The 2026 Asia Dive Expo Calendar and Strategic Planning

• December 10, 2025
• Market Insight

As the dive industry moves into 2026, major expos across Asia continue to play a critical role in shaping B2B relationships, market visibility, and annual sales planning. For suppliers looking to grow their presence in the Chinese-speaking market, choosing the right shows, and understanding what each one offers, has never been more important.

To support your 2026 planning, we’ve compiled an overview of the key dive shows across Asia, along with a simple four-dimension assessment for each: visibility, sales potential, industry connections, and audience profile. This summary sits alongside our interactive show calendar, giving you a clear snapshot of when each event happens and what strategic value it brings.

DRT Shanghai

Date: 6-8 March 2026

Exposure: 5/5

Sales Potential: 5/5

Industry Connections: 4/5

Audience Profile: High-spending East China divers with strong booking intent and early-planning habits. And willing to pay for good service.

The Shanghai DRT Show is the first major Chinese expo in the packed March–April season and serves as the key kickoff point for spring sales. As Asia’s largest dive exhibition by scale and exhibitor count, it offers unmatched visibility and nationwide reach, drawing over 50,000 visitors per show. Its audience consists largely of experienced, high-spending divers from East China, making it one of the strongest events for securing early-season partnerships and premium bookings.

In 2026, the venue will expand and move to the first floor to increase foot traffic, and a dedicated snow-sports section will be added to attract the broader outdoor crowd - many of whom alternate between diving and snow activities throughout the year.

ADEX Shanghai

Date: 29-31 March 2026

Exposure: 4/5

Sales Potential: 4/5

Industry Connections: 4/5

Audience Profile: Divers and buyers interested in liveaboards and experience-driven travel.

We’re excited to see ADEX return to Shanghai after the pandemic, this time with a dedicated focus on liveaboards. The theme positions the show as a targeted platform for operators and destinations offering experience-driven, multi-day products.

It’s also worth noting that the show falls around the period normally occupied by DRT, slightly removed from the Chinese New Year travel rush. This timing aligns well with when divers begin planning for the May and October holiday peaks, making it a suitable window for early-stage product promotion and buyer engagement.

ADEX Singapore

Date: 10-12 April 2026

Exposure: 4/5

Sales Potential: 4/5

Industry Connections: 5/5

Audience Profile: High-spending, experienced Southeast Asian divers and international buyers.

ADEX Singapore is one of the most influential dive shows in the Asia-Pacific region, drawing a strong mix of local divers and international buyers. Its audience is known for high spending power, solid trip-planning habits, and strong interest in premium destinations and liveaboards.

For overseas suppliers, Singapore is a particularly friendly market - local divers have excellent English proficiency, making it easier for less well-known destinations or new operators to build trust compared with language-dependent Mainland China shows. The growing Mainland Chinese community in Singapore has also made the show a valuable entry point into both the Southeast Asian and Chinese outbound markets.

DRT Taiwan

Date: 8–10 May 2026

Exposure: 4/5

Sales Potential: 4/5

Industry Connections: 4/5

Audience Profile: Mature local dive community with growing FIT interest.

Taiwan has a long-established dive culture traditionally driven by instructors and dive shops, but recent years have seen a slowshift toward younger travellers and FIT-style planning. As consumers gain access to more information and start seeking personalised overseas dive trips, dive operators now have more opportunities to introduce customised itineraries and online booking products.

DRT Taiwan offers a steady platform to connect with this evolving market segment, engage experienced divers, and build relationships with local agencies transitioning into more flexible FIT offerings.

MIDE Malaysia

Date: 5-7 June 2026

Exposure: 4/5

Sales Potential: 4/5

Industry Connections: 4/5

Audience Profile: Value-driven local divers with strong interest in regional and affordable long-haul destinations.

MIDE is Malaysia’s longest-running and most recognised dive exhibition, drawing a stable local audience with strong interest in diving, especially value-for-money packages. One notable advantage is the highly active Malaysian Chinese community: many speak fluent Chinese and engage heavily on platforms like Xiaohongshu, giving overseas suppliers an additional pathway to reach Chinese-speaking audiences in Southeast Asia.

While the market is competitive and price-sensitive, MIDE remains a solid platform to build visibility, connect with local agencies, and reach a bilingual audience that can help amplify brand exposure across both Malaysian and Chinese digital ecosystems.

DRT Chengdu

Date: 17–19 July 2026

Exposure: 3/5

Sales Potential: 4/5

Industry Connections: 3/5

Audience Profile: Emerging Southwest beginner market with increasing interest in overseas trips.

The 2026 DRT Chengdu show marks the exhibition’s first expansion into Western China. Chengdu is an interesting developing market: it has a growing base of new divers, relatively low local competition, and strong outbound travel potential thanks to its international flight network.

While the show’s size and sales volume may not yet match the major coastal cities, Chengdu offers access to an underserved region and a chance to build early brand presence among new divers in Southwest China. For suppliers targeting long-term growth or wanting to test outreach beyond the traditional Shanghai–Beijing–Guangdong triangle, Chengdu provides a meaningful entry point.

ADEX Beijing

Date: 17-19 July 2026

Exposure: 4/5

Sales Potential: 3/5

Industry Connections: 4/5

Audience Profile: Well-educated, high-spending urban travellers with strong interest in premium destinations.

With DRT not returning to Beijing in 2026, ADEX Beijing becomes the only major show for suppliers aiming to reach the capital’s market. Although Beijing is not a coastal region, it is one of China’s most developed cities, with consistently high purchasing power and strong interest in outbound travel.

Given the lack of competing shows this year, we expect increased local traffic and a stronger concentration of Beijing-based divers attending ADEX. For suppliers targeting North China’s well-established consumer base, especially those offering premium or long-haul products, this show offers solid visibility and meaningful buyer engagement.

 

DRT Hong Kong

Date: December 2026 (TBC)

Exposure: 5/5

Sales Potential: 5/5

Industry Connections: 4/5

Audience Profile: Early-planning, high-spending travellers with strong preference for premium, well-organised trips.

DRT Hong Kong is a key year-end show for capturing high-value bookings ahead of the Lunar New Year and the following summer season. Hong Kong travellers are known for planning early, budgeting reliably, and favouring premium long-haul trips, making them a highly desirable segment for liveaboards and upscale dive resorts.

The city’s global connectivity and frequent outbound travel habits also make it a strong bridge between the Mainland and international markets. For suppliers looking to lock in stable, high-value customers before peak holiday windows, DRT Hong Kong remains one of the most effective platforms in the region.

*The Exposure, Sales Potential and Industry Connections ratings represent HelloDive’s evaluation of each show’s performance within the Chinese-speaking market and are benchmarked comparatively across Asia. They are intended as a practical reference to help suppliers assess each show’s relevance and are not official or industry-wide ratings.