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DRT SHOW Shanghai -- The Revival of the Dive Expo in Asia

2021-05-05

2021.05.05 / DRT SHOW Shanghai

The dive expo is back!

In April 2021, Diving Resort Travel Expo (DRT SHOW) Shanghai and Moscow Dive Show were the first two dive expositions on the globe to be resumed. Those two events undoubtedly injected energy and hope into the long-dormant diving industry.

(DRT SHOW Shanghai 2021 was held at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center from April 16 to 18.)

In 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered every aspect of life worldwide. Countries around the world imposed lockdowns, travel restrictions, and suspension of issuance of tourist visas. Travel and tourism sector, which accounts for 10% of global economy became one of the industries that was profoundly influenced by the crisis. Under the impact of the pandemic, the global diving industry was also greatly affected. While large-scale international diving expositions around the world had been postponed or cancelled, DRT SHOW Malaysia and Thailand Dive Expo (TDEX) took place successfully.

Since most diving expositions are postponed or cancelled, platforms for the launch of new product, technical communication, and interchange of ideas are quite scarce for dive-related operators. There’s been a sharp growth of online events or webinars driven by the coronavirus; however, virtual events seem have not yet been able to become the replacement of in-person expositions completely.

(DRT SHOW aroused a lot of interest and attention before the event started, attracting many visitors during the exhibition.)

 “As the international pandemic has not yet been contained, it will inevitably have an impact on international exhibitions. We postponed our Shanghai, Taiwan, Guangzhou, Beijing, Philippines, India, and Hong Kong Shows that were originally scheduled to take place following DRT SHOW Malaysia. We are facing challenging times this year, yet we have been eagerly looking forward to the diving shows being held again after the pandemic eases up, on the premise that all participants’ health and safety is ensured. This year’s DRT SHOW Shanghai not only provides a favorable communication platform to boost the development of Asian dive market healthfully but also makes a good start and encourages the return of globally diving physical expos; moreover, this event gives confidence to the industry. All in all, it’s not just a dive expo.” said by DRT SHOW CEO, Jason Chong.

DRT SHOW, the largest diving expo in Asia, chose Shanghai as the first stop of the restart, which aroused a lot of interest and attention before the event started. Exhibitors were all gearing up and looking forward to the day of return. Even if some foreign exhibitors were unable to be present, agents or distributors from China participated on their behalf. This three-day event gathered nearly 100 prestigious dive-related gear brands, resorts, and tourism operators from China, the United States, Finland, France, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, etc. A total of over ten thousands of visitors attended.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) noted that in early 2021, domestic tourism in Asia-Pacific region will be the first to recover. The growth of domestic travel in China has also driven the development of its diving market. At this DRT SHOW, diving training agencies such as PADI, DIWA, SDI TDI ERDI, PSAI, UTD identified the business opportunities during the current pandemic, so none of them were absent. They noted “divers are more actively looking for the chance to dive; therefore, domestic diving will become a trend and grow rapidly.”

In addition to the participation of excellent exhibitors, a total of 22 professional seminars were presented at DRT SHOW Shanghai by diving experts on the topics of scuba diving, freediving, technical diving, underwater photography, diving tourism, industry trends, as well as mermaid and diving equipment. Furthermore, there were splendid activities such as Ocean Culture Fair, DIWA Underwater Photo Gallery, Plastic FREE I pledge to use less plastic, and Kids Zone bringing diverse elements into the show. DRT SHOW Shanghai eventually achieved a perfect ending with the lucky draw on Sunday.

(DRT SHOW onsite expert seminars, underwater photo gallery, and other activities brought professionalism and diversity to the dive show.)

DRT SHOW CEO, Jason Chong, said, “The pandemic has changed the world, but our original intention of founding DRT SHOW has never changed. We are committed to promoting the development of the diving industry in Asia and encouraging more people to become enthusiastic divers who care about ocean ecology. We look forward to witnessing the prosperity and the new peak of the Asian diving industry with you in the near future.”

In this critical and challenging time, it’s greatly inspiring that the DRT SHOW was able to break through the difficulties and successfully took place. It showed global enterprises in trouble the toughness and resilience of the Asian market and caught their attention to Asia. In addition, the active participation of exhibitors and the success of the event revealed the close cooperation and the consensus of the industry, nourishing and strengthening the diving market. It is believed that DRT SHOW Shanghai 2022 will bring more possibilities and development to the future.