Antigua and Barbuda Joins Spain, Barbados and More Countries Appeal to International Source Market at Travel Agency Owners Forum 2026 from 11–15 October

Antigua and Barbuda joins Spain, Barbados and other international destinations at the Travel Agency Owners Forum 2026 in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico, from 11 to 15 October. The B2B event will connect tourism organisations, hotels, cruise companies and destination specialists with influential US travel agency owners seeking new products and partnerships.

Travel Agency Owners Forum 2026 will bring leading US travel agency owners together with international tourism suppliers in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico. Running from 11 to 15 October, the business-focused forum will feature hotels, destinations, cruise companies, DMCs and travel technology providers seeking stronger relationships with American travel sellers.

What is Travel Agency Owners Forum 2026?

The Travel Agency Owners Forum 2026 is a specialised B2B travel industry event designed to connect established US travel agency owners with international tourism suppliers.

Organised by Travel Show Marketing Group, the forum will be hosted at Marival Emotions by Mercure in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico. The main agency-owner programme runs from 11 to 15 October 2026, while supplier participation is scheduled from 12 to 15 October.

Unlike a large public travel exhibition, the forum is structured around targeted business meetings, supplier showcases, networking and educational opportunities. Its emphasis is on developing commercial relationships between travel sellers and companies that provide destinations, accommodation, cruises, tours, experiences and travel services.

Why is Riviera Nayarit hosting the forum?

Riviera Nayarit offers more than a convenient venue for the event. The Mexican Pacific destination provides an opportunity for travel agency owners to experience a resort environment and tourism products that can subsequently be promoted to their clients.

The host property, Marival Emotions by Mercure, will serve as the principal accommodation and meeting location. The programme also includes destination experiences designed to give participating agency owners first-hand exposure to Riviera Nayarit’s tourism offering.

This destination-led approach is particularly relevant to travel advisors, who often need detailed product knowledge before recommending hotels, resorts, excursions and destinations to clients.

Who are the buyers attending?

The principal buyer audience is made up of US leisure travel agency owners.

Travel Show Marketing Group applies selection criteria to ensure that participating agency owners have substantial responsibility for their businesses. According to the organiser, applicants must demonstrate agency ownership experience and meet minimum organisational and business-production requirements.

The participating agency owners collectively represent a significant network of frontline travel sellers. This gives international suppliers an opportunity to engage directly with decision-makers who can influence product selection, contracting, preferred-supplier relationships and future bookings.

The event is therefore not designed around general tourism consumers. It is a trade-focused forum where the quality and commercial potential of meetings are more important than visitor volume.

Which countries are represented at the forum?

The United States is the principal buyer market, while the supplier community is international.

The organiser’s supplier information identifies companies and organisations associated with a wide range of countries and regions, including Mexico, the United States, the Dominican Republic, China, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands and other international destinations.

This creates an interesting structure for the forum. Rather than bringing travel buyers from dozens of countries together, the event concentrates on a high-value US buyer segment while giving those buyers access to an international supplier network.

For tourism organisations seeking greater penetration of the US leisure market, that concentrated approach can be commercially attractive.

Which companies are participating?

The organiser’s supplier material features a broad collection of travel companies and tourism organisations.

Among the organisations highlighted through its supplier information are Visit Anchorage, Lopesan Costa Bávaro Resort Spa & Casino, Downtown Travel/AvantGarde Vacations, PriceAgencies, Sandals, Century Cruises, Missing Italia DMC and AIC Hotel Group.

The wider OTR-style supplier network represented through the forum also includes tourism authorities, hotel groups, cruise companies, tour operators, destination management companies and technology providers.

Other organisations listed in the organiser’s supplier registry include Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., British Virgin Islands Tourist Board & Film Commission, Experience Scottsdale, Florida Keys and Key West, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority and Tourist Office of Spain.

The hotel and resort segment includes brands such as BWH Hotels, Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Barbados Resort, Marival Resorts, Ocean Hotels Barbados, Princess Hotels & Resorts, Sandals & Beaches Resorts and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

What travel sectors are represented?

The supplier mix reflects the increasingly complex nature of travel distribution.

Hotels and resorts form a major part of the programme, ranging from international chains to independent and luxury properties. Cruise companies and tour operators provide additional options for agencies selling packaged holidays, escorted tours and specialist travel.

The forum also includes destination management companies, which are important for agencies selling customised international itineraries. DMCs can provide accommodation coordination, transportation, excursions, guides and destination experiences.

Travel technology is another important category. Companies offering agency software, booking solutions, travel insurance, visa services, marketing tools and distribution technology can use the event to demonstrate products directly to agency owners.

This combination gives buyers the opportunity to evaluate multiple components of the travel sales process in one setting.

How will the business meetings work?

The forum’s principal strength is its meeting-based format.

Rather than depending entirely on open exhibition-floor traffic, the programme provides structured opportunities for agency owners and suppliers to meet directly. Supplier showcases and one-to-one interactions allow companies to explain their products and discuss potential business relationships.

For an international hotel group, this can mean introducing new properties or programmes to travel advisors. For a tourism board, it can provide an opportunity to communicate destination messaging and explain new attractions or routes.

For a travel technology company, the same format provides direct access to agency owners who may influence purchasing decisions.

The focus is consequently on meaningful business conversations rather than simple brand exposure.

Why are US travel agency owners important?

US travel advisors remain influential in the sale of complex and high-value holidays.

Consumers planning cruises, luxury escapes, multi-country itineraries, escorted tours and specialised international travel often require professional assistance. Travel advisors can compare products, arrange logistics and provide destination recommendations based on first-hand experience.

For international suppliers, establishing relationships with these advisors can therefore generate longer-term distribution opportunities.

The Travel Agency Owners Forum’s selection-based approach is designed to bring suppliers closer to agency decision-makers rather than a broad audience of travel professionals with varying levels of purchasing authority.

What destination experiences are included?

The forum combines business sessions with destination experiences.

The programme includes opportunities for agency owners to experience Riviera Nayarit and engage with local tourism products. One scheduled experience involves Vallarta Adventures, including a catamaran cruise and the Rhythm of the Night dinner and show.

Such activities serve an important commercial purpose. Agency owners can assess the quality of experiences directly and gain knowledge that may help them sell Riviera Nayarit and associated products to their clients.

The event also provides selected participants with pre- and post-event familiarisation opportunities, further strengthening the connection between professional education and destination marketing.

Why does the event matter for the travel industry?

Travel Agency Owners Forum 2026 reflects a broader shift towards targeted B2B engagement in international tourism.

Travel companies increasingly need more than general exposure. They want access to travel sellers who can actively distribute their products and influence consumer purchasing decisions.

By concentrating on established US agency owners, the forum creates a controlled environment for suppliers to build relationships with people who have direct commercial influence.

For participating destinations, hotels, cruise companies, DMCs and technology businesses, the potential value lies in developing partnerships that continue beyond the four-day supplier programme.

For agency owners, the event provides access to international products, destination expertise and commercial contacts that can strengthen their own offerings.

What should participants expect from the 2026 forum?

Participants can expect a combination of business meetings, supplier presentations, networking, education and destination experiences.

The event is deliberately more focused than a mass-market travel exhibition. Its value will depend on the quality of interactions between suppliers and agency owners and the commercial relationships that emerge from them.

With Riviera Nayarit providing the setting, the forum will also give participants an opportunity to understand Mexico’s resort and experiential tourism proposition while conducting business with international travel brands.

Travel Agency Owners Forum 2026 will connect influential US travel agency owners with international tourism suppliers in Riviera Nayarit. The event’s focused B2B format, international supplier base and destination experiences create opportunities for stronger distribution partnerships. Hotels, destinations, cruise companies, DMCs and technology firms will target the lucrative US travel market.

Travel Agency Owners Forum 2026 will create a focused platform for Antigua and Barbuda, Spain, Barbados and other international destinations to strengthen relationships with US travel sellers. Through targeted meetings, networking and destination experiences, the forum aims to expand market reach, encourage partnerships and support future travel bookings across participating destinations.