World Travel Market London 2023, the world’s most influential travel & tourism event, will have three exciting new areas on the exhibition floor this year – Accommodation & Wholesalers, Experiences and Transportation.
The new areas will replace the International Hub and predominantly showcase private-sector and non-destination exhibitors.
The Accommodation & Wholesalers, Experiences and Transportation areas have been launched following extensive research carried out by World Travel Market earlier this year, which identified a trend towards travel purchasing decisions based upon experiences, as opposed to purely destination, particularly among younger generations.
WTM’s behavioural research highlighted the changing habits of the traveller, with Millennials and Gen Z increasingly making travel choices based on experience or bucket lists, as opposed to just the city, country, or region they want to visit.
Juliette Losardo, Exhibition Director at World Travel Market London, said:
“While Gen X might go to Spain, New York or Paris, the newer generations want to visit a wellness retreat, go white-water rafting, or learn to cook in a local community.
“This year we’ve seen an increase in the number of non-destination exhibitors signing up to WTM London, in response to the shift in requirements of younger travellers, who make travel choices based on what they want to do and experience.
“The new Accommodation & Wholesalers, Transportation & Experience areas of the show tap into this cultural shift, offering a place where buyers can come and see what is new and exciting on offer, all in one place.”
In the Accommodation & Wholesalers area, visitors will find dozens of suppliers, including:
Hilton Hotels & Resorts, a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton; Intrepid Travel Group UK, one of the world’s best-known small-group tour organisers, with over 30 years’ experience of providing adventures across the globe; European Tour Operators Association, the trade association for global and European tour operators and suppliers in European destinations; and Miki Travel, which is one of the largest and most experienced wholesale tour operators in Europe.
Visitors to the Experiences area can find exhibitors such as:
Go City (previously known as Leisure Pass Group) – the world’s largest sightseeing pass business, operating in more than 30 destinations, including London, New York, Sydney and Oahu – and Montparnasse 56, operator of the Montparnasse Tower Panoramic Observation Deck that offers an incredible panoramic view overlooking the Eiffel Tower and other iconic monuments in Paris, are also waiting to be discovered in the Experiences area.
Sporting events providers are also represented in the Experiences area, with exhibitors including XS2Event and Champions Travel Ltd, both offering access to many of the best events around the world.
Also in the Experience area, City Sightseeing, the ‘hop-on hop-off’ tours; Big Bus Tours which allows travellers to discover places on an open-top bus; and experience company City Cruises Ltd.
Last but not least, in the Transportation area, visitors can meet representatives from companies including car-hire operators and transport providers, such as:
European train ticket and rail pass provider Rail Europe; car-rental giant Enterprise Rent-A-Car; German car rental supplier Wheego Mobility; and Global Passenger Network, an organisation of independent coach companies operating in more than 40 countries around the world.
Also, in the Transportation area will be representatives from the fast-growing river-cruise sector, including 14-ship operator Amadeus River Cruises, Dutch Cruise Line BV – which operates a fleet of nine river ships – and United Rivers AG, provider of tailor-made white label river-cruise operations.
Meanwhile, the subject of experiential travel is widely covered during the WTM London Conference Programme 2023.
The programme includes a session by Lonely Planet Vice President Tom Hall, entitled Captivating Experience-Seekers: Adopting the Next Generation Mindset, on the Innovate Stage on Tuesday 7 November, 10:30 – 11:10.
On Wednesday 8 November, 10:30 – 11:10, Vaishali Patel, Founder and Director, Vaishali Ltd; Jo Fennell, Head of Sales for Northern Europe, GetYourGuide, and Nishank Gopalkrishnan, Chief Business Officer, TUI Musement, will take part in a panel discussion entitled Curating Unique Customer Experiences Anywhere and Everywhere.
- See the full list of Experience Track conference sessions here.
- Access WTM 2023 floor plan: World Travel Market Floorplan 2023 (wtm.com)
- WTM Media Library: WTM Media Library Home page - WTM Media Library (mediafiler.net)
- Ends
World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises leading travel events and online portals across four continents. The events are:
WTM London is the world’s most influential travel & tourism event for the global travel community. The show is the ultimate destination for those seeking a macro view of the travel industry and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping it. WTM London is where influential travel leaders, buyers and high-profile travel companies gather to exchange ideas, drive innovation, and accelerate business outcomes.
Next live event: 6 to 8 November 2023 at ExCel London
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 31st year, is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2023 welcomed over 40,000 attendees and hosted over 30,000 visitors, including more than 2,100 exhibitors and representatives from over 150 countries, across 10 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai
Next in-person event: 6 to 9 May 2024, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai
https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html
Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place from 6 to 12 May, within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2024. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes Influencers’ events, GBTA Business Travel Forums, as well as ATM Travel Tech. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, as well as a series of country forums.
https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html
WTM Latin America takes place annually in the city of São Paulo and attracts around 20,000 tourism professionals during the three-day event. The event offers qualified content together with networking and business opportunities. In this its ninth edition – there have been eight face-to-face events along with a 100% virtual one, which was held in 2021 – WTM Latin America continued to focus on effective business generation, and achieved the advance booking of six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors in 2022.
Next event: 15 to 17 April 2024 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2022, WTM Africa facilitated more than 7 thousand unique pre-scheduled appointments, an increase of more than 7% compared to 2019 and welcomed more than 6 thousand visitors (unaudited), the same number as in 2019.
Next event: 10 to 12 April 2024 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/
About ATW Connect: Africa Travel Week’s digital arm, is a virtual hub packed to the seams with interesting content, industry news and insights, and the opportunity to hear from experts on a variety of topics in our new monthly webinar series. All with the aim to keep all of us in the travel and tourism industry connected. ATW Connect focuses on inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel, LGBTQ+ travel and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology.
WTM Global Hub, is the WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/
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