Online programme will connect European destinations and tourism suppliers with buyers from the United States, Canada and Mexico through market intelligence, industry insights and B2B networking.
The European Tourism Association (ETOA) has launched Showcase: Outbound North America 2027, an online programme designed to help European tourism businesses develop commercial relationships with travel buyers across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Scheduled throughout March 2027, the initiative will combine market intelligence, expert-led webinars, a dedicated North America Handbook and online business-to-business (B2B) networking. The programme will culminate in an online B2B workshop on March 24, connecting European destinations and tourism suppliers with North American travel trade professionals.
North America remains a significant source market for European tourism. According to ETOA, 66% of its buyer members work directly with the region, underlining its importance to the association’s membership and the wider European travel industry.
Building on the 2026 programme
ETOA has facilitated online networking between European suppliers and North American buyers in various formats since 2020. In 2026, the association expanded its approach through a dedicated market insight programme and the North America Handbook. More than 240 tourism professionals participated in that year’s programme.
The 2027 edition will build on this format, helping European businesses better understand travel demand, consumer expectations and commercial opportunities across the three distinct North American markets.
The programme will feature webinars and conversations covering the economic outlook, outbound travel trends, Canadian traveller preferences and opportunities beyond Europe’s traditional tourism gateways. A further session will examine operational challenges involved in delivering European travel experiences, including attraction capacity, transport logistics and itinerary planning.
The sessions are intended to equip participants with practical knowledge they can use when developing products, planning marketing activity and engaging with potential business partners.
North America Handbook to provide market intelligence
The North America Handbook 2027 will complement the insight programme by bringing together research, key data and practical resources for businesses targeting the region.
The handbook is intended to help European tourism suppliers understand market characteristics and prepare for more productive discussions with North American buyers. It will also include delegate listings to support follow-up and relationship-building after the event.
The online B2B workshop will provide a dedicated platform for European destinations, tourism suppliers and other industry businesses to present their offerings, explore potential partnerships and identify opportunities to develop new travel products for North American customers.
ETOA highlights importance of the market
Tom Jenkins, chief executive officer of ETOA, said North America remained fundamental to European inbound tourism, while emphasising the need to recognise the differences between the United States, Canada and Mexico.
He said the association’s experience in 2026 demonstrated the value of combining networking with market intelligence, giving participants a stronger understanding of the market before entering business discussions.
The 2027 programme, he added, aims to provide businesses with the information and industry connections needed to identify opportunities and translate them into commercial results.
Programme schedule
The published programme includes an insight session on January 27, followed by industry conversations on February 10 and another insight session on February 23. The North America Handbook 2027 is scheduled for release on March 10, ahead of the online B2B workshop on March 24.
Through the initiative, ETOA aims to strengthen links between North American travel buyers and European tourism suppliers, helping destinations and businesses identify new opportunities in one of Europe’s important long-haul source markets.
