Registration is open for the World Travel Market 2009 (WTM) which takes place at London’s ExCel from November 9 to 12.
WTM’s visitor figures for last year increased by 12 per cent and the total number of participants reached 50,246, an increase of 4 per cent.
Trade delegate attendance went up to 26,498, compared to 23,722 in 2007. There was also a four per cent increase in the number of exhibiting companies to 5,631, and nearly 100 new exhibitors.
In the Technology and Online Travel sector, there was a more than nine per cent growth in exhibitor numbers, with 11 new exhibitors.
Fiona Jeffery, chairman of WTM said, “It demonstrated that in these tough times for the industry, it is absolutely necessary for senior and middle management to come together, not only to conduct business and identify new contacts and markets, but also to discuss, debate and address the many challenges that lie ahead.”
She believed that this year “will be tough”, but hoped that WTM 2008 had been able to help businesses secure a safer and more successful course for the future.
Jeffery believed the WTM’s new admission policy was a success for it ensured a quieter opening day for exhibitors to focus on especially important business contacts, while carefully targeted business events helped to spread the number of trade visitors attending throughout the remainder of the week.
A key feature is the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day aimed at encouraging all travel companies to take real action and demonstrate to consumers that the industry cares collectively about the sustainability of this planet and its communities often negatively affected by mass tourism.
Euromonitor International, producers of the WTM Global Trends Report which identifies the next generation of trends in the travel and tourism industry, released its latest findings at WTM 2008.
In a nutshell, the Middle East’is gaining a growing expatriate community which is turning to the region as a holiday destination; Fairtrade holidays in sub-Saharan Africa are on the cusp of going mainstream; Asian business travel is benefiting from the current financial crisis as companies shift to Asia for growth potential.
Latin Americans are going long haul in search of international experiences, whereas North Americans are increasingly opting for philanthropic travel. In Europe, travel networking resonates with consumers, boosting hospitality tourism and home exchanges.