More than 1,100 attended the 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium in South Lake Tahoe

Exhausted but happy participants departed South Lake Tahoe over the weekend after several intense days of buying, selling, learning, schmoozing and skiing at the 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium.

Trade Exchange Floor - 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium, Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe. More than 1,100 attendees participated
Trade Exchange Floor – Mountain Travel Symposium, Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe.

More than 1,100 participants representing 24 countries took part. Fresh snow and bright sunshine capped the week of events, and those who were there to do business said they had full schedules and lots of deals got done. Most also got in a few runs on the slopes of Heavenly Resort as well.

Virginie Koulibaly from Valais Matterhorn Region addresses with Nick Turnell and Pascal Prinz of Switzerland Tourism the invited tour operators for the Switzerland Tourism evening with raclette at the 43rd annual Mountain Travel Symposium.
Virginie Koulibaly from Valais Matterhorn Region addresses with Nick Turnell and Pascal Prinz of Switzerland Tourism the invited tour operators for the Switzerland Tourism evening with raclette at Mountain Travel Symposium.

New this year was the Young Leaders Summit, an initiative investing in the upcoming generation of industry leaders. Fifteen young leaders participated in exercises and conversations to build leadership and professional development skills, connected with current industry leaders, and discussed challenges facing the industry.


The Trade Exchange, comprised of one-on-one appointments between buyers and sellers, included nearly 350 companies and over 500 participants. More than 30% of those Trade Exchange companies were international.

The Swiss lounge at the Trade Exchange during the Mountain Travel Symposium. 43rd Annual Mountain Travel Symposium, 1,100 attendees
The Swiss lounge at the Trade Exchange during the Mountain Travel Symposium.

Group leaders representing ski clubs and councils from across the country and professional meeting planners, representing millions of dollars of business to the mountain destinations, met with representatives from destinations, resorts, lodging and service providers at the Group and Meetings Exchange.

The international attendees get together for lunch during the Trade Exchange at the 43rd annual Mountain Travel Symposium.
The international attendees get together for lunch during the Trade Exchange at the 43rd annual Mountain Travel Symposium.

Also a part of MTS is the two-day Forum, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday, April 11-12. The Forum is comprised of keynote speakers, MTS Talks, Ignite MTS, panels featuring industry leaders and interactive group workshops on topics in the tracks of sales, marketing and destinations.

This year’s general sessions included interviews with Olympic gold medalist Bode Miller (more below) and Andy Wirth, retiring president and COO of Squaw Valley Ski Holdings. Highlighted speakers included Bruce Kirkby, acclaimed explorer, writer, photographer; Kirsten Lynch, EVP, CMO, Vail Resorts; Bob Stinchcomb, SVP, Sales, Alterra Mountain Company and Giancarlo Cescatti of Madonna di Campiglio.

Giancarlo Cescatti of Madonna di Campiglio addresses the Forum at the 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium
Giancarlo Cescatti of Madonna di Campiglio addresses the Forum at the 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium

Mountain Travel Symposium moves to Whistler, BC, for 2019, taking place March 31- April 6. The event will be held at the Whistler Conference Center in Whistler Village.



Booking.com


For more information about the event, visit www.mtntrvl.com or if you are an international attendee wanting more information write to mrouth@mtntrvl.com, asking about the early bird deal.

And then there is the skiing.... 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium, more than 1,100 attendees
And then there is the skiing….

We’ve covered before about the European Mountain Travel Summit, which will not be held again, so the event to attend yearly is only MTS. You can read why attending MTS is a savvy investment here.

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And the parties are always legendary .... 43rd annual Mountain Travel Symposim, more than 1,100 attendees
And the parties are always legendary ….

Featured Image: View from Room 923 at the Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, where the 43rd  Mountain Travel Symposium was held. 

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