A one-thousand-strong community in rural Kenya has gained access to clean, safe water since last year’s World Travel Market London thanks to attendee donations going towards the show’s long-term charity partner Just a Drop.
Last year, over £7,900 was raised through donations and built-in exhibitor stand fees, which was then matched by WTM London, with the total reaching almost £16,000.
This money was used to help the Katethya community in Kitui County, Kenya to construct a sand dam to provide clean water for nearly 1,400 people – who are all now able to drink, wash, prepare food and irrigate crops safely.
Dams of this type are built across seasonal rivers during dry periods. In the rainy season, when water flows, sand collects behind the dam, trapping water with it and acting as a natural filtration system. The filtered water can then be extracted through a handpump and well at the side of the river. The Katethya dam is one of four built by Just a Drop in the region.
Other recent WTM London donations have supported Santa Isabela School in Nicaragua where hygienic toilets and handwashing facilities were installed by Just a Drop in July 2024. The school, in the country’s north, is attended by 28 children, whereby previous latrines had become unusable due to disrepair, while a proper washing area was also lacking. Difficulty in maintaining hygiene standards had led to pupils missing school through illness.
Now, two double pit latrines for children and one for staff have been installed along with a handwashing station. Just a Drop also trained teachers, pupils and the school’s Parents Committee on maintenance and best hygiene practices to ensure the long-term sustainability of the improvements.
Already, sickness has reduced, while school attendance improved. The pupils are also benefiting from greater privacy.
WTM London has been formally supporting Just a Drop since 1998 when it became a Founding Partner of the charity. Since then, the travel exhibition has raised a total of £23,353 which has supported 19 safe water projects across six countries. More than 12,000 people have gained access to safe water and sanitation as a result.
Overall, WTM London’s global parent RX, whose exhibitions and initiatives also include Arabian Travel Mart (ATM), Mostra Convegno Expocomfort (MCE) and RX Cares, has raised a total £238,986 for Just a Drop, supporting 33 safe water projects across nine countries and reaching almost 44,000 people.
WTM London has extended its partnership with Just a Drop for a further four years, reaffirming its long-term commitment to support the charity at this year’s show taking place from Tuesday 4th to Thursday 6th November.
Chris Carter-Chapman, WTM London Event Director, commented: “At WTM London, we believe travel should be a force for good in the world. Supporting communities to access the most vital of resources - safe drinking water and sanitation, feels a natural fit and we’re delighted to partner with Just a Drop to do so. We look forward to continuing our support in the coming years and thank everyone who has already donated to such a good cause.”
Fiona Jeffery OBE, Founder and Chair of Just a Drop added: “We see first-hand how access to safe water transforms lives. It not only prevents illness but also unlocks opportunities for education and economic growth. We’re grateful to have WTM London as a key partner in enabling that powerful transformation for more people across the world and hope the show’s attendees will continue to give generously.”
To find out more and speak to Just a Drop representatives in person, visit the charity’s interactive stand (S5-209) next to the new WTM Trend Fest cultural programme stage at WTM London 2025.
Visitors can also donate directly online to Just a Drop here: Donate - Just a Drop.
ENDS
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Becca Krug and Evie Nicholls at Davies Tanner:
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Notes to Editors
World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises of leading travel events and online portals across four continents. The events are Arabian Travel Market, WTM London, WTM Latin America and WTM Africa.
WTM London is the world’s most influential travel and tourism event for the international leisure l 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 event: 4 to 6 November 2025 at ExCel London.
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2024 welcomed over 47,000 attendees and hosted over 30,000 visitors, including more than 2,600 exhibitors and representatives from over 161 countries, across 10 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai
Next event: 4 to 6 May 2026, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai
https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html
Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place from 28 April, 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.
Arabian Travel Week is a 10-day long festival of travel and tourism events that take place in Dubai. All eyes are on the city, as Dubai invites the international travel industry to come together each year and take part in the events so that we can shape the future of travel together. The travel events that are part of Arabian Travel Week include ATM Start Up Competition, ATM Travel Tech, GBTA Business Travel Forums and Buyer Networking.
https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html
WTM Latin America is held annually in São Paulo and attracts more than 29,000 tourism professionals and almost 800 exhibiting companies during the three-day event. The event offers a qualified content combined with networking and business opportunities. In its latest edition, in 2025, WTM Latin America kept its focus on effective business generation and was able to schedule in advance six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors.
WTM Latin America contents are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Next event: 14 to 16 April 2026 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. The event welcomes 6,000 travel industry professionals to Africa’s leading and only business to business (B2B) exhibition for both the inbound and outbound African travel and tourism markets.
Next event: 13 to 15 April 2026 – 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/
About RX
RX is a global leader in events and exhibitions, leveraging industry expertise, data, and technology to build businesses for individuals, communities, and organisations. With a presence in 25 countries across 42 industry sectors, RX hosts approximately 350 events annually. RX is committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people. RX empowers businesses to thrive by leveraging data-driven insights and digital solutions. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.rxglobal.com.
About RELX
RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 36,000 people over 40% of whom are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York stock exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX.
*Note: Current market capitalisation can be found at http://www.relx.com/investors
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