo offers the right international stage for this conversation. With exhibitors representing a remarkably broad cross-section of tourism, aviation, hospitality and travel technology, the event can create meaningful opportunities for partnerships and destination growth. Its strong historical attendance also shows the power of combining industry networking with public engagement. For travel professionals, Tourism EXPO Japan is therefore more than an exhibition; it is a window into where international tourism is heading next.” — Anup Kumar Keshan, Editor-in-Chief, Travel And Tour World

Why Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 matters to the global industry

Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 arrives as destinations compete for increasingly diverse travellers, while airlines, hotels and travel companies seek new routes to market and new partnerships. Its combination of international exhibitors, Japanese destinations, business meetings, technology and consumer engagement makes it an important meeting point for the wider tourism economy.

Moreover, the event gives international destinations a direct opportunity to strengthen visibility within Japan while giving Japanese tourism businesses access to overseas markets. That two-way exchange can support inbound tourism, outbound travel and domestic tourism simultaneously, creating a broader commercial ecosystem around the exhibition.

What to expect when Tourism EXPO Japan opens

Visitors can expect a large international exhibition featuring destinations, tourism boards, travel companies, aviation businesses, accommodation providers, technology firms and other tourism stakeholders. The exhibitor mix is expected to remain dynamic until the event opens because the official database continues to provide updated information ahead of the September exhibition.

For the travel industry, the most important opportunity may be the combination of visibility and direct business engagement. For consumers, the attraction will be the chance to discover destinations and experiences from around the world in one location, while Japan’s own tourism regions can promote their products to both domestic and international audiences.