As the largest professional tourism exhibition in Asia, CITM has received the attention of tourists from all over the world since its inception in 1998. Since 2001, the travel mart has been held alternatively in Shanghai and Kunming each year.

The exhibition hall will cover an area of 70 thousand square meters, including the Tourism Image Hall, Tourism Commodity Hall, Health Tourism Hall and Sports Tourism Hall. About 3,700 standard exhibition booths will be set up.

During the CITM, activities will include the China Grand Shangri-La travel promotion, the night of Shangri-La, the opening ceremony, the international guests' inspecting exhibition halls, the Lancang-Mekong tourism city development forum, the China-ASEAN tourism cooperation year closing ceremony, and a professional fair for buyers and sellers.

Several new travel routes and products will be introduced around the theme of 2017 Silk Road Tourism Year.