World Travel Market

Every November the world’s travel and tourism industry, including senior executives and more than 150 tourism ministers, arrives for the annual WTM at London’s international exhibition and convention centre ExCel. It is the event at which the travel industry negotiates the deals that ultimately decide which holidays will appear in next year’s brochures, travel agencies and on travel websites worldwide.

Lorraine Samuel, senior client services manager, Business in Africa Events UK Ltd, says of last year’s WTM: “It was a great opportunity to network and exchange ideas on current trends, such as using tourism to encourage economic growth within a destination. The event gets bigger and better every year.”

WTM 2009 saw more than £1,139 million worth of business conducted, and this year’s show is poised to generate even more business deals, all of which will have a direct bearing on where we go on holiday in 2011 and beyond.

Turn to page 19 for inspiration on next year’s hot destinations — all of them represented at WTM. Among the more far-flung countries highlighted are Peru, Libya and Nepal — no longer the preserve of hardened trekkers.

Iraq is exhibiting at WTM for the first time in more than a decade — could the once unstable country be a tourism hot spot of the future? A delegation from the country’s ministry of tourism attended WTM last year, helping it secure a number of investments in its tourism infrastructure. With leading hotel chains building properties there and airlines now flying to the destination, this could be one to watch.

New to WTM 2010 is the Sports Pavilion, a testament to the huge growth in this sector of the travel and tourism industry. As the UK gears up for one of the biggest events in its sports tourism sector — the Ashes in Australia, starting November 25 in Brisbane — find out how to plan your holiday to coincide with this and other major international sporting events. These include next year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, which will see thousands of rugby fans from the home nations visit the pre-tournament favourites, and the One Day Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.
With its hosting of both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, Brazil is set to be a major tourism force in the coming years. Read more about developments here.

Responsible travel remains a key consideration for both consumers of holidays and the travel industry, which is why WTM is dedicating an entire day to this topic. These days, an increasing number of holidaymakers choose to travel responsibly, and the destinations to which you can travel and limit your impact on the environment, or make a real difference while you’re there, are growing.


Ten years ago there were very few responsible tourism operators; today there are more than 300 selling 4,000 holidays. The responsible travel feature highlights Puerto Princesa in the Philippines as a shining example of how a community project is allowing visitors to experience one of nature’s most magical sights — the dancing fireflies of the Iwahig River.

I hope you enjoy this special World Travel Market supplement and that it gives you plenty of food for thought for your 2011 holiday plans and beyond. [Via]